Ringworm

ick ick ick. I know it is really fungal, not a worm.

I know it is carried by one cat in five.

Do I REALLY have to isolate my newbie boy for two weeks in a cage????

THREE kinds of medication?????

Oh this is so DEPRESSING. Anyone coped with it, and how did you????

Ringworm is very contagious so yes you must isolate your boy. You also have to be careful you yourself don't get it.

So I hear ... but if one in five cats are carriers ... is it worth the fuss?

Three medications?

Sho caught it years ago when he would give me the slip and run outside to roll in the dirt.
He had it all over his back and sides, in little patches. I wasn't given a medicated shampoo, but I did wash him every couple days with his regular shampoo to help keep itching down.
Since he was younger then and it was on his sides, he got the 'old sock sweater' as I call it. It kept him from rubbing the affected areas on DH or I, or any of the furniture, helped keep him from scratching or licking at the spots too. Always wash your hands and change out of any clothing you were wearing after handling.

He only had one medication, ketoconazole pills. That and his immune system itself got rid of the ring worm in a couple weeks (after treatment started).

Is it possible just to keep your cat in one room, even a bathroom? A cage seems rather small for that long.

Edit: The fuss is that you don't want to end up having to wash and treat all your cats for it.

Three medications???? When I brought Nollee home she had ringworm on her ear, they (vets) gave me a liquid solution (oh the smell was horrid, it had sulfur in it and smelled of rotten eggs) I had to apply it once every 5 days for at least 4 weeks. Cleared it right up. Im sorry I cant remember what it was called (lime something....) Ringworm isnt as sick as it seems I have it right now (almost gone) Im hoping it isnt from one of the cats... Ive been looking them over, just to make sure, since it can be passed from me to them and vice versa.

Yeah the lime sulfur stuff.

She is recommending Itraconazole which costs an ARM AND A LEG. Custom compounded!!!

Where is the ringworm located on your kitty ? Nollee's ear was looking bad (looked burnt) and that took care of it all on its own. Of course more care/meds may be required in your situation???

Originally Posted by 4meezers3kids

She is recommending Itraconazole which costs an ARM AND A LEG. Custom compounded!!!

Click to expand...

The ketoconazole I was given only cost $8-$10. These were small white pills that the vet then divided into 4ths for dosing.

Umm .. the middle of his back. A hard-to-lick spot but he can reach it ...

I just wanna know why the range of response on this one.

Ketoconazole can cause liver toxicity ... but JEEZ!

The Vet says oral, topical a dip, and isolation for two weeks.

The rescue folks said to vacuum, clean hard srufaces with bleach water, and use athlete's foot cream.

And I think both have their points ... where in heck is the perspective on this?

Is it safe to use antifungal foot cream on pets? Im leary to that one, cuz if that was the case wouldnt most vets recommend we pic some up at the store? I know it works on humans (antifungal cream, takes forever but it works).

Clotrimazole is okay.

Bumping for more advice.

It would be very difficult for us to isolate him ... small house, the only solution would be a cage in our A/C garage. But stress causes ringworm outbreaks!

He has been all over our house and untreated for four weeks so we all have been royally exposed. The spores are in our carpet.

From various reliable sources, one in four cats is a carrier.

Do I really need to eradicate it ... and, CAN I?

Anyone got success stories to share? PLEASE?

My previous dog had a spot of ringworm on her back. I used peroxide to clean it daily and then applied human fungal cream twice a day, it was gone in a week. I also gave her a bath every couple of days and rinsed her well. We did not go to the vet because I knew what it was. I did not keep her isolated and my cat did not get it.

I think I also put on some Aloe Vera on her ringworm too.

If you really want a fast cure, get some Flowers of Sulfur and mix it with the human fungal cream and apply twice daily. Sulfur can be found at those small speciality pharmacy stores. Sulfur also kills warts if the wart is taped 24/7.

Anybody used MSM for it? PetsBestRx? It is a sulfur compound supposed to work like flowers of sulfur or lime sulfur. Sometimes called "white sulfur?"

Honestly, I would consult a vet - none of us here are vets and any advice you take and act upon is your responsibility. There are issues where taking the advice is not dangerous to your cat but administering medications or solutions should only be done with your vet's consultation and approval.

Yosemite, I know you are right. I wanted to see if anyone screamed, NO NO NO, STOP!

*giggles* Welcome to my world! I've treated Damita....4(well, 8 times if you really count) times in 1 1/2 years I've had her!

My advice: Treat them all with an oral medicine. It's just easier. Because about time you treat the one who is infected, someone else will pop up with it. And don't bother with "other stuff", just go with what the vet says. Trust me, 3 meds are necessary.

For ringworm questions, I do have VERY extensive experience with this subject. First off, it is very important to isolate the infected kitty. It might seem like a pian now, but I am telling you, in the long run, you will be thankful. I will give you a run down of my story. I adopted a kitten, Simon, April 1st, he was confined in our gest room for one week and then he was introduced to one of our other cats, Sophie. I then noticed he was losing some hair on his nose and side of his body and it was scaly. I took him to the vet and I was told he had ringworm. I then discovered Sophie had it too, she got it from Simon. Long story short, I am still currently treating them for ringworm and we are going into September. I have tried everything !! They are living in our master bathroom, confined, and are being bathed with an anti-fungal shampoo twice weekly and they are also being sulfer diped by us twice weekly. Their room gets cleaned weekly and linens also get washed weekly. You can use over the counter anti-fungal cream to treat the leisions. Keep in mind just becasue the leasions are gone, the ringowrm might not be. You need to have a clear fungal cluture before they are let back out of confinement.As icing on the cake, the dogs also got it from the cats and spread it everywhere in the house. As a percaution, (becasue I am not about to let Simon and Sophie out of the bathroom and risk a re infection), the carpet in the whole house is getting replaced this weekend. (It needed to be anyway, this is just another reson why). Ringworm is not a life or death issue, it is just an annoyance and it is VERY transferable from animal to animal and animal to human. You need to make sure it is eracticated out of your home or you will constantly be fighting it and possibly spreading it to anyone that might come to your house also.

Thanks, (I THINK) for all of your responses.

This is not gonna be fun, folks (see my screen name?). UGH. I am following my Vet's suggested protocol.

Ugh, the rescue I volunteer with has been battling ringworm for a month now. All the foster homes have it, and it seems every new litter we bring in from the pound has it. It has been a royal pain to get rid of. I would definitely isolate the new kitten and wash, wash wash after you touch him.