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Spreading Rings of Crusty Dandruff on a 13-Year-Old Dog

by A reader

Reader Question
My dog is 13. Last year she had nose bleeds, and an MRI showed no cancer but showed sores under her tongue, which went away with treatment. She now has many circles of crusty dandruff where the hair falls out, with red edges. They were first only on her shoulders, neck and above her tail, but are now appearing all over her body. She had a steroid shot last week and antibiotics in case of infection. I bathe her twice a week with an antiseptic shampoo, which is soothing but only for a short time. She takes medicines for arthritis, low thyroid and bladder control, plus supplements to prevent bladder infections. She eats well, but sleeps a lot. I read about antifungal tablets and was going to ask my vet about them. I want her to have pleasant days, and it's not happening with this 'fungus'.


Answer from Our Team

Rings with crusty dandruff and red edges that spread over the body in an older dog can be ringworm, but a bacterial skin infection (which often forms rings with peeling edges), demodex mites, and in older dogs a skin form of lymphoma are other important causes. A steroid shot can make some of these worse.

Ask your vet for a fungal culture, a skin scraping and a quick tape test before starting antifungal tablets, so you're treating the right thing. If those are negative and it keeps spreading, a skin biopsy is the best next step. Bring her full list of medicines, since some affect the skin and how other drugs work.

The antiseptic baths are a good idea. Keep going, leaving the shampoo on for 10 minutes. You're doing a lot to keep her comfortable.

See fungal skin infections in dogs and ringworm on dogs.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.

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