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I was talking with a vet friend of mine and she passed along some information that I thought I would share with all of you who have dogs.
Each year, approximately 1000 children go blind from ringworm that they acquire from dogs. This is entirely preventable. If you have a dog and children, it is recommended that you not let your dog lick your child, especially their face and hands. Also, it is advised that you give your dog a monthly de-wormer. It's that easy!
FYI--If your child does get ringworm, it can manifest like pink eye.
I was talking with a vet friend of mine and she passed along some information that I thought I would share with all of you who have dogs.
Each year, approximately 1000 children go blind from ringworm that they acquire from dogs. This is entirely preventable. If you have a dog and children, it is recommended that you not let your dog lick your child, especially their face and hands. Also, it is advised that you give your dog a monthly de-wormer. It's that easy!
FYI--If your child does get ringworm, it can manifest like pink eye.
The ringworm doesn't cause blindness. It's a parasitic worm called Toxocaridae (a roundworm) whose eggs are found in an infected dog's GI tract and poop that can lead to eye disease and blindness. Toxocaridae is also found in cats. It's a nasty little thing. De-worming will help prevent this.
Ringworm isn't a real worm like Toxocaridae, but a fungus that causes infection of the scalp and skin. It just forms a ring-like appearance on the skin that looks like a curled-up worm. People can get ringworm from direct contact with the skin or fur of infected animals. You can even get ringworm from dirty pools as this fungus likes damp, moist areas. (My mom had a hotel pool and community pool shut down because she started getting lots of ringworm cases.) No blindness caused, but if it gets to your scalp, you'll get unsightly bald patches. As far as I know, de-worming won't help. Just keep your pet clean.
Pink eye is caused either by a bacteria or a virus. It's not fungal like ringworm.
It's a good topic and info to pass along to practice upkeep of your pet's health. I know a few people who don't take their pet to the vet as regularly as they should.
You are correct about the de-worming not helping. De-worming is for parasitic worms (hooks, tapes, rounds etc) and as you said, ringworm is a fungus and not an actual worm.
Ringworm isn't a real worm like Toxocaridae, but a fungus that causes infection of the scalp and skin. It just forms a ring-like appearance on the skin that looks like a curled-up worm. People can get ringworm from direct contact with the skin or fur of infected animals. You can even get ringworm from dirty pools as this fungus likes damp, moist areas.
.......ringworm is also passed human-to-human which as I understand it, is the most common way to pick it up (with picking it up from animals probably being second). With animals it can be from farm animals, dogs, cats, even your guinea pig, hedgehog or hamster.
It is commonly found amongst children and adults with suppressed immune systems (people with HIV/AIDS). It can be picked up through skin contact with a contaminated human or animal or by picking up the fungus where it has been left behind (a toilet seat for example).
It takes a while to show up too, so you can be contagious and not even know it. As for treatability, I've heard everything from it being easy to treat with an antifungal to some horror stories...so I guess it can get pretty bad.
@ Foxy. I figured you meant roundworm. Didn't want someone to stumble in here and think they might go blind if they get a ringworm infection. I just thought I'd amend to your helpful message about keeping your loved ones (pets and humans) healthy. You brought up an important topic for any animal lover.
Last edited by dru; 03-03-2008 at 07:59 PM..
Reason: teh typ0z
question;: my dog did he poop on the floor and my son is 10 months and got into it and was covered im not sure if he ate any or much ... Is this dangerous for my son?
have your dog checked for intestinal parisites...
if no parisites its discusting but should be fine...
if the dog has parisites have your child checked over by a dr.
either way the child shoudlnt be around the dog unsupervised, the situation should have never happend.
The ringworm fungus is Easy to treat.... My vet had me use Myostat [not sure of sp pronounce it way I spelled tho] Just rub it on the spot 2-3 times a day. Also you can use Iodine...IF you like Purple spots LOL
I live with my In laws and they have a dog that eats her poop and then licks everyone. We have had two people get ringworm already and one is real bad. My son is only 9 months old and I try my hardest to keep the dog away from him but sometimes I cant without being mean to there dog and I cant really do that in front of them. I need a little advice with keeping my son safe. There was also an indecent where my sister in law was watching him and the same dog licked all in his mouth( the one who eats her poop) should I have a doctor look at him for parasites internally? He has not gotten it yet but I am very worried about him getting it. How would I be able to tell if he has it in his eye?
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@ Foxy. I figured you meant roundworm. Didn't want someone to stumble in here and think they might go blind if they get a ringworm infection. I just thought I'd amend to your helpful message about keeping your loved ones (pets and humans) healthy. You brought up an important topic for any animal lover.
