Ringworm

Ringworm, also known as Dermatophytosis, is a relatively harmless fungal disease but can be itchy. It can be transmitted between humans and dogs.

Signs

The infection may show signs such as:

• red, scaly, itchy or raised patches of skin

• patches of skin which are redder on the outside, resembling a ring

• patches of skin that ooze or develop blisters

• bald patches of skin

• nails which are thickened, discoloured, or begin to crack

Photograph by James Heilman, MD under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Prevention

Proper sanitation procedures should be followed when treating dogs with ringworm, and they should be treated at the end of the shift to avoid transmission to other animals. 

Ringworm is highly contagious and can be transmitted to humans from dogs.

Ringworm dogs should be reasonably isolated to avoid spreading the infection to others.

Treatment

Ringworm is easily treated with topical antifungal agents such as miconazole, terbinafine, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, or tolnaftate. The condition is not life threatening and is often treated after parvo symptoms have resolved. It should take approximately 1-2 weeks to resolve the ringworm infection, but it can take as long as 3 weeks.