Ringworm
This is a common fungus that affects many species of animals, including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and people. There are several types of ringworm fungi that are present in the soil. When environmental temperatures are ideal, the fungi multiply and we start to see an increase in pet infections.
Symptoms
Ringworm in people is a classic red, circular lesion that is itchy. In pets, though, the more common ringworm lesion is a round, scaly or crusty lesion without redness where the hair easily pulls out from the center of the lesion. The ears, tail, and feet are commonly affected, but lesions can appear anywhere.
How Did My Pet Get Ringworm?
Ringworm spores only need contact with skin to infect a pet or person. Since they cannot infect healthy skin, usually a pre-existing condition such as a scratch, scrape or other trauma to the skin is necessary for an infection to take hold. Once a pet gets ringworm, it can pass along the infection directly to other pets or people in the household.
Diagnosis
If we suspect ringworm, the first test we will perform is to turn off the lights in the exam room and run a Wood's lamp over your pet. About 50% of the ringworm fungi will glow a green color under this light. This is quick and easy, and if your pet lights up we know he or she is infected with ringworm. If there is no fluorescence under the light, though, ringworm may still be a possibility. The next step is to do a fungal culture for ringworm. This entails plucking a few hairs from in and around the lesions on your pet's skin and placing them on a DTM culture medium designed specifically to grow ringworm. This test takes 7 days to run, but results can show up positive in as early as a few days.
Treatment
If we are suspicious about ringworm in your pet, we may start topical treatment with an antifungal medication (if there are only a few lesions) or with an antifungal shampoo (if lesions are widespread). Sometimes your pet will begin to recover even before a positive test result is obtained! If we do not start treatment before the test results are back, or if your pet is not responding to the initial treatment, then we perform a medicated dip on your pet. This dip is done once weekly for 3-4 treatments, or until a negative ringworm culture is obtained. Alternatively, oral medication can be used for 1-2 months. The medication type and route we use can be tailored depending on the owner and pet needs.
Identifying Carriers
Some pets, especially cats, can be carriers for ringworm. This means that the pet can be infected and able to transmit ringworm, but may not be showing any symptoms. If you have had several cases of ringworm in your pets or family, it is important to test all the animals to make sure one is not a carrier that needs to be treated. Alternatively, people can also be carriers for ringworm so checking with your medical physician may be necessary if a pet is not the carrier.
Symptoms
Ringworm in people is a classic red, circular lesion that is itchy. In pets, though, the more common ringworm lesion is a round, scaly or crusty lesion without redness where the hair easily pulls out from the center of the lesion. The ears, tail, and feet are commonly affected, but lesions can appear anywhere.
How Did My Pet Get Ringworm?
Ringworm spores only need contact with skin to infect a pet or person. Since they cannot infect healthy skin, usually a pre-existing condition such as a scratch, scrape or other trauma to the skin is necessary for an infection to take hold. Once a pet gets ringworm, it can pass along the infection directly to other pets or people in the household.
Diagnosis
If we suspect ringworm, the first test we will perform is to turn off the lights in the exam room and run a Wood's lamp over your pet. About 50% of the ringworm fungi will glow a green color under this light. This is quick and easy, and if your pet lights up we know he or she is infected with ringworm. If there is no fluorescence under the light, though, ringworm may still be a possibility. The next step is to do a fungal culture for ringworm. This entails plucking a few hairs from in and around the lesions on your pet's skin and placing them on a DTM culture medium designed specifically to grow ringworm. This test takes 7 days to run, but results can show up positive in as early as a few days.
Treatment
If we are suspicious about ringworm in your pet, we may start topical treatment with an antifungal medication (if there are only a few lesions) or with an antifungal shampoo (if lesions are widespread). Sometimes your pet will begin to recover even before a positive test result is obtained! If we do not start treatment before the test results are back, or if your pet is not responding to the initial treatment, then we perform a medicated dip on your pet. This dip is done once weekly for 3-4 treatments, or until a negative ringworm culture is obtained. Alternatively, oral medication can be used for 1-2 months. The medication type and route we use can be tailored depending on the owner and pet needs.
Identifying Carriers
Some pets, especially cats, can be carriers for ringworm. This means that the pet can be infected and able to transmit ringworm, but may not be showing any symptoms. If you have had several cases of ringworm in your pets or family, it is important to test all the animals to make sure one is not a carrier that needs to be treated. Alternatively, people can also be carriers for ringworm so checking with your medical physician may be necessary if a pet is not the carrier.