What is Ringworm?

You can test for ringworm on your dog with the following methods:

Wood’s lamp examination:
Ringworm can glow with a yellow-green fluorescence under a ultraviolet light sometimes referred to as a Wood’s lamp.

Fungal culture:
Special hair and skin scraping kits can be purchased. Samples are taken from the affected area and sent to the lab for analysis. This method takes additional time becauase the sample needs to grow in a lab culture.

Microscopic examination:
This is usally done at the Veterinarian's Office. The doctor may take scrapings of the affected area and conduct an examination of the samples to confirm the presence of ringworm. This is usually faster but more expensive then sending a fungul culture by mail.

There are four different stages of ringworm.

Stage One:
Infection occurs. During this stage, the infection is not visible to the naked eye. This is the incubation stage. It can take anywhere from one to three weeks for symptoms to appear.

Stage Two:
The dog will start developing small, raised bumps/lesions on the skin with mild redness and scaling. Treatment is advised to stop the spread.

Stage Three:
During this stage, the lesions on the skin become larger and more inflamed. The red patches of skin will look more like a ring at this point. You should seek treatment, or take your dog to the vet.

Stage Four:
This is the most severe stage. It includes hair loss, sores, scabs and severe itching. Ringworm has spread over most of the dog's body. Although, not life threatening, you should seek immediate treament or medical attention for your dog.