The Effects of Ringworm on Dogs

Dog Skin Allergies

Ringworms are a common summer disease for people. It is so common that about 20% of the population will be infected within their lives. What most of them don’t know is that they can get it from their dogs.

Dog Skin Allergies

Dogs are smart animals. They are also irrepressibly curious. If you observe your dog for just a couple of hours, you will see that they like to go digging in places and exploring new things. They explore more places than we do, and are more likely to catch diseases there.

Dog Skin Allergies

There are three ringworm-causing fungi that can infect your dog. The Microsporum Canis is actually more common in domestic cats (causing about 98% of all cat infections) but can be transferred to dogs and humans. Rodents can be infected with Trichophyton Mentagrophytes and spread it to rabbits, horses, and dogs. If your dog likes to dig in soil, they can catch a soil organism called Microsporum Gypseum, which can also spread to cats, horses, rodents, cattle and swine.

Dog Skin Allergies

A ringworm-infected dog may or may not have symptoms. Ringworm live on keratin, which is a substance found in nails, skin and hair. It can live inside the hair shafts and cause the dog‘s fur to break. It can also create a ring-like bald spot. In some cases, rashes similar to those of humans may appear. These are circular, with red, raised edges and seemingly healthy skin in the middle. The rashes are often itchy and can start growing in time. If a dog does not display any symptoms, they can still spread the fungal infection to other animals or people.

If you suspect that there is ringworm in your dog, you should take them to the veterinarian immediately. Once there, the doctor can conduct several tests to ensure that it is a ringworm infection.

The vet can shine an ultraviolet light on the dog‘s skin in a Woods Test. This can help if the infection is caused by some species of the Microsporum Canis. These fungi leave an apple-green fluorescence on the hair shafts of the animal.

A Microscopic test can also be done, wherein the vet takes hairs from the dog and places them under the microscope. This can be good for determining about 40 to 70% of ringworm infections.

If your vet wants to determine the kind of species that have infected your dog, a Culture test can be done. Samples can be collected from the dog‘s hairs and uses them to make a culture.

Once it has been determine that there is ringworm in your dog, you should segregate the animal immediately. You should also separate its cage, bedding, dishes and toys from people and other animals. A bleach solution should be used to clean the household, especially where the dog frequently stays. The cage should also be washed with the bleach solution.

The treatment is often a fungal soap, oral medication, and topical creams with Terbinafine, Itraconzole or Fluconazole. A twice a week lime sulfur dip should also be used to bathe the animal.

It is also important to remove all dog hairs from the house. Fungal spores are known to die easily if they in cool, dry spaces. But they can live for 1 to 2 years in the stray hairs of dogs. Use a vacuum to go over all the areas. After you are sure all the hairs have been removed, dispose of the hairs with the vacuum cleaner bag used for the job.

It may take some time to complete treatment for the dog. It can take two to four weeks, as it does in humans. But to increase the efficacy of the treatment, you should cut your pet’s hair shorter. This allows the topical treatment and the dip to be absorbed directly on the skin. It also gives the fungus less room to hide. But don’t shave the hair off, because it can cause nicks that can help ringworm thrive.

The Effects of Ringworm on Dogs

Dog Skin Allergies