Help: Need a Soothing Topical for Ringworm

Hello friends,

Poor Possum the kitten has a huge spot of ringworm on his nose, thanks to his sister Wendy. We have two kittens with ringworm, plus two older Persians who seem unaffected, so far. We're giving orals meds to everyone, and the females, who don't have the calicivirus that's been going strong for nearly a month in the males, are getting lime-sulfur dips. (And I clean a LOT.)

My problem is that the topical treatments, first Tresaderm and then miconazole, are irritating. Tresaderm didn't help after 2 weeks (as we waited for culture results on Wendy) and miconzole is turning Possum's formerly gray spot a dark, angry, red. Wendy's ears also look inflamed, although her ringworm spots look a little better, too.

Is there a soothing topical treatment I can try? Would golden seal work? Anything you've tried and have success with will be of tremendous interest to me.

Since my guys are too sick to go to the groomer for lime dip, do you know of any dry overall treatments that might be effective?

Many, many thanks!

Bunnelina / Lauren

I have used this brand of aloe without problems, but not with ringworm. http://www.aloelife.com/ezStore123/D...p?productID=16

It would seem that some kind of antibiotic ointment might help.

What did your vet recommend? Maybe they would tell you something over the counter that would help.

Originally Posted by Bunnelina

Hello friends,

Poor Possum the kitten has a huge spot of ringworm on his nose, thanks to his sister Wendy. We have two kittens with ringworm, plus two older Persians who seem unaffected, so far. We're giving orals meds to everyone, and the females, who don't have the calicivirus that's been going strong for nearly a month in the males, are getting lime-sulfur dips. (And I clean a LOT.)

My problem is that the topical treatments, first Tresaderm and then miconazole, are irritating. Tresaderm didn't help after 2 weeks (as we waited for culture results on Wendy) and miconzole is turning Possum's formerly gray spot a dark, angry, red. Wendy's ears also look inflamed, although her ringworm spots look a little better, too.

Is there a soothing topical treatment I can try? Would golden seal work? Anything you've tried and have success with will be of tremendous interest to me.

Since my guys are too sick to go to the groomer for lime dip, do you know of any dry overall treatments that might be effective?

Many, many thanks!

Bunnelina / Lauren

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Lauren,

Are there any holistic vets in your area that you could consult? The has to be something. Your vet should be giving you options here.

Thanks for your messages!

My vet said (via the receptionist) to dab lime sulfur dip on the spot. I've heard varying reports as to how "caustic" or "soothing" that is. I also can't figure out how to mix the stinky stuff in a reasonable quantity. I could mix 1/8 cup with a quart of water each time I need it (I don't think it keeps), but I'm just not feeling good about this.

The animal aloe product sounds like just the ticket, but I bet I can't get it around here fast. Thanks for the good idea, though; maybe I can get my vet to focus long enough to suggest something similar, or antibiotic cream. Possum has a very sore-looking nose and I think the ringworm is spreading, which breaks my heart. There never was a sweeter kitten face. And I'm afraid it will never be the same.

esrandall, here I am in Boston, one of the top medical areas, with a vet school and regional animal hospital — and the nearest holistic vets are all more than an hour away. It floors me. Such a long drive would seriously stress my older cats, and the vet I think I'd like is booked about two weeks in advance, according to her website.

I'm still hoping for more ideas; I am also trying to track down homepathic remedies I can buy locally, with no luck so far

OK, I just purchased "The Natural Cat" by Anitra Frazier and she suggests bathing the cat, soaping twice using 1 part dishwashing detergent and 8 parts water for first soaping. Then, for the second soaping use Betayne surgical scrub. Allow the 2nd soaping to remain on the cat for 5-10 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. While you're waiting, thorough clean the claws and cuticles. The spore will be concentrated in the dirt around the cuticles and can reinfect the cat whenever he scratches. You can finish with a rinse of one quart water and 18 drops of goldenseal extract.

When the cat is dry, paint each ringworm patch with golden seal extract in alcohol (Don't use alcohol-free extract.) Paint the ringworm once a day for five days and then every other day until you see fuzz growing back where the ringworm used to be.

