Ringworm!!!!! Whhhhhat!
 

UGH, So Sunday morning everything was as normal as it gets, but I was noticing Pnut was real itchy. The last time I gave him a bath was last Sat, so it wasn't that long.. That Fri he was in the grass laying down, so I thought maybe he was just itchy, and dirty. So I gave him a bath, and put his K-9Advantix on.

It helped a little, but he was still itching! He was laying on my stomach and for some reason I looked under his neck. :eek: OMG I then saw a red circle thing! :eek: I showed DH and he said that looks like ring worm! We then googled Ringworm, and it looks like he has it!!

I was reading on how you catch it, and for one its VERY contagious and I nor DH has it, Then it said you have to catch it from a person or animal... and Pnut hasn't been around anyone or dog in a long time.. I take him on walks but, I don't think he can catch it from grass or something like that..

So I dropped him off at the Vet this morning. They are going to do some tests and try to figure out what it is!!



Have anyone's babies ever had this? What else could this be?

I believe it can live in the soil too or you can get it from indirect contact. Cats are also big carriers. We used to raise show sheep and ringworm was a common pain in the rear. We would get it from being in infected show pens. It's a pain, but not the end of the world. Once you treat it and stay on top of it Pnut will be fine. Good luck.

Ohhhh If it can live in soil, which means Grass!! He was laying in it on Fri! :eek::eek:

What do you mean stay on top of it? :confused:

I have handled many animals with ringworm and never got it. But, I've had it a time or two as well. I believe it is one of those common fungi that shows it's ugly head when conditions are right, environmental, or immune. You can ask your vet how to treat your yard, give Pnut some immune support boosters, and treat him if that is actually what he has. Your vet will direct you. Its just one of those things, it's not a sign of being a dirty or neglectful pet owner. Sometimes, it just happens.

Ringworm


Ringworm is a contagious fungus infection that can affect the scalp, the body, the feet (athlete's foot), or the nails.
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in">People can get Ringworm from: 1) direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or pet, 2) indirect contact with an object or surface that an infected person or pet has touched, or 3) rarely, by contact with soil. <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in">Ringworm can be treated with fungus-killing medicine. To prevent Ringworm, 1) make sure all infected persons and pets get appropriate treatment, 2) avoid contact with infected persons and pets, 3) do not share personal items, and 4) keep common-use areas clean.

What is Ringworm?
Ringworm is a contagious fungus infection that can affect the scalp, the body (particularly the groin), the feet, and the nails. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with worms. The name comes from the characteristic red ring that can appear on an infected person's skin. Ringworm is also called Tinea.

What is the infectious agent that causes Ringworm?
Ringworm is caused by several different fungus organisms that all belong to a group called "Dermatophytes." Different Dermatophytes affect different parts of the body and cause the various types of Ringworm:
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in">Ringworm of the scalp <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in">Ringworm of the body <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in">Ringworm of the foot (athlete's foot) Ringworm of the nails

Where is Ringworm found?
Ringworm is widespread around the world and in the United States. The fungus that causes scalp Ringworm lives in humans and animals. The fungus that causes Ringworm of the body lives in humans, animals, and soil. The fungi that cause Ringworm of the foot and Ringworm of the nails live only in humans.

How do people get Ringworm?
Ringworm is spread by either direct or indirect contact. People can get Ringworm by direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or pet. People can also get Ringworm indirectly by contact with objects or surfaces that an infected person or pet has touched, such as hats, combs, brushes, bed linens, stuffed animals, telephones, gym mats, and shower stalls. In rare cases Ringworm can be spread by contact with soil.

What are the signs and symptoms of Ringworm?
Ringworm of the scalp usually begins as a small pimple that becomes larger, leaving scaly patches of temporary baldness. Infected hairs become brittle and break off easily. Yellowish crusty areas sometimes develop.
Ringworm of the body shows up as a flat, round patch anywhere on the skin except for the scalp and feet. The groin is a common area of infection (groin Ringworm). As the rash gradually expands, its center clears to produce a ring. More than one patch might appear, and the patches can overlap. The area is sometimes itchy.
Ringworm of the foot is also called athlete's foot. It appears as a scaling or cracking of the skin, especially between the toes.
Ringworm of the nails causes the affected nails to become thicker, discolored, and brittle, or to become chalky and disintegrate.

How soon after exposure do symptoms appear?
Scalp Ringworm usually appears 10 to 14 days after contact, and Ringworm of the skin 4 to 10 days after contact. The time between exposure and symptoms isnot known for the other types of Ringworm.

