What should be the treatment of lichen in dogs at home? This question is often asked by people who have barking four-legged pets. Today we will examine in detail this issue, and also consider what lichens are.
Why does a dog get sick?
A fairly common infectious skin disease in dogs is lichen. Certain types of pathogenic virus or fungus cause this ailment. Such a disease can be transmitted from a dog not only to another dog, but also to a person. Usually the animal becomes infected through contact (through wool). It should be noted that through the soil or thing infected with the fungus, it is also possible to “pick up” lichen, since its spores remain viable for several years. In hot and damp weather (these are favorable conditions), the fungus can begin to grow, affecting the epidermis and follicles.
Factors predisposing to infection:
- lactation period;
- the presence of cancer;
- dog pregnancy;
- youth or, conversely, old age;
- improper, unbalanced (poor) nutrition;
- transferred viral infections;
- weakened immunity.
To describe how depriving is treated at home in dogs, you must first list its types. So let's take a closer look at them. All lichens have a degree of danger to the pet, as well as some signs. Thanks to external signs, you can determine the type of disease. So, lichen happens:
- weeping (it is also called eczema);
- ringworm (causes fungal infection);
- pityriasis or multi-colored;
- pink (the result of a viral infection);
- herpes zoster (provokes the herpes virus).
Pink lichen in a dog: photo, treatment and signs
This type of lichen is considered very dangerous. The very first signs that the animal is sick are small, round spots of a yellow-pink hue (about two centimeters in size). Initially, only one speck appears on the dog’s body, but very soon yellow-pink marks can be observed throughout the dog’s body.
The very first spot is small in size and is a "mother plaque." The skin in this area begins to peel, and itching appears.
There is a similar disease very unexpectedly. Sometimes pink lichen in dogs just as quickly disappears. In some cases, treatment is carried out more for prevention than if necessary. Some special medical intervention is not required. It often happens that in five to six weeks the disease recedes itself. In no case do not use any ointments or other means without consulting a doctor, since this way you can only aggravate the condition of the dog. For more information on how to remove lichen, you should ask your veterinarian.
Treatment
The danger of the disease lies not in itself, but in complications. After combing his body, the dog can bring an infection, which in the future will lead to inflammatory processes, pyoderma, eczema, etc. Then, mandatory medical intervention will be necessary.
Some experts believe that the affected areas should be lubricated with vinegar (apple) about 6 times a day. Also, a sick animal cannot be bathed, but you need to walk with it for a long time in the sun.
Sometimes veterinarians recommend antihistamine ointments and creams to lubricate the affected areas in order to relieve itching.
There is also an assumption that pink lichen is manifested in a dog (photo, treatment and signs of the disease - all the information is contained in our article) due to a greatly weakened immunity. If the reason lies in this, doctors prescribe a course of immunomodulators.
What can please the owner of an animal who has such a disease is that the disease is not contagious.
Ringworm in dogs: symptoms, treatment
Such lichen affects the skin of the head, tail, limbs and ears, as well as claws and nose. Let's find out what symptoms this disease has. Symptoms of ringworm include:
- small (up to two centimeters) spots of round or oval shape;
- rapid spread throughout the body;
- the appearance of scales on the affected areas, which subsequently begin to bald and itch.
Due to the occurrence of baldness and hair breaks in the affected areas, this type of lichen was called “ringworm”.
Now consider how to treat depriving at home in dogs. Instruction:
- First, you need to cut the hair from the affected areas, and grab healthy hair about two to three centimeters from the sore spot. But how to distinguish healthy skin from that affected by the fungus? Normal skin looks much paler.
- Cut wool must be destroyed.
- Peel the skin should (if possible) be separated, because we need to process the surface itself.