This caught my interest because of the mentioning of golden seal extract.

esrandall!!!! I bought that very book TODAY! (Borders, 30% off coupon)

It's my third edition; I had the original, and one from 1990. I got my goldenseal idea from her. I'm considering talking to her about how to handle ringworm and calicivirus at once; she has a phone consultation service. I was planning to start going through the book after I got done researching my latest idea for Possum's nose, manuka honey. Heard of it?

It's supposed to have good healing and antifungal properties, and it shouldn't be painful, which is key. I'm going to Whole Foods tomorrow. If I can get the sore looking less angry, I can try very tiny dabs of miconazole again. It seems to be helping Wendy's spots while turning her ear very pink. I must have used too much, or it's too strong at 2 percent.

I think betadyne sounds reasonable, and they wouldn't smell like gunsmoke.

BUT: I know my vet would be very upset with me for wanting to deviate from her treatment plan; I'm very chicken about doing that. And I know Anitra would be upset with me for feeding my cats commercial food... I'm in trouble whatever I do. I'm spineless, and no wonder my cats are all sick.

Originally Posted by Bunnelina

BUT: I know my vet would be very upset with me for wanting to deviate from her treatment plan; I'm very chicken about doing that. And I know Anitra would be upset with me for feeding my cats commercial food... I'm in trouble whatever I do. I'm spineless, and no wonder my cats are all sick.

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You are funny! And my name is Elizabeth and you are NOT a spineless wonder!!!!!! You are doing the very best that you can for your babies, casting your net as wide as you can for the knowledge to make them well. Do you think that my vet would approve that I'm giving Whimsey Slippery Elm Bark for his IBD? But we are going on day 7 with no vomiting!!!!!

You and only you are the best judge as to what is the best course of action. So you keep searching and searching for the answer. AND YOU WILL FIND IT!!!

I found this when looking for something else. It might help you.

http://www.holisticat.com/ringworm.html

You might find this site helpful as well:

http://www.petcarenaturally.com/ask-...n/ringworm.php

Thank you, Elizabeth and Stephanie. I now need to decide whether to listen wholly to my vet, or strike off independently to try some of these alternative therapies as well. Unfortunately, my vet knows nothing about any of them, which makes it hard. I realize I rely on authority figures when it comes to my cats' health, because there's so much I don't know, especially about medication efficacy and interactions.

On the other hand, my cats are getting more little ringworm spots on their faces. I so want to help them, without hurting them. And I don't feel like we're currently doing our best for them with the potentially dangerous oral meds, the harsh topical cream, and the stinky dips. This treatment is rough on them all. My instinct is to call around some more, and see if there are any vets who incorporate holistic treatments into their medical practices. You'd think there'd be someone in this town!

Thanks to your help, I feel like I have enough information to discuss this semi-intelligently, at least. I'm hoping I find some answers today.

Lauren

Hi Bunnelina. The miconazole spray did the same thing to my Paw and Tinker Bell. I used it very sparingly on Tinker Bell. It's recommended to stop the miconazole if they have reactions to it. I wouldn't use the miconazole on your kitten's nose again. The spray seems to help areas that are not as sensitive, like I used it on a back lesion on my Joy and on my Almonds tail with no reaction although it left the hair greasy, yuck.

I took my Tinker Bell in to have a fungus culture and have her ears checked yesterday. No ear mites but they don't know what the brown patches are under her ears. They scraped that area on her and did a cytology. They found a bit higher then normal bacteria.

I asked for a safe anti fungal cream to use around her eyes & face to use on her in the mean time since I quit using miconazole just in case it is ringworm. They gave her clotrimazole. The vet said to make sure I rub it in all the way. The area under her ears was still irritated from the miconazole. Then they pinched that area very hard to squeeze out body fluids?? from the area to put onto a glass slab to look at under a microscope. On top of it they pulled out her hair from the same area for the fungus culture. It was very irritated. We put a dose of the clotrimazole on. She had one dose this morning. The irritation has cleared up already.

