Mycotic Dermatitis in Dogs and Cats: A Scoping Review

Over the past few decades, the importance of fungal infections in both humans and animals has increased significantly. The number of pets has increased recently, and pet ownership has become more popular for a variety of reasons, including as protection, entertainment, hunting, and helping their owners. Therefore, it is now urgently necessary to increase understanding and awareness about fungal infections. Some of fungal infections can cause disease in otherwise healthy animals, while others require a host that is incapacitated or immunocompromised (stresses as captivity, poor nutrition, viral infections, cancer, or drugs like steroids) to establish infection. Prolonged use of antimicrobial drugs or immunosuppressive agents appears to increase the likelihood of some fungal infections. The infection itself may be localized or may affect the entire body (systemic or generalized). Numerous fungi have been linked to dermatoses, and fungal infections in dogs and cats are a major contributing factor to the development of these disorders. Even though some mycoses are more common than others, these infections must be included in the differential diagnosis. Along with zoonotic fungus, which can spread from animals to humans, this article focusses on a carefully chosen list of illnesses brought on by environmental fungi that can harm dogs and cats.