How is Ringworm diagnosed?
A health-care provider can diagnose Ringworm by examining the site of infection with special tests.

Who is at risk for Ringworm?
Anyone can get Ringworm. Scalp Ringworm often strikes young children; outbreaks have been recognized in schools, day-care centers, and infant nurseries. School athletes are at risk for scalp Ringworm, Ringworm of the body, and foot Ringworm; there have been outbreaks among high school wrestling teams. Children with young pets are at increased risk for Ringworm of the body.

What is the treatment for Ringworm?
Ringworm can be treated with fungus-killing medicine. The medicine can be in taken in tablet or liquid form by mouth or as a cream applied directly to the affected area.

What complications can result from Ringworm?
Lack of or inadequate treatment can result in an infection that will not clear up.

Is Ringworm an emerging infection?
Although Ringworm is not tracked by health authorities, infections appear to be increasing steadily, especially among pre-school and school-age children. Early recognition and treatment are needed to slow the spread of infection and to prevent re-infection.

How can Ringworm be prevented?
Ringworm is difficult to prevent. The fungus is very common, and it is contagious even before symptoms appear.
Steps to prevent infection include the following:
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in">Educate the public, especially parents, about the risk of Ringworm from infected persons and pets. <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in">Keep common-use areas clean, especially in schools, day-care centers, gyms, and locker rooms. Disinfect sleeping mats and gym mats after each use. Do not share clothing, towels, hair brushes, or other personal items.

Infected persons should follow these steps to keep the infection from spreading:
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list .5in">Complete treatment as instructed, even after symptoms disappear. <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list .5in">Do not share towels, hats, clothing, or other personal items with others. <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list .5in">Minimize close contact with others until treated. Make sure the person or animal that was the source of infection gets treated.

This fact sheet is for information only and is not meant to be used for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for consultation with a health-care provider. If you have any questions about the disease described above or think that you might have a fungus infection, consult a health-care provider.

Ohhh Very good info! Thanks, I will keep you posted when I pick him up after work to see what's going on with him! That makes sense now, at first I thought you had to be IN CONTACT to catch it now I see it can be on a surface, Hmm.. My Poor itchy Baby!!!

Do you know of any good immune support boosters?

Sorry that your baby may have ringworm. Tia brought it with her when we adopted her this past Easter. My husband and I got it, along with our two other dogs. My elderly neighbor with cancer got it, along with her yorkie! It is a pain and takes a couple of months to be clear. I even talked to a dog dermatologist to get advice. I had to sterilize everything every other day. I should have purchased stock in bleach!!! Kennels were sprayed and left on for 10 minutes before rinsing, everything was cleaned in bleach. The dogs had baths every other day in a special shampoo (left on for 10 minutes), along with their medications that had to come from a specialty pharmacy because Tia and Ally were small. Carpets were vacuumed every other day to pick up any spores that me or my husband had carried there when we walked; our dogs were not allowed on the carpet then. The spores can live in the carpet for two months! Toys were limited because they had to be washed. Everything was cleaned with bleach and if it couldn't be bleached, we didn't have it out. Furniture was covered and shampooed regularly. The dog is not considered clear until two hair samples come back negative. I hope your baby doesn't have it because it was just terrible!!!

Ugh that sounds horrible! I am sorry that happened to you!!

Update
 

So I just called the Vet to get an update, the Vet looked at it and said that he doesnt think it is ringworm! yeay, He said that he thinks it is allergies, but he is going to shave that area and do a skin scrapping to be sure! :( My Poor baby! I am crossing my fingers and hoping that it comes out negative!!

I will let you guys know as soon as I find out! Cross your fingers for us!!

Crossing my fingers for Peanut!

I have my fingers crossed for pnut. I know I caught it from one of my cats and I was really miserable as was my cat.

It is a Pain!!!! If it is make sure you give them the treatment on a daily basis. Bella is currently on medication for it and has been for a long while. It was first diagnosed incorrectly on her and it got worse, by the time she got treated she had many patches on her.

Best adivce, is to have a set time when you will be giving them treatments. Once in the morning and once in the evening. We were adviced to do it twice a day for a whole month, with a shower every three days until they are getting better, in which we are to leave the medicated shampoo for 10 minutes, so if its cold where you live, its best if you have a heater around cause they do get cold when waiting for those 10 minutes to go by.

Also, her oral medication she may not like it. Bella really detest it and we had to force feed it to her in the beginning. It works best if you have something to mix it with. For example we smush a banana and mix it with the medication and viola! So try different fruits or mixes. It didn't work with baby food, so find out what fits your pup

We would have been finished with her treatment but the wifey and I missed two patches that were hidden behind her ears, so we have now treat those. Lucky for us we never got infected. Good luck and hope its not ringworm.

