Ring Worm In Dogs

[Rappie]

It all depends on the particular fungi type and the severity of the disease. There are several fungal organisms that cause ringworm, Microsporum canis, Trichphyton mentagraphites, Trichophyton rubrum. All should be seen under a Wood's lamp and can be seen on direct microscopy - if they are present.

It is not always possible to positively identify dermatophyte infections on physical examination and Wood' lamp examination alone. Only approximately 50% of Microsporum canis infections will fluoresce under UV light. Positive identification is best done via implantation in culture media and this is easily done in a clinic setting - the downside is the 7-14 day wait for a result, so treatment is usually started on a presumptive basis and modified once results are actually known. Direct microscopy using KOH is highly user dependent and therefore considered less reliable.

[Kaz]

Two vets have told me that it is the actual ringworm site that is contagious.

Does that mean I could bandage the area and I could let her mix with the other dogs without putting them at risk of infection?

[jemappelle]

One of carers is raving about the F10 products for getting rid of ringworm. She said the cream only ook a few days to kill the spot and the disinfectant was fantastic for the clean up.

From the website:

It is non-corrosive, non-toxic, non-irritating and aldehyde free so has no adverse effects on people, animals, equipment or surfaces.

More info here:

http://www.f10biocare.co.uk/products1.html

PS Also great for killing parvo virus.

[MAC]

but he also sleeps on an old fabric chair out the back, how do I disinfect that? Thanks for everyones advice so far.

What i did in this case was got bleach, sprayed the chair down.. scrubbed so that it was soaked AND on a really hot hot sunny day put it out in the sun. Especially when it was boiling hot.. the ones i couldn't for my own peace of mind i threw out.

Hope all is getting better too

[MAC]

Two vets have told me that it is the actual ringworm site that is contagious.

Does that mean I could bandage the area and I could let her mix with the other dogs without putting them at risk of infection?

YES Kaz it is contagious AND Airborne!!!

From my experience i would recommend keeping your infected baby separated.. (personally even if a bed baby.. for her /his own safety AND the rest of your home keep them separated for a while.. will make it easier on your for cleaning AND cheaper in the long run. If you have an area where she can be confined so that your work can be reduced too because treating her AND cleaning her area you will also need to change your clothes have them washed etc.. AND then once scrubbed up can get to the others.

All i can say is the hair on the back of my neck stands tall when i think about Ring worm i spent lots and lots of money time and effort washing , disinfecting scrubbing AND keeping my lot separated.. just to kill the bugger

I brought a product from America NOT CHEAP BUT worked a mint!!!

here is a link and also provides some information

Dermasil

good luck and keep us posted

[Kaffy Magee]

Just over 12 months ago i fostered two lots of cats and kittens. One day i noticed two of the kittens has crusties on its face. Went to the vets, all diagnosed with ringworm.Sadly the 2 cats and 7 kittens were put to sleep.And i freaked, so much because i heard how contagious it was! I freak at any contagious skin problems(chicken pox, ringworm etc ewwww gross). So i went to chemist who said dont worry too much as its not as contagious as they make out, particularly in adults. Mainly if you have a cut etc and it enters through there.

Anyway, i vaccumed then sprayed F10 all over the room where the cats were kept a couple of times and all over the crates a couple of times, then placed out side in the sun. No one here caught it including my kids cats and dogs that came in contact with them, wlthough i still worry that the spores are still in the room. My dogs have been in the crates since and havent caught it. Anywya thats my experience, so gross.

[bonny_beagle]

Oh yes indeed. Many over the counter pharmacy preparations are quite fine for your dog or cat. This only applies to topical treatments such as creams and sprays. The fungus that causes ringworm most commonly Microsporum canis is contagious and can and will be passed on to humans. In fact I had a little boy come in to see me not long ago who had a very bad ringworm infection on his scalp which had progressed so far that topical treatments would not work. Dogs can get a generalised skin condition called Malassezia dermatitis which very interestingly is treated with exactly the same antibiotic as humans, Nizoral. My home kit for my dogs consists of mainly pharmacy preparations eg Nizoral anti-dandruff shampoo, Selsun blue, betadine ointment, bactram cream, paraderm plus, elma cream, daktarin spray and tincture, canestan cream and lamisil. Anything oral however must be obtained from your vet and this especially applies to cats. My dogs usually hurt themselves or avluse a toenail or get a toe infection outside of vet office hours so I apply various preparations of the above, call my vet and tell them what I've done and organise to see them in the morning. That way they don't have to get called out in the middle of the night and I don't have a call out fee. If the problem is too big then I have to go straight away but fortunately I'm usually only faced with cuts and abrasions. When I get to the vet with the problem and tell them what I've done, they say that's all they'd have done also and perhaps give antibiotics depending on what has happened.

