Dogs With Severe Dry Skin & Fungus

Dogs in hot, humid climates are more prone to fungal infections.

Dogs with severely dry skin often have a fungal infection developing. The skin will dry out, thicken and develop an elephant-like appearance, and there may be mild or severe hair loss and moderate to severe itching. There are several types of fungus that affect the skin, but the two that cause the skin to dry out are ringworm and yeast (Malassezia). Fortunately, these two common conditions are the easiest fungal infections to treat, and most dogs recover without any problem.

Causes

Dogs develop ringworm through contact with contaminated environments.

Ringworm is caused by several types of fungus that live in the dog's environment, especially in soil. Most common in hot, humid climates, ringworm is transmitted through either direct contact with spore-contaminated materials or contact with another infected dog. Ringworm is highly contagious, even to humans. Yeast, on the other hand, naturally lives on healthy dogs. When the condition of the dog's skin changes because of an underlying illness or allergy, the yeast takes advantage of the situation to rapidly multiply until an infection results.

Diagnosis

Yeast infections are diagnosed through microscopic examination.

Ringworm often results in raised ring-shaped lesions. However, even when the lesions are not yet present, the veterinarian can diagnose ringworm by shining an ultraviolet light on the affected area. If the area glows fluorescent green, at least one type of ringworm fungus is present. If a yeast infection is suspected, the vet will take either an impression or a scraping of the affected area and examine it under a microscope. If the yeast is present, it will appear as a purple bowling pin-shaped organism.

Treatment

Baths with antifungal shampoos are a helpful adjunct therapy.

Because ringworm is highly contagious, all animals and humans in the household should be monitored for symptoms until treatment is finished. If the lesions are isolated, they may be treated with a topical antifungal ointment such as miconazole or Lotrimin. But if there are a number of lesions all over the body, regular bathing with an antifungal shampoo such as ketoconazole or a lime sulfur dip may be added to the treatment plan. Yeast infections are not contagious, and are commonly treated with the same topical medications, and oral antibiotics such as ketoconazole are usually added to speed up the treatment of severe generalized infections.

Considerations

To prevent another fungal infection, you must figure out why the infection occurred.

If your dog is diagnosed with ringworm, it is helpful to figure out where he may have come into contact with the spores, to prevent it from reoccurring. With yeast infections, though, there is always an underlying issue that shifted the skin's balance enough to allow the yeast to proliferate in the first place. The most common causes are allergies or seborrhea, which must be treated as well to avoid a yeast infection from reoccurring.

Prognosis

Most dogs recover from fungal infections without any problems.

Most dogs recover from fungal skin infections just fine, although treatment can take a long time. If exposure to the source of the ringworm is not limited, it will come back, as will a yeast infection if dealing with the underlying cause is ignored.

References

• The Dog Health Guide: Canine Fungal Skin Infection
• Mar Vista Animal Medical Center: Yeast Dermatitis
• Drs. Foster and Smith: Pet Education-Ringworm in Dogs