RIngworms affect animals and when they do, they create an impact on the claws, hair, or skin. It is caused by a type of fungus. In dogs, around 70% of cases of ringworm are caused by the fungus Microsporum canis, 20% are caused by Microsporum gypseum, while 10% are caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes.
infected animals or contaminated objects like grooming tools or pieces of furniture are the most common sources of contact with ringworm. Broken hairs with spores also play a significant role in the spread of the disease. However, contact does not always lead to infection.
The establishment of an infection is highly dependent on the host factors, and fungal species. The factors of age, health, nutrition, condition of the exposed skin surface, and grooming behavior. Under normal circumstances, dermatophytes will grow only in the dead cells of the skin and hair and infection will stop when it gets to the point of inflamed tissue or living cells.
As inflammation and host immunity develop, there will be a stop to the further spread of infection, and this would most likely take several weeks.
Infected dogs will show signs of baldness, broken hairs, and scaly patches. Dogs may also have acne-like bump appearance on the skin. The most common sites that are affected by the ringworm are the ear tips, tail, feet, and face.
Factors that influence animal susceptibility to dermatophyte infection are;
Age: Young animals are more susceptible to infection than older ones, this is probably due to previous exposure or infection and therefore creating no immunity.
Crowding animals together.
Poor nutrition.
Recurrent disease.
Environmental factors.
Several conditions in animals may have an appearance of ringworm, so it is only through a veterinarian check that one can truly verify. If your pet has ringworm, it will naturally clear up on its own, but your veterinarian may recommend creams, shampoos, and antifungal pills to help treat infection and make your pet feel more comfortable.
To protect yourself and other members of the family from ringworm, you need to also do some things;
Ensure that human contact with infected pets is highly limited, only compulsory activities like feeding and appropriate care should be engaged in. The people who stand more chances of getting infected are children, aged adults, and people who have a weak immune system, these should have no contact at all with infected pets until complete treatment is guaranteed.
Keep the animal infected in an isolated area in the home away from other pets until treatment is concluded.
Pet owners are also advised to put on gloves and long sleeves when handling animals who have ringworm or medication should be applied to affected areas.
Other pets in the home should also be inspected for any visible sign of ringworm, and any sign of skin rash on other pets should be instantly reported.
Areas in the home where infected pets visit regularly should be constantly cleaned and disinfected. Paying special attention to the spread of this infection amongst animals is very important because there are two difficulties associated with treating ringworm, the first is eliminating organisms from the environment, and the other is difficulty with the number of animals to be treated.
The most common way of treating ringworm, especially in dogs is to apply a combination of topical therapy and systemic therapy. Topical therapy involves the application of creams, and ointments, to localized areas of the skin affected by ringworm. Oral medication is another way for ringworm to be treated in a pet.
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