I do the same, and a new one I spotted recently is the SOOV brand hemaroid (sp) cream which has 5% lignocaine and also hydrocortisone. It'll be behind the counter so you have to ask for it but I think is cheaper than emla and should be just as good. Another good one for jowly dogs including beagles that get mushy fungal chins is the daktarin oral gel that is for oral thrush in humans.

If you are getting a vet script for any human oral meds, most pharmacies will fill it but its worth phoning around for a private (not NHS) price as it WILL vary between pharmacies.

Also a question calliech, I have a lab with chronic itchy skin and the vet has mentioned a yeasty smell about him (I dont notice it but might be just used to it). The miconazole wash didn't seem to improve the itch so I gave him a difflucan once tablet (women use it for vaginal thrush) and no improvement there. I can get my hands on other oral antifungals if need be. Any suggestions?

[calliech]

Oh yes indeed. Many over the counter pharmacy preparations are quite fine for your dog or cat. This only applies to topical treatments such as creams and sprays. The fungus that causes ringworm most commonly Microsporum canis is contagious and can and will be passed on to humans. In fact I had a little boy come in to see me not long ago who had a very bad ringworm infection on his scalp which had progressed so far that topical treatments would not work. Dogs can get a generalised skin condition called Malassezia dermatitis which very interestingly is treated with exactly the same antibiotic as humans, Nizoral. My home kit for my dogs consists of mainly pharmacy preparations eg Nizoral anti-dandruff shampoo, Selsun blue, betadine ointment, bactram cream, paraderm plus, elma cream, daktarin spray and tincture, canestan cream and lamisil. Anything oral however must be obtained from your vet and this especially applies to cats. My dogs usually hurt themselves or avluse a toenail or get a toe infection outside of vet office hours so I apply various preparations of the above, call my vet and tell them what I've done and organise to see them in the morning. That way they don't have to get called out in the middle of the night and I don't have a call out fee. If the problem is too big then I have to go straight away but fortunately I'm usually only faced with cuts and abrasions. When I get to the vet with the problem and tell them what I've done, they say that's all they'd have done also and perhaps give antibiotics depending on what has happened.

I do the same, and a new one I spotted recently is the SOOV brand hemaroid (sp) cream which has 5% lignocaine and also hydrocortisone. It'll be behind the counter so you have to ask for it but I think is cheaper than emla and should be just as good. Another good one for jowly dogs including beagles that get mushy fungal chins is the daktarin oral gel that is for oral thrush in humans.

If you are getting a vet script for any human oral meds, most pharmacies will fill it but its worth phoning around for a private (not NHS) price as it WILL vary between pharmacies.

Also a question calliech, I have a lab with chronic itchy skin and the vet has mentioned a yeasty smell about him (I dont notice it but might be just used to it). The miconazole wash didn't seem to improve the itch so I gave him a difflucan once tablet (women use it for vaginal thrush) and no improvement there. I can get my hands on other oral antifungals if need be. Any suggestions?

If it'chronic malassezia dermatitis then and malaseb washes aren't working then he will require oral anti-fungal medication. It's called Nizoral or ketokonazole. I had another DOLer email me the same query about a Westie with Malassezia dermatitis (yeast). Vets had treated him with cortisone and antibiotics but it really was not the appropriate treatment. The cortisone abated the itch and the antibiotics treated any secondary infection but the yeast infection, which was the primary infection remained. So I put him onto this site http://www.westiemed.org/health/malassezia/ and now 4 months later the Westie is all better with hair growing back and no itches. He is so improved that he's spending more time playing with his toys and less time scratching, little darling. Both owner and vet are astounded at the change and thankful there is such a site. Check out the site, print out the regimen's for and take it to your vet. Nizoral can have side effects but I personally think the gains outweigh the risks and the side effects are just possibilities not certainties. My mother's Westie also had the same condition and her vet treated her with the Nizoral regimen very successfully. The medication is expensive but exactly the same as you will get at a pharmacy for about half the price so mum asked her dr to give her a script for the same stuff and she keeps it at home just in case there is a relapse since they live in a very hot climate. That website is amazing. I wish more owners and vets were aware of it because it's just so amazing.

[bonny_beagle]

If it'chronic malassezia dermatitis then and malaseb washes aren't working then he will require oral anti-fungal medication. It's called Nizoral or ketokonazole. I had another DOLer email me the same query about a Westie with Malassezia dermatitis (yeast). Vets had treated him with cortisone and antibiotics but it really was not the appropriate treatment. The cortisone abated the itch and the antibiotics treated any secondary infection but the yeast infection, which was the primary infection remained. So I put him onto this site http://www.westiemed.org/health/malassezia/ and now 4 months later the Westie is all better with hair growing back and no itches. He is so improved that he's spending more time playing with his toys and less time scratching, little darling. Both owner and vet are astounded at the change and thankful there is such a site. Check out the site, print out the regimen's for and take it to your vet. Nizoral can have side effects but I personally think the gains outweigh the risks and the side effects are just possibilities not certainties. My mother's Westie also had the same condition and her vet treated her with the Nizoral regimen very successfully. The medication is expensive but exactly the same as you will get at a pharmacy for about half the price so mum asked her dr to give her a script for the same stuff and she keeps it at home just in case there is a relapse since they live in a very hot climate. That website is amazing. I wish more owners and vets were aware of it because it's just so amazing.

