Is ringworm?

QWe have a four-year-old male Jack Russell terrier with hair loss and scaling on his nose and part of his face. My vet suspects ringworm and has sent samples to check. Is ringworm common in dogs?

ACompared to other parts of the world with much warmer climates, ringworm in dogs is not usually particularly common here.

However, that reflects my past experience over many years, and there is no doubt that our climate is changing and becoming milder.

So it wouldn’t surprise me if the incidence of ringworm increases in future as warmer summers become more common.

In spite of its name, ringworm is a fungal disease and there are two main fungi involved. These are trichophyton and microsporum.

The most common species of microsporum is Microsporum canis. It is the main cause of cat ringworm, and most cases I have seen have been the result of dogs coming into contact with infected cats, particularly kittens.

Trichophyton infection in a dog tends to be more severe, particularly if it is not diagnosed quickly. This is the type of ringworm I would suspect in your Jack Russell, so it is good that your vet is checking for it by sending samples off to a laboratory.

I have seen Jack Russells with ringworm on their face, caught by nudging ringworm-infected rolled-up hedgehogs.

Hedgehog spines are perfect for implanting fungal spores in the skin. Prompt treatment has a good prognosis.

My neighbour’s six-year-old rescue greyhound has very loose stools. He has tried giving the dog various diets and is now feeding dry kibble with boiled rice. Is this a good idea and can you advise any alternatives?

AAs your neighbour is finding out, there are no quick fixes for his greyhound’s problem. All dogs, especially those that scavenge, are prone to gastro-intestinal upsets.

A day of no food, just water, followed by a light diet for a few days is often successful in putting an end to a shortterm problem.

If the diarrhoea continues beyond a few days, however, a consultation with the vet is essential to check for various elements that might be contributing.

These can be improper digestion of food (maldigestion) or inadequate absorption of food (malabsorption), both being problems associated with the small intestine.

Large intestinal problems, such as colitis, are also a possible cause.

Initially your vet will ask questions designed to pinpoint where the problem lies, to help design a diagnostic plan.

The number of possible diseases, known as the differential diagnosis, is fairly large. For example, the problem could be parasites, a bacterial problem, food allergy, or inflammation of the intestinal wall.

A diagnostic plan seeks to rule the differential diagnoses in or out, perhaps involving blood tests, faecal sampling and a biopsy of the intestine.

This might sound daunting, and expensive, but not everything has to be done at once, and they can agree a plan with their vet and budget for it.

The key to this problem is an accurate diagnosis and specific treatment.