What is Ringworm in Dogs?
Ringworm in canines is an illness that requires to be closely monitored and dealt with in order to offer your furry friend as many healthy years as possible.
Despite the name, ringworm in dogs is not caused by a worm at all. Ringworm is a fungus that can infect the hair, nails and skin. This highly contagious disease in pets can lead to patchy areas of hair loss on a dog and can spread to other animals, and on occasions to humans, as well.
Here’s all you have to know about ringworm in dogs – how to prevent your caninefrom ringworm, the early signs or of ringworm that you should look for, and what to do if you see symptoms of ringworm in dogs.
Symptoms of Ringworm in Dogs
Ringworm can cause obvious changes in your dog’s wellbeing and behaviour. Knowing the symptoms of Ringworm in dogs is the first step in safeguarding your pet’s wellbeing. If any of these signs apply to your pet, bring your canine to your veterinarian for a checkup:
- Skin Lesions on Head
- Skin Lesions on Ears
- Skin Lesions on Paws
- Skin Lesions on Forelimbs
- Patchy, Crusted, Circular Bald Spots
Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is designed to help inform you regarding ringworm. It is not meant to replace the veterinary diagnosis or treatment for ringworm. If you have any questionsor concerns about your canine’s health or possible symptoms, be sure to get in touch with and consult with your vet as soon as you can.
The Main Causes of Ringworm in Dogs
To recognize and treat ringworm in dogs, we need to understand the underlying causes of ringworm in dogs. This can help a pet parent prevent ringworm happening in the first place or again.
Dogs often get infected with ringworm through direct contact with animals or people who have ringworm themselves, some of whom may have little or no clinical evidence of the disease.
Ringworm fungus can also be spread through contaminated objects like bedding, brushes, clippers, and cages. Some species of ringworm live in the soil, and dogs can become sick after contacting dirt that is home these organisms.
Anything that decreases the body's ability to mount an effective immune response (such as young age, immunocompromising diseases, or immunosuppressive medications) increases the likelihood that your dog will develop ringworm, as well as increase the potential for a more severe infection.
Environments that are densely populated with animals, such as, in an animal shelter or kennel, or where there is poor nutrition, poor management practices, and lack of an adequate quarantine period, also increase risk of infection.
Finally, disruptions to the normal protective barrier of the skin, like wounds or a flea infestation, increase a pets susceptibility to ringworm.
Diagnosing Ringworm in Dogs
No one understands your dog better than you do and hence it is critical that your pet be checked properly by a vet at least once a year.
A vet can perform a fungal culture of plucked hairs or skin scales from your pet and a microscopic examination of a sample of hair, or a skin biopsy if there is speciation of ringworm in dogs.
In some circumstance, a woods lamp is used by vets to identify ringworm where to take samples from. Some types of ringworm fungus fluoresce when exposed to light from a Woods lamp, but others do not. Additional testing may also be necessary to detect ringworm in dogs.
For dogs at risk of getting ringworm, more frequent visits to the vet clinic recommended.
Preventing Ringworm in Dogs
It is horrible when your pet dog gets ill, and seeing it hurt can be absolutely heartbreaking. With caution and a bit of extra care, a dog owner can ensure that dog stays protected from diseases like ringworm.
To not to appear weak or vulnerable to predators, the innate survival impulses make pets conceal illnesses. This means thorough physical examinations by a certified vet are essential to keep your family pets healthy. Typically, blood and urine tests performed by your vet are required to get the total picture of your family pet’s health. These preventive checks steps will diagnose any health problems earlier making treatment more successful and less costly and, more significantly, will help your pet dog live a longer, much healthier life.
Dogs which are undergoing treatment for ringworm have to be isolated to prevent the spread of the disease to other animals or people.
It is advisable to wear disposable gloves and wash your skin and clothes after handling an infected pet with ringworm. In addition, vacuum floors and upholstery and clean hard surfaces properly with an effective disinfectant like a dilute bleach solution.
Ash your vet to get an appropriate plan for treatment, monitoring, and environmental decontamination based on the specifics of your pets disease.
Treatment for Ringworm in Dogs
Ringworm in most dogs can be treated as an outpatient, however, quarantine procedures should be considered due to the contagious nature of many types of ringworm.
In mild cases of ringworm in dogs, topical treatment may be sufficient to speed recovery and reduce the chances that the disease will spread to other animals or people. In the case of pets with a long coat, shaving can help topical medications reach the skin. Use of lime sulfur dips, enilconazole rinses, and miconazole shampoos are viable options.
For more severe cases of ringworm in dogs, your vet will normally prescribe oral anti-fungal drugs such as fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, griseofulvin or terbinafine. Treatment for ringworm in dogs often must continue for several months and should not be stopped until follow-up diagnostic testing shows that the dog is free of ringworm.
Talk to your local vet to find out more about the treatments for ringworm in dogs.