New kitten. Ringworm? Mange?

delilah2

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A friend of mine found an adorable 10 week old kitten a few weeks ago, and I ended up adopting her. She had her first vet visit, got her vaccines, she was dewormed, etc. The vet says she's about 10 weeks old and she weighs around 3 pounds. The vet commented that her nose was somewhat dirty, which is true. I thought it was just leftovers from being outside. and I didn't want to traumatize her too much cleaning it,s o I thought I'd just let it go. I cleaned the rest of her, this is just right on the tip of her nose. Anyway, after the vet appointment, I got a q-tip, diluted some baby shampoo in a lot of water and just tried to clean her nose. Her fur came off where I tried to clean it, which freaked me out. Over the next couple days, it progressed to where it is now just below her eyes. So, she has a patch of just... no fur below her eyes on her nose all the way to the tip. The edges still look a little "dirty". I put revolution on her (selamectin) which the vet gave us, thinking originally it was mange. Then, reading more on the internet, became convinced it was ringworm. I took her into the vet anyway to get to the bottom of it. The vet put her under a black light, and it didn't glow so he said "well, it's not ringoworm, so it has to be an infection". Unfortunately, I had to work so I had a friend take her in, so I wasn't there to say anything, but it is my understanding that not all ringworm will glow under a blacklight, and as it stands, I"ve seen nothing to indicate it's a bacterial infection. He gave me some Panalog/Animax creme to put on her nose twice a day. I'm freaked outl. I don't know if I should get a new vet or what. I feel so bad for her. It's not itching her at all or anything, she doesn't seem bothered at all,a nd she's active and happy, she's just losing the fur on her nose. Sorry this is so long, I'm just confused and upset and don't know how else to proceed.

Thanks to everyone who reads this.
 

simkie

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Ringworm does not ALWAYS glow under blacklight. I had ringworm several years ago that did not glow.

As long as the vet listened to her lungs and ruled out a respiratory infection, I'd give the panalog a try first. If you don't see an improvement in a week, go back to the vet and ask for an antifungal. If the vet didn't listen to her lungs, I'd take her back and make sure she doesn't have a URI.
 

jack31

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I can't really help. But wanted to say bless you for taking this kitten in. It can be a harder road than your average shelter cat--who usually comes to you spayed/neutered and with some shots.

Take lots of pictures they grow up way to fast!

Leslie
 
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delilah2

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Well... it seems, for the most part, the process of adopting a cat is a lot different from a dog (in a lot of cases). Cats seem to choose you. I know very few people who have cats because they sought one out. With dogs, people almost always go searching for one, look at the specific breed, or go to a shelter etc. I know that does happen with cats, but it seems like a lot of the time, the cats just find you somehow. This one is a little sweetie. She is affectionate, not scared of people, not a huge troublemaker (yet) and she's just adorable. We had called a few shelters, and the ones we called said they were full so she would most likely be humanely euthanized, which I couldn't let happen. I'm glad I have her. She'll be spoiled rotten and taken good care of, that's for sure. But the way I look at it, when you take an animal in, you're 100% responsible for their health and nutrition, so you've committed to do everything within your means to make sure the cat is healthy and taken care of. I just worry about her! She had a rough start.
 

white cat lover

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I'd find another vet to take a look at her. You are correct that not all ringworm glows under a blacklight.
 

momofmany

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My vet always claimed that only about 50% of ringworm cases actually glows under a blacklight. When it does, you know they have it. If it doesn't, you don't know that they don't. Good advice already given.
 
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