What Is a Ringworm?
The term “ringworm” comes from the round, raised red ring often seen in people suffering from this fungal infection. Dermatophytes is the medical term for ringworm in dogs, which refers to a group of harmful fungi. Microsporum canis causes about 70% of cases of ringworm in dogs, while Microsporum gypseum accounts for about 20% of cases. Trichophyton mentagrophytes cause only 10% of cases.
Infected dogs’ hair follicles and the outermost layer of their skin are home to the fungus that thrives there. Occasionally, it also develops and resides in their nails. The dog often only has a few parts of the body affected by the superficial infection. More widespread ringworm infections can sometimes affect puppies, elderly dogs, and immunocompromised dogs.
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How is ringworm transmitted?
Ringworms can become infected by direct contact with the fungus. You can become infected by direct contact with an infected human or animal and through contact with polluted surfaces or items. Fungal spores can lie lethargic in brushes, food bowls, furniture, bedding, rugs, and other surrounding surfaces for up to a year and a half.
An infection is not certain when ringworm fungus comes into contact with it. Both the age of the exposed animal and the level of environmental pollution play a significant role in the development of a ringworm infection. Ringworm lesions in dogs typically manifest as roughly circular patches of alopecia.
The base area of these round lesions heals and hair may begin to grow in between the lesions as it enlarges. A harmed hair shaft is brittle and prone to breakage. Normally not irritated, these sores can occasionally become inflamed and form an itchy surface.
The majority of the time, the body has many patches dispersed across it. Nail fungal infections might happen occasionally. The claws grow brittle, sharp, and fractured.
Certain dogs can have ringworm fungi in their skin or hair without exhibiting any outward symptoms of the illness. These canines don’t have any visible skin lesions, yet they can still infect humans or other animals with ringworm.
How Is Ringworm In Dogs Treated?
A combination of topical therapy – the use of creams, ointments, or shampoos with systemic therapy the oral use of antifungal drugs – is the most notable treatment for ringworm in dogs. All environmental contaminants should be taken out for treatment to be successful. After treatment starts, ringworm cultures will be taken consistently to check if your pet is still infected.
Do not stop treatment unless your veterinarian has advised you to stop treatment. If treatment is stopped too soon, the fungus may return.
Try to keep sick and non-infected pets apart if you have multiple pets in your home, and only treat the sick ones. Treating each pet may be the best course of action in certain situations. Your veterinarian will advise you on the process that will work best for your specific situation.
Quarantine
Quarantining your dog is the first step when a ringworm infection is suspected because it is very infectious. Minimize your dog’s interactions with individuals and try to keep them separate from other pets.
Ideally, keep your dog in a spacious bathroom or other easily cleaned area. You shouldn’t use a room with wood flooring or rugs because they are quite tough to maintain.
Topical Treatment
Topical therapy is more frequently used in conjunction with oral drugs than it is used alone to treat ringworm in dogs. Various creams and ointments containing miconazole (Micaved®), terbinafine (Lamisil®), or clotrimazole (Otomax® or Otibiotic®) are available for topical treatment of ringworm. These are often helped by applying a lime-sulfur dip twice a week or a shampoo with a chlorhexidine + miconazole basis.
Your veterinarian may advise shaving all of your dog’s hair or only tiny portions of it if one or two locations are impacted. You must apply topical treatments for dogs only with preparations that your veterinarian has explicitly prescribed or supplied. In most cases, topical therapy will be required for a few weeks to many months.
Oral Treatment
In most cases, the use of oral antifungal medications is necessary to effectively treat ringworm in dogs. For this reason, griseofulvin (Fulvicin®, Gris-Peg®, Grisovin®) is the most commonly used drug. But, newer drugs, including terbinafine or itraconazole (Itrafungol®, Sporanox®, Onmel®), are being used more often and are generally preferred because they have fewer side effects. Every dog responds differently to treatment, and the disease may return if treatment is stopped too soon. Treatment typically lasts six weeks at minimum, however, sometimes much longer therapy is needed.
Environmental Cleaning
Numerous small fungus spores that can be released into the environment are present in infected hairs. Humans and other animals can become infected by coming into close contact with a dog that is diseased or by coming into touch with fungus spores in an uncontaminated area. It’s critical to avoid coming into close contact with infected dogs and to keep the surrounding area as spore-free as possible. Combining topical antifungal therapy for afflicted skin regions with hair clippings (and cautious disposal) may help lower environmental contamination. Pet hair may contain fungus spores, so it’s critical to remove it from furniture and flooring. It makes sense to confine the dog to easily cleaned rooms in the house.
Thoroughly vacuuming or damp mopping every room or area that your dog may reach will help reduce environmental contamination; this should be done every day. Wherever it is practicable to use it, a solution of one pint of chlorine bleach (500 ml) in one gallon of water (4 liters) can be used to kill fungal spores.
How Is A Ringworm Infection Diagnosed?
Certain canine ringworm instances exhibit a yellow-green fluorescence when the skin and coat are inspected under a Wood’s lamp, a type of special UV lamp, in a darkened room. But not every instance exhibits obvious fluorescence, and certain dermatophyte species don’t glow when illuminated by a Wood’s lamp. Therefore, to verify the presence of ringworm fungi, other diagnostics could be required.
A laboratory culture of the fungus is the most accurate way to diagnose ringworm in dogs. Dog skin scrapings and hair samples are collected to achieve this. In certain situations, the fungal spores may grow slowly, and culture findings may take up to three weeks to confirm. However, in other cases, a positive culture can be verified in a matter of days.
Hair loss in dogs can be caused by several factors. Your veterinarian might advise more testing to rule out other potential reasons before diagnosing ringworm.
How Long Will My Dog Be Contagious?
Unless they receive intensive treatment, infected pets can spread the virus for around three weeks. If you don’t follow the recommended course of action or take insufficient precautions, the ringworm infection will persist and spread more widely over time. It is advised that at this time you limit your exposure to your family members and other dogs or cats. Your dog will have received successful therapy if two consecutive negative fungal cultures are obtained.
Will My Dog Recover From A Ringworm Infection?
Most dogs who have ringworm infection will recover if they receive the right treatment. If the pet has an underlying illness that weakens their immune system, or if the treatment is stopped too soon or is not aggressive enough (i.e., only topical treatment was utilized), symptoms may return. Sometimes, even with the right care, the infection doesn’t go away. Your veterinarian might need to test other antifungal medications in this case.
What Is The Risk To Humans?
Because ringworm is highly infectious to people, especially young children, it is important to take the necessary risk to limit the dog’s exposure to the fungus during treatment. People with debilitated immune systems are more helpless to ringworm infection and related clinical symptoms.
Seek medical assistance right away if any family members experience skin lesions, such as tiny areas of skin that thicken, redden, and have raised scaly edges. Human ringworm typically reacts quite well to therapy.
Reinfection can happen because the ringworm fungus can stay infectious in the environment for as long as a year and a half. While working with polluted animals, it is very vital to utilize the gloves and wash your hands properly afterward.
Conclusion
Contrary to its name, ringworm is a typical fungal infection in dogs that has nothing to do with worms. A visit to the vet can help treat ringworm infections in dogs. Dog owners must be aware of any irregular or circular areas of hair loss, red, scaly, or scaly skin, and any discomfort or itching. Depending on your particular policy, your pet insurance may or may not pay for your dog’s ringworm treatment.