Contrary to its moniker, ringworm is actually a fungal infection that can affect the nails, skin and hair of dogs and other animals. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, dermatophytosis (or ... Learn to recognize common skin conditions in dogs, including allergies, ringworm, mange, yeast overgrowth, and alopecia.

Understanding the Context

DogsBestLife.com on MSN: What every dog owner must know about 5 troubling skin conditions Question: I was watching the evening news on television a few days ago and someone from the Humane Society was talking about crusty circular round lesions on a dog being ringworm. That is exactly what ... The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of wolves. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers.

Key Insights

Dogs and the modern gray wolf share a common ancestor. [4] Dogs were the first species to be domesticated over 14,000 years ago, before the development of agriculture, though genetic studies suggest ... As humans became more sophisticated, so did their dogs. Eventually, there emerged specific breeds of dogs, custom-bred to suit the breeders’ local needs and circumstances. What is a dog?

Final Thoughts

A dog is a domesticated mammal of the family Canidae and the order Carnivora. Its scientific name is Canis lupus familiaris. Dogs are a subspecies of the gray wolf, and they are also related to foxes and jackals. Dogs are one of the two most ubiquitous and most popular domestic animals in the world. (Cats are the other.) Dogs diverged from gray wolves (Canis lupus) and became domesticated at least by ~14,200 years ago (Bonn-Oberkassel dog burial). The domestic dog is a domesticated canid descended from gray wolves, exhibiting extreme variation in size, coat, and behavior due to domestication and selective breeding.