With any breed it is very important to check your pet's coat regularly.  Daily brushing and grooming can lead to significant discoveries.  With wet spring in the air, something growing in our yards that you might have not thought about is looming:  ringworm.  

Pups is an itchy Frenchie from the get.  She is allergic to loads of foods, and normal scratching goes unnoticed.  That is until random bald spots were showing up in her coat.  Most people hop on the internet to Dr. Google to self diagnose not only ourselves, but our loved ones as well.  With so much misinformation do yourself a favor and head down to the vet.  A licensed vet can tell you if your beloved family member is experiencing hot spots, yeast infection, ringworm, or more.  With these items that can transfer to humans it is best to nip it in the bud from the beginning ensuring relief for your pup, and preventing cross contamination.

Ringworm is a fungus that gets it's name from its look and shape.  It spreads through the skin in a circular fashion, like a ring.  You may notice a small area that was bothersome, or baren yesterday becoming larger and more troublesome within a day.  It is imperative that you take your pet to seek attention immediately.  These areas with ringworm spread quickly, and can become infected, which is a whole nother can of worms.

The ringworm infection is typically treated with a combination of medicated shampoos, and topical creams.  While I am not a vet I have found that over the counter miconazole 2 percent cream clears up the infection within a few days.  While definitely hard to get rid of, be patient, as it is possible even if it does take a few weeks.  

While ringworm can be transmitted from other animals it is very likely that there are spores in the soil of your yard.  The best way to rid your yard of ringworm spores is to keep your grass short, and dry.  Apply a pet friendly anti-fungal.  Ask your local friendly associate at Home Depot, and they will point you in the right direction of products to keep your yard ringworm free.