Fingers crossed for poor Pnut! Hope you figure out what it is!

Hope you figure out what it is... Ring worm is crazy contagious and hard to get rid of.

Yeay!
 

:cheer::cheer::cheer::yay_jump::elephant::bananna:

The Vet just called me and said the test was NEGATIVE! I am soooo happy!


But he said that he has some allergies, he is giving him a shot of Dex, sending home some benadryl and some special shampoo for his skin!!
:thumbup: Thanks for all the fingers that were crossed!! I was not looking forward to dealing with Ringworm!

Can't wait till 430 when I can go pick my poor little itchy baby up!

I'm so glad it's not ringworm!

:D Ugh me too!! You have No idea!

Will you find out what Peanut is allergic to?

I will find out more later when i pick him up, but he says he could be grass.. which pnut was in on Fri, so not sure...? Ill tell you what happens when i pick him up and talk one on one with the vet.

I hate that we worry so much about our babies, but so glad it wasn't ringworm afterall!!!!! I hope he gets some relief from the itchies.

I know! These babies take over our heart! I hope so too. I even will scratch him lol he will sit there and put his head up in start moving his back leg haha.

Happy to hear that there's no ringworm, but I do have a question. I thought the test takes about 10 days for the results. I am pretty sure I read that on the web also. I had to keep treating until all results came back twice with the 10-day wait. Please ask your vet to make sure.

Yeay! No ringworm!
 

Ok, we just got back a little while ago from the Vet, here is the scoop.

The first information I got was from the Tech on the phone. Here is what happend when I went to pick him up.

The vet pulled me in the room and said, it wasnt ringworm, he knew as soon as he saw the spot because it wasnt flakey and he didnt see any other spots, he just had some redness on his chest. He then did the skin scraping and it came out negitive for mange, he then did the blacklight test and it came out negitve for Ringworm, he said there wasnt any green or flakyness or hair loss.

So he gave him a couple shots, Dexamethasone and Diphenhyramine. He checked on Pnut a couple hours later and he said the spot was 80% gone. I then looked at Pnut's neck and I couldnt even see it anymore, it was like 95% gone!! So the Vet thinks it has something to do with Fri when he was sunbathing on the grass, bc he was laying on his tummy. He said he has some allergies.

He sent us home with Epi-soothe shampoo and Genesis Topical Spray, I have to spray him in that area for like a week 2 times a day and then 1 time a day for a week, and give him a bath with his shampoo once a week. I told him it kinda all makes sense bc sometimes I see his tummy kinda red, he said anytime I see that just to spray him. I asked him if I should put him on Bendadrly and he said the spray is better at this point. Oh the vet said anytime I have him in grass I should wash him down with a cloth or something..

So YEAY! No ringworm, Pnut is doing so much better! He hasnt itched since yesterday!! He is laying right next to me. Peanut said he had a very cool day, he said he was able to see Sx and other dogs getting treated on! :thumbup:

So glad everything worked out, thank you for your guys support!!

Does anyone's babies have allergies like this? If so how do you treat it?

Oh P.S this little fatty gained some weight! He was 4.5 now he is 5.4!! Gesssh piggy!!

So Frusrated
 

This seems like it has been an endless battle to find out why Pnut has been so itchy and red.

He wasd doing fine till Fri evening. I fed him and took him on a walk. As soon as we got home about 30 mins later he was itchy, and his whole under body was RED!!! I sprayed his stuff on him and didn't seem to help. I called the vet and he told me what I can give him, to go get it and CVS. Its called Chlorepdeamine or something.... (sp) so I gave him 1/2 a pill and it finially helped....

Dh told me that he thinks it is the wet food, bc he noticed Pnut getting itchy after I fed him. He has been on Acana grassland for ever now so I know its not the dry, I think it is the wet. I was giving him Wellness wet, he ran out and I wanted to try Blue Buffalo wet. So we think it is the wet food. I am going to take him off and see if it helps. The last time he had any was yesterday morning and it was very little.. so far so good, he hasnt been ichty or red!


Ugh! Can wet food really do that to him? Or could it be a combo of the grass and wet food?? How does anyone deal with the allergies or dogs?

Have you considered having a blood panel done for Peanut? I know they do this with kids, where they test the blood to see what causes allergies or not. The list is pretty detailed even giving to what degree a child is allergic to what. Can you find out if there is something similar available for pups?