The Ring Dog Blog

Ringworm is one of the most common diseases in pets, especially dogs. Unlike its name, Ringworm is not a worm but fungi called Dermatophytes that thrives on dead tissues present on skin surface and follows circular path to spread infection.

Ringworm is an infectious skin disease and your pet usually picks it up from his surroundings like kennels, rodent burrows or from other animals who are already infected. There are about 35 species of ringworm that can affect dogs. The most common is Microsporum Canis, which accounts for majority of ringworm cases. read more

“A torn cranial cruciate ligament is one of the most common orthopedic disorders among dogs,” says Dr. Harari. Dogs knees are very similar to humans knees, and the cranial cruciate ligament is the same as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans. Like human athletes who tear their ACLs, dogs tear their cranial cruciate ligaments during athletic activities.”

Source http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=43

Submissive urination is a behavior some dogs exhibit when overly excited or anxious . The simple way to correct this behavior is to simply ignore it. This behavior becomes worse when you try to correct it, the dog thinks it is not peeing “good enough” and tries to do better the next time. So in this situation just ignore the behavior it stops. Remember though that this is not the same as house breaking or crate training these are totally different behaviors.

Canine scabies, also known as sarcoptic mange, in dogs, is caused by the parasite Sarcoptes scabiei. These microscopic mites can invade the skin of healthy dogs or puppies and create a variety of skin problems, the most common of which is hair loss and severe itching. Sarcoptic mange is a zoonotic condition, meaning animals and humans can both get it, so it is important to treat immediately. This type of mange heals much quicker than demodextic mange. This condition can only be diagnosed by a veterinarian and requires prescription shampoo and other medications. But do not fret, with treatment it heals quickly! read more

Demodex’ is a kind of mange that is transfered from mother to puppy within the first 3-5 days of life. It is not contagious to other dogs or people. It is easily treatable with a simple skin scraping, oral and topical medications. It takes some time to fully recover (1-3 months). Demodex can re-occur throughout the dogs lifetime whenever their immune system becomes compromised, but it easily corrected once diagnosed.