Spotting Ringworm in Your Dog
Ringworm is a fungus that can not only infect dogs it can infect other types of animals and people. It is extremely contagious and easily passes from pet to human or human to pet. Being aware of its symptoms and signs is very important when sharing your home with animals.
Typically ringworm can be seen in dogs through patches of missing hair. The fungus lives in hair follicles which causes the hair to break off. The dog’s skin that can be seen through the missing hair typically looks like a circle with raised edges. There might be a pale spot in the middle. It commonly causes your dog to become itchy and uncomfortable. The dog’s skin may also become crusty, scaly, or red. Dogs can easily spread their infection to other parts of their body by itching. In humans ringworm can be seen as red circular rashes with healthy skin in the middle of the rash. Itching can spread ringworm in humans as well. It can also be spread through blankets and bedding in both humans and dogs.
If you suspect your dog has ringworm take it to a vet. Your vet can diagnose the fungus’ presence by looking at the skin under a special ultraviolet light or by taking a scraping of the skin and testing it. The test usually takes between one and two weeks to come back with a diagnosis. Your vet will then suggest a treatment. There are several different treatments available to rid your dog of ringworm. All are easy to do and just take persistence. The gestation period between exposure and occurrence with ringworm is ten days. It is possible to not completely rid your dog or home or ringworm in which re-infestation can occur. You will need to stay on top of it and put in the work so it can be eliminated quickly. The first step is to start treating your dog. Your vet might prescribe medication, cream or shampoo. Medication will most likely be prescribed to your dog ad should be given n a daily basis. Although there are creams that can be given to dogs, n average they do not work simply because it is easy for your dog to rub or lick the cream off. The most effective form of treatment is through an antifungal shampoo. Shampoo will remove the fungus spores from the hair and treatment is applied all over the dog’s body at once helping to eliminate fungus spores that have not yet show symptoms. Most likely more then one bath treatment is needed to rid your dog completely.
Along with the treatment f the dog itself, it is important to treat your house for ringworm. Wash your dog’s bedding everyday with bleach and hot water. Avoid direct contact with your dog to avoid becoming infected yourself. If you have other dogs or cats living in your home make sure that you treat them as well. Using the ringworm shampoo on them even if they do not have ringworm will not harm them. The worst thing you can do with ringworm is to not treat it completely. So, when your dog is diagnosed with it, make sure to do everything you need to do everyday and when symptoms subside in your dog, take it back to the vet and have them retest your dog’s hair to ensure that the fungus is really gone.
