Damita has ringworm again/still!

Fifth time's a charm? Maybe it's the sixth time?

You know, it isn't even "OMG SHE HAS WHAT!?!?" anymore....it's

She glows, vet says it's ringworm. We've tried the following:
Fluconozole + Conofite
Ketoconazole + Conoftie
Fulvicin + Conofite
Lamisil

As none of the above worked, I think I might just try Conofite this time. Never know...it might for some miracle work! Considered baths....but yeah....not gonna happen. She flips every time she gets her montly bath she has to have because she's not so hot at bathing herself. I can't imagine doing them every 3 days for a month! Vet is out of treatment ideas.

I had hoped being on Prednisone....would affect her internal body balance & she wouldn't get it again. But alas, it is back with a vengance. Her ears are covered in ringworm scabs & no hair.

I wasn't going to post this, but thought....you never know someone might have a miracle cure for her!

Poor Damita and poor you! We usually use the Lamisil (drops, not spray) and when that didn't work, I let it run it's course. We've had ringwom in house so many times, 99% of the cats don't get it anymore when it comes in.

Good luck with it!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I had hoped being on Prednisone....would affect her internal body balance & she wouldn't get it again. But alas, it is back with a vengance. Her ears are covered in ringworm scabs & no hair.

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Prednisone acts as an immune suppressant, which would be why she keeps getting the ringworm (or not getting rid of it at all). You may try discussing that in more depth with your vet, surely there's a way to work out a successful treatment.
Maybe try searching for what they do with people that have skin infections/fungal infections and suppressed immune systems too, it might help find some suggestions to discuss with your vet.

Good luck getting this worked out, it certainly sounds like you have your hands full.

We've really had the most success with topical treatment. I got it myself and Malaseb worked like a charm! If baths are not possible and/or the hairloss is not extensive, we recommend rinsing the affected area(s) with Nolvason and then apply Conofite.

Good luck. It is a frustrating thing.

I should've clarified....Damita was getting ringworm(I think 4 times?) before we ever started the Pred. I can't take her off the Pred as her quality of life is 0.

I might look into the Lamisil drops. The funny thing, Chrissy, is that it's the same way here. PJ & Punky are the only ones who haven't gotten ringworm yet!

And her ringworm....is always only on her ears. Never an ear infection present or mites or anything. And it hasn't popped up anywhere else since the intial bout!

you know my thoughts.. I still think she has a underlying immune disorder, i will put back on the thinking cap...lol..

Originally Posted by sharky

you know my thoughts.. I still think she has a underlying immune disorder, i will put back on the thinking cap...lol..

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I know....my vet has no idea what else to test/treat her for. He doesn't have the knowledge to help her anymore & he's the best vet in the area.

I found Maseleb(sp?) spray on Amazon.com....will check with the vet to see if they have that or if not, I'll order it....but want to be sure they OK it to use!

Poor Damita, she doesn't need another bout of ringworm. Feel better soon, and good luck to you Natalie.

I know you can't take her off of it, and I wasn't suggesting that. What I meant is that you need to have a discussion with your vet because her immune system is not like a normal cat's, typical treatments and suggestions may not work for her at all.

As for it being auto immune, the fact that it responds to prednisone would certainly more than suggest that. Is it possible to look up all of her symptoms and see what sort of human illnesses match them? It might at least give some ideas as what to research for a possible cause. It's certainly better than just waiting for the vet to figure it out, especially if it seems the vet is out of ideas...

Poor Damita. Has the vet run a culture to see exactly which fungus is causing this? The culture takes about 10 days to get results but at this point and after this much time I would at least ask the vet about it.

Here are some feel good vibes for you and Damita.

Never ran a culture, I might have to do that.

I tried looking up human/feline/canine illnesses that could match her symptoms, but none fit one thing....and I never know which symptoms go with what, etc. The only thing I can conclusively peg is FeLV & she's been tested 3 or 4 times in 1 1/2 years....every time FeLV-. FIV- as well.

I want to test her for allergies, but am afraid of what it will cost.

She gets sick from oral meds, so we aren't going to bother with those. Gonna try Conofite cream & Masaleb(sp?) wipes.

Ringworm ....I can feel your pain. Sophie and Simon had it for about 5 months. We never did oral becasue they were kittens, just topical. Both are immune supressed also. We did give them baths with Malesab shampoo, but we also gave them lime sulfur dips. If Damita just has it on her ears, maybe get some Lime sulfur concentrate from your vet and after diluting, just apply it to her ears?? It stinks like heck, but I really think it is what made a difference. Also, def. get a fingal culture, you need to see what type of fungus you are dealing with. Sometimes woods lamps arn't 100% anyway, we found that out. Also, I found a really good anti fungal additive for laundy, etc. I can give you the link if you would like. I washed all our laundry with that. Good luck!!!

How long are you doing the treatments? It takes a minimum of 6 weeks of continuous treatment to get a cure, in the best circumstances. And it always looks worse for the first couple of weeks, before it looks better.

Prednisone increases the blood sugar, which makes for a nicer breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. It may increase the length of treatment.

For humans, ringworm on the scalp requires systemic treatment.
We were able to treat my son's dog with topical application three times a day for 6 weeks.

What are you doing to clean the house and bedding? While you may be curing it on Damita, she may be getting it again from the original source - re-infection.

Good luck.

House is vacumed, furniture covers washed every 3 days. Damita is going to be treated 2x a day for 6 weeks.

Good luck to you and Damita!!

Hopeing one of the vet techs will answer ... is there a immuno globlin test for cats???