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How to identify ringworm on my dog? What OTC treatments can I use?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Beagle | Male | neutered | 3 years and 10 months old | 55 lbs

I am curious if this is ringworm on my dog? If so are there any treatments that can be given that are “over the counter?”

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on December 2nd, 2017

It's not possible to diagnose ringworm from a picture, a sample needs to be taken and tested for it in a petri dish for a few days, it could be ringworm but treatment should only be started after confirmation, you will need to take Apollo to the vet for that.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on September 17th, 2018

    Hi there. I'm not sure if you meant to attach a photo to your question, but if so, it didn't come through - feel free to try again if you want us to take a look. In general, though, I'm afraid ringworm can't be diagnosed just by looking - it requires testing by your veterinarian. This is not a very common problem in dogs, so in most cases, circular skin lesions are more likely to be due to an allergy or bacterial skin infection, but an exam and testing by your vet would be needed to know for sure. I would recommend taking Mollie in to be seen when you're able to, so that you can find out what she has and get her started on appropriate treatment. To answer your other question about OTC treatments for ringworm, it really depends on how severe the infection is and where it's located. Sometimes, it can be treated successfully with something like Malaseb shampoo or lime sulfur dip, but in other cases systemic anti-fungal medication is needed, which would be prescription only. But again, I wouldn't assume that Mollie has ringworm unless she's diagnosed by your veterinarian after appropriate testing. It's much more likely that she has a different skin problem like allergies or a bacterial infection.

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