My dog has a crusty, flaky spot on her leg. Is it ringworm or fungus?

Hello there. Thank you for using PetCoach and thank you for including photos. My best guess is that this is ringworm. It does not look like a bite. I suggest you get Molekin' to your vet for an exam and to get a proper diagnosis for two reasons. Number one, ringworm is contagious to people and number two, an adult dog that gets ringworm usually has an underlying problem with their immune system. An adult dog should not get it. This is much more common in puppies. Remember, it is impossible for me to diagnose over the internet with just a photo. I am just giving my best guess. Many skin diseases look similar to the naked eye so that is why testing is important. Here is a link to an article about ringworm: ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/ringworm-in-dogs/ ) If you wanted to try something at home first you can buy over the counter athletes foot cream which is an antifungal and apply that twice daily. It may take 2+ months for it to clear completely up but you should start noticing a difference in a .couple weeks. If you don't have any improvement in 2 weeks or it worsens then you definitely need to get him to the vet. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching this spot just in case it is ringworm, you don't want to get it! ( https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lamisil-Cream-0-42-Oz/10294288 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

This could be an allergic reaction, a skin infection (bacterial or yeast) or even a skin tumor. You should have it examined by your veterinarian, as it is not possible to distinguish these by just looking at a photo. An bacterial skin infection can usually be treated with antibiotics , a fungal infection (yeast) with a fungicidal medicine. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the area in question with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether this is concerning.

From the pictures, it doesn't look like a typical ringworm lesion but I can't rule it out without seeing August in person. It could be a skin infection or from an injury. It should be checked out by a vet, but it's not an emergency. If you can get her into a vet this weekend great, but it's fine to wait until Monday. I'd leave the spot alone for now and don't put anything on it since you do not know what is causing it. I hope this helps!

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Without a fungal culture, it is very difficult to definitively diagnose ringworm. There are a lot of skin issues that can look red, crusty or flaky & not all of them will be ringworm. Using a combination of antifungal & antibacterial products is a great idea. For any shampoo, make sure the lather stays on the skin for at least 10 minutes before rinsing. If there is no improvement after about 3 weeks, or the skin lesions get worse, please have your veterinarian examine them

The most common reason that we will see circular or semi-circular rings or crusts in a dog is a superficial bacterial skin infection. These areas typically start as a small bump which ruptures and forms a crust. That crust can spread and form a large area of hair loss with crusting around the edge. We can also see fungal infections that will have this same behavior. In order to determine what is causing the problem, your vet can so some simple skin tests and look at a sample under the microscope to make a diagnosis and determine the best treatment for Cooper. There are topical medications like wipes and shampoos that we will sometimes use or other times an oral medication is needed. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Ringworm can form a crust around it, so I wouldn't rule that out as a possible cause based on the presence of a scab. There are other infections (bacterial, fungal and parasitic) that can cause lesions that look like this as well. One thing that I would want to know is if a topical medication medication for fleas/ticks was applied to this area. I have seen some skin reactions to these products before. The only way to really identify the cause of this is to have Artimus evaluated by a veterinarian. We can do the necessary tests to identify the cause of this and ensure that the most effective treatment is given. I hope that helps and all is well with Artimus.

It looks he has a dermatitis which could be secondary to a bacterial or fungal infection. You could clean the area with a wound wash and see if it resolves. If not and/or he has multiple lesions, he should be examined by a vet for treatment.