Thanks that website is great and I think it may be what he has. I got some Nizoral tabs but the human dose is 200mg daily. All the doses on the website are twice daily and are for smaller dogs. I don't suppose you have a dose for a 40kg dog??

[calliech]

If it'chronic malassezia dermatitis then and malaseb washes aren't working then he will require oral anti-fungal medication. It's called Nizoral or ketokonazole. I had another DOLer email me the same query about a Westie with Malassezia dermatitis (yeast). Vets had treated him with cortisone and antibiotics but it really was not the appropriate treatment. The cortisone abated the itch and the antibiotics treated any secondary infection but the yeast infection, which was the primary infection remained. So I put him onto this site http://www.westiemed.org/health/malassezia/ and now 4 months later the Westie is all better with hair growing back and no itches. He is so improved that he's spending more time playing with his toys and less time scratching, little darling. Both owner and vet are astounded at the change and thankful there is such a site. Check out the site, print out the regimen's for and take it to your vet. Nizoral can have side effects but I personally think the gains outweigh the risks and the side effects are just possibilities not certainties. My mother's Westie also had the same condition and her vet treated her with the Nizoral regimen very successfully. The medication is expensive but exactly the same as you will get at a pharmacy for about half the price so mum asked her dr to give her a script for the same stuff and she keeps it at home just in case there is a relapse since they live in a very hot climate. That website is amazing. I wish more owners and vets were aware of it because it's just so amazing.

Thanks that website is great and I think it may be what he has. I got some Nizoral tabs but the human dose is 200mg daily. All the doses on the website are twice daily and are for smaller dogs. I don't suppose you have a dose for a 40kg dog??

Sorry for the late reply Bonny Beagle, I've been off for a few days. I'm not certain of the dosage for a 40kg dog so you would need to check with your vet. It's also dependant on the severity of the condition I believe. For example, some of the dogs on that website are on 1/2 a tablet twice daily and some are on a quarter. My mother's Lucy was on 1/4 twice daily. Would you let us all know what you come up with please. Oh and another good OTC medication from the chemist I get is resolve antifungal lotion which is miconazole or ketokonazole in solution form. It's not appropriate for around the face but it spread rather well on all other areas of the body as it's a solution and not a cream. Before I discovered Resolve, I used to make up a solution of say canestan cream or something similar with a bit of water and chlorhexidine solution which made a nice runny paste suitable for spreading thru fur and it's antifungal and antibacterial. Thus it treated any co-infections. Westiemed recommends another solutions called Resichlor and Resicort. They are leave in conditioners with the antibacterial chlorhexidine and the anti-inflammatory cortisone. I'm not sure if they are available in Australia but I'll post in the general and health forums to see if anyone knows where to get them. Keep us up tp date. The more we all learn and share, the better for our furkids.

[calliech]

Resicort is a leave in conditioner containing cortisone to stop the itchies. Available online at:

http://www.shopdaily.com.au/index.php?c=Pe...onditioner_16oz

Resichlor is a leave in conditioner containing chlorhexidine which is an antiseptic. Available at:

http://www.shopdaily.com.au/index.php?c=Pe...Conditioner_8oz

[bonny_beagle]

Calliech, the skin on my boy isn't as bad as the worst one's on westiemed so i'm giving him 200mg daily as a start, I read ruther on the site and they split the dose to reduce side effects which hopefully will be less of a problem with a larger dog. Unfortunately he now has a really big abcess on his neck and is on antibiotics so until I can check on the drug interactions I'm holding off on the Nizoral. The site indicates it takes weeks to work so I wont have much to report for a while but thanks again for the suggestion.

In case anyone is interested in more human drugs for dogs, since starting in rescue I have been giving the dogs nausea tablets when going to their new home, to prevent car sickness on long drives. I use maxolon (metaclopramide) which I dont believe vets have but my vet ok'd it for the dogs. It's probably the most common human antiemetic and I give one 10mg tab for big dogs, 30kg and over, half for 15kg and over. Its less sedating than the ACE tablets used by some vets and probably cheaper, 25 tabs are worth about $15 if I remember correctly. I had an adoptive parent ring me the other day to find out what I use because his new boy was getting sick in the car but travelled from the Hunter Valley to Batemans Bay no probs when I gave him the tablet.