Lice in dogs
Lichen in dogs is one of the most unpleasant diseases for the animal and dangerous for their owners. To avoid depriving, you need not only to take care of the pet, take care of its proper maintenance, but also to recognize the disease in time so that the treatment is as quick as possible and without complications.

Types of lichen in dogs

There are several types of lichen in dogs, which differ not only in the course of the disease, how it is treated, but also in the causes of its occurrence.

Ringworm. The most common type of lichen in dogs, with which an animal can become infected both on a walk and even at home. Ringworm is caused by fungal spores that can be found in the soil (owners can easily bring them on their shoes right into the apartment). The carrier of ringworm can be a sick animal (1), with which the dog may come into contact on a walk, fungal spores can live on household items of a sick animal – in its bowls, rug, collar or toys.

Ringworm is a dangerous contagious disease that can quickly spread through the dog’s body and lead to the death of the animal. Ringworm has characteristic signs: first, in small areas (20 – 25 mm), the hairs begin to break as if they were cut (hence the name – ringworm). Then the hair falls out completely and bald patches of pink, reddish or brown skin appear. Their contours are clear, and there are several sections themselves at once. They cause severe itching and their number is noticeably increasing.

Ringworm is contagious to humans too!

Pityriasis versicolor. Another type of lichen in dogs, which is caused by pathogenic yeasts. They can live completely painlessly on the skin and coat of dogs, without causing lesions in healthy animals with good immunity. But as soon as the immune system is significantly weakened, as in any wound on the skin, the yeast-like fungus begins to multiply intensively. On the body of the dog, areas with fallen hair appear, and the skin itself acquires a reddish-brown color with different shades (this lichen is also called multi-colored). The lesions grow rapidly and can reach very large sizes.

According to doctors, pityriasis versicolor can in rare cases become contagious for a person with a weakened immune system.

Pink deprive. This type of lichen causes an allergic reaction in dogs to an internal infection. According to most veterinarians, pink lichen is caused by the genetic predisposition of the animal against the background of a general weakening of the immune system.

Unfortunately, this is a chronic disease that can occur repeatedly during a dog’s life. First, one small spot appears on the dog’s body with completely fallen hair and pink skin color. Gradually, the skin color on the spot turns yellow, and the skin itself becomes covered with a flaky crust. Then a second spot appears next to it … Pink lichen spreads quite quickly and can cover a significant surface of the dog’s body.

Whether rosacea is contagious to humans has yet to be determined, but it is desirable to limit contact of children or sick people with a dog suffering from rosacea.

Wetting lichen. This is eczema, an allergic reaction of the dog’s body to food ingredients or other substances that cause an immune response, such as a drug. Initially, the animal has a small hairless and swollen area on the coat. The swelling is hot to the touch. Gradually, it swells into a small bubble – a papule filled with liquid. She gets wet all the time, starting to secrete pus, and increases in size.

Weeping lichen is not contagious to humans.

Signs of lichen in dogs

In order to see the first signs of lichen in a dog in time, owners need to be very careful when examining the animal’s body, especially for long-haired pets.

First of all, lichen foci appear on the muzzle, paws and stomach of the dog. Any, even small areas where a change in coat is noticeable – broken hairs, hair loss, hair loss – this is an occasion to take care of the condition of the animal and take it to a veterinary clinic, where they will take a seed or send the hairs under a microscope. The sooner a lichen is detected in a dog, the sooner it will be treated. And, if, in addition, the pet combs the skin in the same place, the skin peels off or becomes unnatural in color, the dog has changed its behavior: apathy has appeared, food preferences have been violated, she has a fever – these are signs that the dog has lichen .

Treatment for lichen in dogs

Depending on the type of lichen, its severity, the degree of damage to the skin of the dog, the general condition of the animal, the veterinarian prescribes the necessary treatment. It is aimed at the destruction of pathogenic fungi in ringworm and pityriasis, to eliminate allergens in pink and weeping lichen, to eliminate internal infection in pink lichen. And to restore the affected skin with all types of lichen. To do this, the veterinarian prescribes a whole range of drugs, which includes antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and healing ointments, as well as antifungal, antihistamine, antiviral drugs in the form of tablets or injections.

In addition, the doctor may prescribe drugs that improve the patient’s immunity, drugs that support liver function.

What can be done at home

“Self-treatment of lichen does not always give a result,” explains veterinarian Lyubov Bogdan, – so the best scenario for your dog is to strictly follow the recommendations of the veterinarian. In no case should you change the dosage of the drugs prescribed to the dog, replace one medicine with another, skip the prescribed treatment of the affected skin areas or take medications.

When treating ringworm, which is contagious to humans (2), it is recommended that the dog be left in the hospital until recovery. But if this is not possible, it is necessary to treat the animal at home in a separate room or a fenced area to minimize its contact with the rest of the family. It is advisable to isolate children and the elderly from the apartment in which there is a dog with ringworm. It is necessary to disinfect the entire apartment: wash floors and smooth surfaces with disinfectants, upholstered furniture can be treated with a steam generator with chlorhexidine solution. Throw away the old pet bed or mat (previously packed in several plastic bags), it is advisable to replace all the dog’s household items with new ones: leashes, collars, toys, bowls. All items that the dog comes into contact with should be treated with a disinfectant solution every day. Wash the dog itself with an antifungal shampoo and carry out this procedure daily for a week. And do not forget that all manipulations with it must be carried out with rubber gloves. By the way, rubber gloves are also necessary when treating affected skin areas with all types of lichen in dogs.

