Ringworm vs. dry skin

[mjh]

My chin has been scratching himself a lot, and he has scaling on his ears. The vet (who doesn't specialize in chins) said it was ringworm, but he didn't do a skin scraping. There are no red spots or bumps, that are typical of ringworm, which leads me to believe it is just dry sking. He does have flaky skin in localized patches (base of ear and on his side) and what looks like dandruff. How can you tell the difference between ringworm and dry skin?

 

[Spoof]

I'd have asked for a skin scraping, regardless it's easy to throw some sulfur or tinactin in his bath for a bit. If he's got a bald patch on his side with anything other than pristine white soft skin and it's not a wound it's likely ringworm.

As for the difference, ringworm spots will grow in size over time.

 

[fluke]

if his skin is just dry looking but theres no loss of fur, i wouldn't think its ringworm. if it is ringworm, it'll probably spread and get worse looking real quick at which point it will probably be obvious. But ringworm in my experience doesn't necessarily look red and bumpy on animals.

 

[Riven]

Even a non-exotic vet will know what ringworm is... I'd trust the vet.

 

[6Dusters]

If its ring worm then start with a serious cage cleaning. And make darned sure you keep the bedding super clean and dry always.
Then add some antifungal powder to his dust. ( I used about a teaspoon) And clean that dust bath out after each time so you won't keep spreading it back to your animal. And make darned sure your washing yourself good. It can spread over to you as it's fungal.
You won't see any huge improvement right away. But a good cage cleaning and dusting a couple times a week with the powder is a super start. My chin Jack had it showing around his eye couple months back. Just bald around his eye. I did the above and he's just fine now.

It got started here with Jack taking pain meds. He was soiling the inside of his house as he was "drugged up." His house faces sideways and I kept smelling something and I did not see it nor suspected this as he doesn't soil inside his home. ( my sinus problems have left me with little sense of smell)
I was sniffing all over my chin room and still couldn't find the source. Some days later after his initial start of the meds...........I found out what he was doing. So I backed off the meds. And I cleaned out the spots for days and was placing a layered papertowel in the house. Each morning I would replace the soiled napkins. Then up came the fungus!! :hair: I cleaned the cage. Even poured antifungal dust over his wood ledges to get into the grain of the wood. And wiped off the excess.
I stopped his pain med. Shortly thereafter he went back to soiling on his pine bedding and not the house. And his hair grew back. And he is without pain and back to his normal animated self.
Good luck and post your results of any treatment to your thread.