Ringworm is a skin infection that can often cause slight but bothersome effects.
It cannot only attack people but animals as well.
If you have a pet dog, it is better to be on the look-out for signs of ringworm to avoid further diseases.
Ringworm in dogs is caused by fungi of different species and not by parasitic worms as many would like to believe.
They are called such because when the infection shows itself, it will form a ring-like shape of lesions.
Ringworm in dogs can be transmitted easily by contact to other infected dogs.
The spores containing the fungi elements can also be found in many dirty and unclean brushes and other grooming tools for your dogs.
If you do not regularly take care of them, they can easily make your dog itch all over.
Avoid environments which spur causes of ringworm too.
Young dogs are the targets of ringworm for they are not strong enough to fight the forces of the fungus.
If you think that your dog is not behaving well and you believe that something is wrong in his body, then you can have these simple ways of detecting whether or not your dog has ringworm: -If you are sure that your dog has some contact with another dog that contains ringworm, then obviously, your dog is a candidate.
Even humans can transmit the infection to the dogs.
However, the lesions won't appear until ten to twelve days of exposure.
This means that you need to wait for that period of time.
-Watch for the obvious signs in your dog's skin.
Most of the time, the lesions appear in the legs and in the nose parts.
They start as small bumps and then develop into larger lesions.
They do not necessarily form into a ring or some can scatter in the area.
The place where the fungus appears to thrive will become flaky.
-Red bumps or lesions are some signs only.
There are times where the dog experiences hair loss and it forms a circular pattern.
When this happens, the dog that you have is subject to further examination.
If the fungus spreads, the circular pattern will be no more.
But the hair loss will continue and affects other locations too.
-You can also use ultraviolet lamp to determine if indeed the lesions that grew are that caused by the fungus.
When you put the lamp on it, you will notice that the circling part will appear to be green.
-If you are still not sure of the sings of ringworm, you can visit your vet to perform other microscopic tests.
You vet can do better than you can and besides, they have tools that can really approve your observations.
Ringworm in dogs can be prevented by keeping the things of your dog clean always.
You should also be careful so that your dog cannot meddle and keep in close contact of other infected dogs.
Ringworm in dogs can easily be treated by antibiotics and topical creams applied to the affected skin.