Dog's ringworm test positive, but vet says disregard. Still itchy?

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Favio! I think Favio needs a recheck. Ring worm and mites are possible. Your Vet would have to do a skin scrape to look for mites under the microscope. There are 2 types of mites in dogs 1) demodex (non-contagious mite that normally lives on the skin but can over grow in a puppy with an immature immune system) 2) scabies (contagious mite from other dogs or foxes). Ring worm is diagnoses by using a Wood's lamp and then by doing a fungal culture. At a minimum he may need a longer course of antibiotics and something to relieve the scratching (prednisone with or with out an antihistamine). I hope this helps and I wish Favio a speedy recovery!

Hello, It would be helpful to know what your veterinarian recommended for the next step of Bella's treatment at her recheck. Fungal infections that are not responding to topical treatment often require a course of oral medications. Skin is the largest organ in the body, so it takes the longest to respond to infection treatments. Many skin infections require a full 6-8 weeks of treatment. Skin infections can also be complicated by allergies, underlying endocrine disease, or associated immune mediated or dermatological disease. This means sometimes an underlying problem may need to be addressed to fully resolve the skin issue. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There is a chance that this could be ringworm and that is usually determined based on an examination and culture. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Ringworm is a fungal infection that is highly contagious and can spread if it keeps getting messed with. It is also usually treated with topical medications and shampoos. It would be best to talk with your vet about getting a prescription shampoo to treat the ringworm with, and to place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Baby to keep her from pawing at the spot and irritating it more. Be sure to also thoroughly wash hands and clothing after handling her, and keep her separated from other pets until healed.

There appears to be some good hair regrowth, but it could be infectious still. I've seen lesions that appear completely normal and still test positive for ringworm, so it is best to take her to the vet for testing. The test takes a few days, but is relatively inexpensive and is the best method we have for determining when to stop treatment. I hope that helps and all Juju recovers soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This appears to be ringworm. There are many different treatment for this and it really comes down to what is preferred by your veterinarian. I prefer combining oral and topical therapy. The most important thing you should know is that this can be transmitted to humans so limit the contact you have with Sam until this gets treated. Have him evaluated by your veterinarian so that he can be started on therapy. Good luck!

Poor guy. I would highly recommend asking your vet to perform a skin scrape on Tombo. These lesions are suspicious for possible demodexx mites. The trumectin is a Demodexx treatment; however, you didn't mention that your vet actually tested for this. If this is a mite problem, then a topical medicated shampoo can be used in conjunction with the injections to gain better control of the overpopulation of mites on the skin. Also there are several other products that treat for mites that may be more effective for him, such as the off-label use of Nexgard, Bravecto or Simparica (have to be 6 months or older, so this may be an option depending on his exact birthdate). Also a skin culture should be done to determine which antibiotic will get rid of this infection for a certainty. Most skin infections will respond to broad spectrum antiobitcs, but there can be resistant infections that don't respond, which may be the case with your pet Tombo. This infection doesn't look particularly fungal in nature; however, if your vet already did a skin impression to confirm there is yeast present on the skin, then definitely continue with the Fluconazole treatment as prescribed. These viable tests (skin culture, skin scrape, impression) should give us a good idea on how we should be treating him from here moving forward. As a general rule of thumb, you can give you pet pet formulated fish oils for just about any skin condition in which the skin is red. Fish oils act as a natural anti-inflammatory and can also held with overall skin health. You can find these at your local pet store or through your vet office. I would also inquire with your vet about prescribing some antihistamines to help with any itching that Tombo has right now. That will help him allow his skin to heal and respond to all the treatments he is receiving. I hope this helps you find some resolve for Tombo's itchy/irritate and balding skin. Best wishes and take care!