One of the main drugs in the treatment of all types of lichen are ointments, which differ in their composition.

Antifungal ointments: Clotrimazole, Ichthyol ointment, YaM BK, Miconazole – successfully fight fungi, restore the integrity of the skin.

Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory: Lekaderm, Zinc ointment, Sulfur-tar ointment – successfully fight inflammation, promote skin healing and hair growth.

Before treating the affected areas of the dog’s skin with an ointment prescribed by a veterinarian, you need to treat the area around the wound. This must be done with rubber gloves. And before that, cut off 1 cm of wool around the wound with scissors. The entire affected area of ​​the skin is treated with an antiseptic, for example, a solution of chlorhexidine.

If the wound is covered with crusts – they need to be soaked and removed. To do this, soak a cotton swab with soapy water and blot the crust until it softens. Then it is removed from the wound with tweezers. The wound itself is treated with an antiseptic solution. And only then the ointment is applied to the affected area.

Prevention of lichen in dogs

There are several types of vaccines that manufacturers are positioning as a means of protecting dogs from infection with fungal spores that cause lichen. But you need to know in advance that a 100% guarantee of vaccination is still not given.

Vaccination. Vaccination of dogs should be carried out only after examination by a veterinarian – the doctor, according to the general state of health of the dog, will prescribe the appropriate dose of the vaccine or advise you to pre-treat the animal if it suffers from any diseases. A healthy animal is given two intramuscular injections of the vaccine with an interval of 10 to 14 days. Before injections, the dog must be prophylactic against helminths.

The opinion of veterinarians about vaccination as a prevention of dogs from depriving, unfortunately, diverges. Some doctors believe that such a measure to protect dogs from infection with deprive is effective, others consider vaccination useless.

Dog care rules. There are general rules for preventing dogs from lichen, which any owner must follow. First of all, protect your pet as much as possible from communication with stray animals that can be carriers of lichen. Do not allow the dog to eat and drink from the bowls of other animals, do not use rugs, bedding, toys of other dogs – spores of fungi that cause lichen in dogs can remain on infected objects for a long time.

Dogs should be bathed regularly with antifungal shampoos available from veterinary pharmacies. Regularly inspect the coat and skin of animals, especially long-haired, in the hairs of which the fungus feels very comfortable. Any patches of hair where the hairs have begun to break or fall out is a reason to go to the veterinary clinic for the opinion of a qualified specialist.

Proper nutrition. Another important preventive measure is proper nutrition of the animal. The food should be balanced, rich in vitamins, not cause an allergic reaction.

“Most often, lichen affects dogs with poor immunity, which means that the owners take poor care of the animal, the dog’s diet lacks important vitamins and minerals,” explains veterinarian Lyubov Bogdan.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the problems of diagnosing and treating lichen in dogs with veterinarian Lyudmila Bogdan.

Where can a dog get lichen?

Spores of dermatophyte fungi that cause lichen can be in the soil, in the environment, other animals can be carriers. If the dog is in contact with a large number of relatives, the risk of infection increases. It is also higher in dogs that like to dig in the ground. Dogs can become infected with lichen from rodents and objects belonging to an already sick dog.

How to prevent licking off ointments in the treatment of lichen?

The most reliable way is the Elizabethan collar, which must be put on the dog’s neck. Yes, many dogs refuse to wear them, trying to rip them off, but the owner’s patience and constant monitoring are necessary here: lichen treatment is a lengthy process and requires constant care for the animal.

What to feed a dog with lichen?

If the lichen is provoked by an allergy, you need to understand together with the doctor what it is for – perhaps it is a reaction to the food, then you need to change it. Naturally, any provoking ingredients should be excluded from the diet: sweet, smoked, products with spices.

With ringworm or pityriasis, food can not be changed, but it is worth adding vitamins to the diet that improve the condition of the skin and coat.

When should you see a veterinarian for dog lichen?

As soon as you notice skin lesions in a dog, you need to immediately show it to a veterinarian – only he can make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. It is important to remember that people can also become infected with ringworm. It is especially common in children and the elderly, so don’t expect it to go away on its own, take your dog to the clinic. Otherwise, then you will have to treat lichen not only in the dog, but also in family members.

Sources of

  1. The results of the work of the department of bacteriology, parasitology and mycology // Rosselkhoznadzor, 2017 https://fsvps.gov.ru/fsvps/news/ld/314424.html
  2. Yushkova L.Ya., Yudakov A.V., Shikhaleva N.L., Kim A.S., Donchenko N.A. etc. Organization of personal safety measures and prevention of infectious diseases in contact with domestic animals and birds in nature // National Association of Scientists, 2018 https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/organizatsiya-mer-lichnoy-bezopasnosti-i-profilaktika -zaraznyh-bolezney-pri-kontakte-s-domashnimi-zhivotnymi-i-ptitsami-v-nature

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