We will use some drugs to overcome lichen in dogs. Iodine treatment is the easiest way to combat fungus. They need to lubricate the affected area every two days. It should be noted that during treatment with this method, side effects may appear in the form of necrosis of the skin layers and contact dermatitis. In such cases, it is recommended to use other drugs. For example, you can treat the skin with ointment "Yam" three times a day. Also used for treatment is “Clotrimazole” in the form of a cream, which lubricates the lesions three times a day.
And what if a very large area is affected? Then doctors advise to use the systemic drugs "Ketoconazole" and "Griseofulvin." If a relapse of the disease suddenly occurs, it is urgent that the animal be vaccinated against ringworm.
Pityriasis versicolor in dogs
This type of lichen is also called colorful or beach. It is very common. The first sign of the disease is the appearance of a small pink spot on the body. There are no other visible inflammations at this stage. Pityriasis versicolor is actively developing on the neck, paws and back of the animal. How to determine that a skin area is affected? It will have a specific color (it can vary from yellow to brown). In addition, the animal often has peeling of the skin.
As you can see, the treatment of lichen in dogs is different. Each type of disease must be treated according to a specific method. Pityriasis versicolor is worth fighting using the following means:
- 3-5% salicylic alcohol;
- antifungal medicine "Undecevit";
- "Wilkinson Ointment";
- 5-10% sulfuric ointment;
- drug "Neotigazone";
- onion juice (once a day, the affected areas should be lubricated).
Before using such medications, it is best to consult a veterinarian who will examine your animal and prescribe the truly correct treatment.
Weeping lichen
Such a disease can have a different course (chronic or acute inflammatory). Its nature is allergic. Let us now examine how weeping lichen appears in dogs, the treatment of which we will describe further. The main symptoms are:
- rash (varied);
- itching and burning of the affected skin;
- swelling;
- crusts, cracks, bubbles may appear;
- peeling.
Weeping treatment
The treatment for this disease should be comprehensive. The very first thing to do is find out the cause of the weeping eczema. Only then the doctor will be able to choose the right treatment for depriving at home in dogs. The causes of eczema mass. Fleas, malnutrition, infections and much more can provoke the occurrence.
How to treat? First, cut the hair around the affected area in order to provide air access to tissues that are inflamed. Then it is worth treating the areas with an anti-inflammatory agent (St. John's wort infusion, Dimexidum drug, etc.). Next, a drying medicine is used - powders and ointments based on zinc, talc and so on. If the animal suffers from severe itching, then a sedative is applied to the affected areas of the skin , for example, the drug “Suprastin” or “Diphenhydramine”. Medicines such as Sulfur-3 or Mercury are prescribed inside. A diet for allergy sufferers is sometimes recommended.
Dog Shingles
This type of lichen causes the herpes virus. At first, the disease manifests itself in the intercostal space and on the abdomen. Itching occurs in these parts of the body. A little later, liquid bubbles appear that burst, and already in their places you can then see the crusts. Note that this disease is not always manifested in the abdomen, sometimes the pathological process can affect other areas.
Antiviral drugs, antiseptics, analgesics and corticosteroid ointments are used for treatment.
Advice for dog owners
If you find that your dog has lichen, immediately protect it from communicating with other animals and people. Be sure to wash all places in the house where the sick pet was with bleach. To establish an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment planning, you should contact a veterinary clinic. Do not engage in self-medication in any case.
Preventive methods that help you avoid getting infected with lichen
- Do not allow contact of a pet with stray and sick animals.
- You should regularly examine the skin of your dog.
- It is necessary to periodically process animal things from parasites.
- It is recommended to promptly administer an injection (to be vaccinated) from lichen for dogs.
- You must regularly visit a veterinarian.
Little conclusion
As you understand, lichen has several types, each of which differs in its signs, course, and treatment. It is very important to make a correct diagnosis, because the method of healing depends on this. Improper treatment of lichen in dogs can lead to additional animal health problems. The duration of recovery, as well as the outcome of the disease, depends on how quickly the drug intervention was started.
We hope that now you understand how to treat depriving at home in dogs. Take care of your pets, love them, and they will repay you in return.