Ringworm update

I've gotten a lot of suggestions from all of you and have gone to two different vets and FINALLY my baby seems to be getting better. In case nobody remembers, my Stewie has a bad case of ringworm...really bad! It started with a quarter size spot on his head and has since spread down the entirety of his body. He's about 2/3 full of ringworm right now.

Here is what I tried:
Plan A: Trasederm on affected areas - that didn't stop it from growing
Plan B: Trasederm on affected areas - baths three days a week - that didn't stop it from growing
Plan C: Trasederm on affected areas - daily baths - confined to the bathroom and bleach the bathroom daily - that didn't stop it from growing
Plan D: Switch vets - Lamisil on affected areas, an antibiotic (to combat the secondary skin infection), Program and baths a couple of times a week - made the current spots better, but new spots kept growing. Also did a new culture and it's negative. We think the culture had Lamisil on it because I had treated him before bringing him to the vet
Plan E: Lamisil on affected areas and Lamisil oral pill - THIS WORKED! I think it's the Lamisil oral pill that's doing it - but it hasn't spread and the spots are looking way better! His skin is looking good and it's only been three days of treatment!

YEAH! My cats will be able to come out of the bathroom soon I can't wait until he's 100%...we're getting there.

Mine didn't get better till we tried the oral pills. And then it all just went away. Still taking Lamisil pills though, in case it is in the environment, though Biscotte seems OK. Good luck.

Are the Lamisil oral pills over the counter, or are they prescription? We had it about a year and a half ago, but now one of my five has it again, and so do I. I've been going nuts trying to get rid of it and will try anything. My vet will not prescribe oral meds as she doesn't like the side effects they cause.

They're prescription, unfortunately. I looked online and although you can get them, they also need a prescription from your vet.

Hi - I don't know your whole history; I just now jumped on the board and "Ringworm" caught my attention. I struggled with this for years with my persian. He had it very bad and I also got it! We continued to pass it back and forth. I was covered from head to toe and went to 3 different dermatologists before they finally figured out what it was. I tried everything out there for both my baby and myself, and the only things that worked for us were: Lym Sulphur Dip for him and Tea Tree Oil for me. This was several years ago, however, I still have to bath him in the LymSulphur dip every few months to keep it away. Every once in a while it will surface. I currently have 2 spots on me right now. The vet told me he is a carrier, so I know I will be dealing with this forever more. At least I know what I need to do to keep it under control. His usually flairs up when he is under stress. Good Luck to you... I know how frustrating this can be.

Do you confine him qhwn he flares up, if he does or is he your only cat? How do you go about cleaning your house?

My husband says I worry too much about it, I say He doesn't worry enough....it's driving me crazy.

Thanks everyone for your replies! Lamisil is a prescription and it is very expensive. It cost me $238 for a 1 month supply.

The two vets I went to were very hesitant giving an oral for Ringworm because they both said it was very harsh to cats. However, the second vet looked up Lamisil and said it was the newest thing on the market and had no comments about making animals sick. So we tried it out. My cat has had NO side effects at all. It's been great!

I will gladly spend the $238 if this ever happens again. It's better to spend the money up front then spend the $1000+ I've spent trying to beat it with other things.

I'm going out of town for 4 days and the girl from the vet (a vet tech) is going to watch and medicate my cat. I can't wait to see what he looks like when I get back. I hoping he continues to improve!

Good Luck to everyone!

Originally Posted by Bazkitty

Do you confine him qhwn he flares up, if he does or is he your only cat? How do you go about cleaning your house?

My husband says I worry too much about it, I say He doesn't worry enough....it's driving me crazy.

Click to expand...

I would confine - simply because it will make cleaning your environment that much easier. Otherwise, if the cat gets free reign of the house it will mean having to clean every room the cat goes into everyday. Here's a link to a post regarding how to clean (http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...14#post1192214)

As for your husband, I agree that he's not worrying enough. Ringworm is a pesky fungus which can take months to get rid of, and keep in mind that the spores can remain active in your environment for up to 2 years.