Life in our beautiful town of Fontana, CA, provides many opportunities to take your pet outside and encourage it to socialize. Yet, there is always a chance of it picking up a skin condition during your adventures or at a dog park. Despite its name, ringworm is caused by a fungus instead of a worm. In most cases, pets pick up ringworm from another animal or contaminated surfaces in their environment. Watching for these signs that your pet has ringworm lets you know when to bring them to Jurupa Hills Animal Hospital for an exam.

Take Note of Skin Inflammation and Redness

Most of the time, you will notice hairless circular patches on your pet’s skin. But, you might also catch the condition early enough that hair loss is not happening yet. In this case, you might see inflamed skin that is dark pink or red compared to your pet’s normal skin color. Since ringworm can occur on any part of a pet’s skin, you might notice it on the stomach, back or around the head.

Examine Circular Patches of Hair Loss

Ringworm might not be caused by a worm, but the ring part of the condition’s name holds true. Seeing circular patches of inflamed skin or hair loss is a strong sign that your pet might have this condition. Since other conditions can also cause similar symptoms, your pet’s veterinarian may recommend special tests to make sure it is a fungal infection before recommending a specific medication.

Go to Our Animal Hospital If You Notice Nail Changes

Pets often scratch ringworm lesions, which can lead to it spreading to their nails. If your pet’s nails look dry, misshapen, or brittle, then they might have a fungal infection that needs attention from our pet dermatologist near you. Inflamed nail beds or darkened nails are also signs that you need to have your pet checked for ringworm.

Have Our Pet Dermatologist Find the Source of Scratching Behaviors

The inflammation and itching that ringworm causes may leave your pet scratching to try to find some sort of comfort. Too much scratching may lead to increased inflammation, which also raises the risk of infections. Taking your pet to our animal hospital is the best way to find out if ringworm is the culprit for your pet’s frustrating behaviors.

Bring Your Furry Friend to Our Pet Dermatologist Near You in Fontana, CA

Treating ringworm as early as possible helps to stop it from spreading. Our vet at Jurupa Hills Animal Hospital in Fontana, CA, can test for and treat ringworm to restore your pet’s skin health. Call us at (909)-333-1565 to schedule an appointment with our pet dermatologist near you.