Skin fungus in dogs: Causes, symptoms, and treatment
Skin fungus is widespread in dogs. The fungal infection is caused by fungal spores (dermatophytes) that attack the surfaces of the dog's hair and skin.
In a dog, skin fungus can be caused by different types of fungal spores. These include Microsporum canis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Trichophyton gypseum.
In the following, we will explain to you exactly how a fungal infection develops, which symptoms cause skin fungus in dogs and which treatment methods have proven effective.
Causes of a skin fungus infection in dogs
Skin fungus is highly contagious. Accordingly, dermatophytes can be transferred to another dog through contact with an already ill quadruped. If this is the case, the spores penetrate through small cracks in the skin. There they form roots and spread into the hair follicle openings and the outer layer of the skin.
Once the dermatophytes have settled in, the dog's skin fungus multiplies at a high rate. This produces a large number of new fungal spores. These are distributed not only over the body of the quadruped affected by the fungal infection but also in its environment, which in turn allows the skin fungus to spread to other dogs and other potential hosts.
By which symptoms can you recognise skin fungus in dogs
If a dog suffers from skin fungus, this leads to a number of complaints. The usual symptoms of skin fungus infection include severe itching, skin inflammation, and allergic skin reactions. Apart from this, fungal infection often causes hair loss in dogs.
Hair loss caused by skin fungus in dogs usually occurs in the form of circular bald spots. This makes it very easy to draw conclusions about the trigger of hair loss. In addition, the affected areas usually show dandruff and redness. Due to the strong itching and the scratching associated with it, sooner or later incrustations and inflammations of the skin occur.
In this context, remember that skin fungus is by no means a problem for all dogs. It is therefore quite possible that a symptom-free dog infects another quadruped with fungal spores.
Skin fungus in dogs is contagious for humans
Skin fungus is a zoonosis. The fungal spores can therefore not only infect other dogs, but also people, and can also lead to a skin fungus disease in them. It is therefore essential to be careful when dealing with a dog with dermatophytosis and to treat the fungal infestation as soon as possible.
Diagnosis of skin fungus in dogs
If you notice possible symptoms of skin fungus in your dog, we recommend that you consult a vet as soon as possible. The veterinarian can perform various examinations on your dog to rule out other skin diseases as possible triggers for the symptoms.
To diagnose a fungal infection, the veterinarian may use any of the following 4 methods, among others:
- Trichogram: Microscopic examination of the hair roots for the presence of a fungal infection.
- Fungal culture in the laboratory: incubation of the fungal culture and subsequent examination under the microscope to determine the fungal species.
- Biopsy: Examination of a tissue sample from the dog for the presence of skin fungus
- Wood's lamp: A time-saving method with which at least some types of skin fungus can be quickly detected in dogs.
How much time it takes to diagnose the skin fungus in your dog it cannot be said in general. In some cases, the veterinarian may be able to make a diagnosis immediately. However, it is equally possible that a reliable diagnosis will only be available after several weeks and detailed laboratory examinations.
Treatment of dogs with skin fungus
Early diagnosis and a correspondingly timely start of treatment are very important for dogs with skin fungus. Nevertheless, the fungal infection often proves to be extremely persistent, which is why the treatment can take several weeks.
A combination of the following three measures is usually required to eliminate the skin fungus in dogs:
- Local external treatment
- Drug treatment
- Shortening the coat
1. externally treat skin fungus in dogs
To counteract the skin fungus in dogs, their body is washed with special medication. To achieve the desired effect, these must be applied extensively to the skin and coat of the quadruped.
2. treat skin fungus in dogs with antimycotics
An external treatment with appropriate washing solutions is usually not sufficient to eliminate the skin fungus in dogs. In addition, the administration of antimycotics, either by injection or orally, is necessary.
3. shortening the coat for easier treatment
A shortening of the coat is especially useful for dogs in which the skin fungus has already spread very strongly. This is because it makes the external treatment of the fungal infection easier, as the active ingredients can penetrate the skin more easily if the coat is short, and have a better effect.
Good hygiene avoids a renewed fungal infection
Besides the actual treatment of the fungal infection, comprehensive hygiene measures in the environment of your quadruped suffering from skin fungus are indispensable. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before your dog becomes infected with a dermatophytosis again and you have to repeat the lengthy treatment measures.
Therefore, clean all objects with which your dog has contact. These include toys, blankets, and pillows, as well as rooms where your four-legged friend is present. Afterwards, use a fungicidal solution for disinfection.
Skin fungus and the dog's immune system
Especially puppies and older dogs can easily get infected with skin fungus. This also applies to animals in which the immune system is weakened due to already existing health problems.
In order to counteract a possible infestation with skin fungus, you should therefore strengthen your dog's immune system. This does not completely rule out a fungal infection. But at least you can make sure that it's easier for your dog to recover.
In order to support your dog's immune system, a balanced diet and the avoidance of unnecessary stress are particularly important. In addition to a good dog food from the Bellfor range, it can also make sense to supplement your dog's diet with Bellfor Immun.
Bellfor Immun is a natural food supplement that provides your four-legged friend with valuable amino acids and micronutrients and can thus help to strengthen the dog's defences.
Bellfor saving set for your dog with skin fungus
With the appropriate products from Bellfor, you can support the veterinary treatment of the skin fungus in your dog in a sensible way. We have therefore put together a special set with Shiimun Skin and our callus ointment.
Shiimun Skin is a natural food supplement with shiitake, which provides your dog with important nutrients for the health of the skin and coat. Lying Callus Ointment from Bellfor is a high-quality care product with which you can care for skin areas damaged by the skin fungus in your dog.
The combination of both products can help to counteract the unpleasant consequences of the fungal infection in your four-legged friend in a well-tolerated way.
Our conclusion on the subject of skin fungus in dogs
As you can see, skin fungus is very contagious for your dog and is associated with extremely unpleasant symptoms. You should therefore take care of the treatment as soon as possible and in this context, you should also pay attention to the great importance of hygiene in the environment of your four-legged friend for the success of the treatment.
In addition, make sure you help them to have a strong immune system in order to reduce the probability of your dog suffering from skin fungus or at least keep the problems caused by the fungal infection as low as possible.
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