Hello Stormyskiez,

I have been wondering how you and your family are faring. I'm sorry Tinker Bell had such an uncomfortable time at the vet. Some vets are less gentle than others, and I shudder when we have no choice but to see one of them.

THANKS for the tip about clotrimazole. I was very unhappy putting miconzole on Possy's nose again this morning — and you just reminded me that I meant to ask my vet about clotrimazole! I did some research late last night and discovered that one good study showed that it is more effective against ringworm than topical miconazole. But I'd completely forgotten about this; I am sleep-deprived, I guess.

If you hadn't prompted me, I might not have remembered and might have kept torturing poor Possy's nose and Wendy's ears. My vet spoke to my husband last night and said that goldenseal was a bad idea and that manuka honey would probably just be messy and ineffective (I can't find the honey around here anyhow). If clotrimazole is gentle, that would be great. I've used it myself and had no problems with it.

No matter what, I will not use that miconazole again anywhere near their faces. THANK YOU!

Lauren

PS: My Health Guard arrived. I'm having trouble believing that just a teaspoon can treat a load of laundry or make a gallon of water an effective spray! I am going to trust it, though, and not use extra. My first load of laundry with it smelled sort of burnt. I'm not sure if it's from the Health Guard or if the lime-sulfur dip from my female cats (who were lying on the sheets) didn't rinse out too well, and spread over the rest of the laundry. Any thoughts?

Tinker Bell thanks you

The health guard has no odor. My guess is you are smelling the lime sulphur.

Did you have a chance to ask your vet about clotrimazole? I'm curious to what she has to say about it.

Sending good health vibes to our kittys

Tinker Bell and her family are lovely. You seem to have all the colors!

My vet wasn't in when I went to get Possum's latest antibiotic today. I'm not giving the kittens any topical tonight to give their skin a rest, and will call the tomorrow to ask whether to use clotrimazole once or twice daily, and let you know. I'm sure she'll say it's fine; it's in the Merck Veterinary Manual and on many vet info sites, as an "either/or" with miconazole for ringworm.

I did more laundry and everything smelled fine. In future I will separate the sheets covering the bed and furniture from the other stuff. Interesting to know that our high-efficiency washer can't handle the sulfur. And I did a long "Power Wash" in the hottest water with extra rinsing yesterday.

Vibes to all cats with ringworm, viruses, and other nasty bugs. And to their people, too:

Originally Posted by StormySkiez

Did you have a chance to ask your vet about clotrimazole? I'm curious to what she has to say about it.

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Yes, she says it should be fine to use it twice a day. Possum's ringworm lesion still looks dark and woundlike, but he didn't struggle when I applied clotrimazole like he struggled against the Tresaderm and miconazole. I'm hoping it's both mild and actually DOES something. Do you know how long it can take for a lesion to clear up???? We're missing photo opps galore here!

I'm supposed to mix up a small batch of lime sulfur this weekend and sponge it on the kittens' faces and ears. Heaven help us; I foresee disaster. But the groomer can't dip them until Friday so this is their interim treatment.

This was the worst lesion on my Tinker Bell. She had a lot of small lesions only around her head area. These pic's were after a fungus bath to everyone and applying best pets creme for close to 2 weeks and all the crazy cleaning in the house. No improvement at all in the 2 weeks, it only got worse. The lesions did not show any sign of improvement for at least a month and a half of oral meds and fungus baths bi weekly. Called the vet he said keep doing what I'm doing. I started using the miconazole spray after 2 months because the ringworm had not gone away completely yet. I made another call to the vet, I got someone else who suggested using topical miconazol along with the oral itraconazole and baths at this point.



On Gizmo his lesion grew to about the size of a tangerine on his nose. He also had the same size lesion on his chest and on his stomach. He got the other 2 lesions a few weeks after the start of the oral meds.



I don't know if you can see it but my Joy lost the hair above her upper lip first. She lost all the hair on the bottom of one foot and multiple other large lesions on her body. It was very hard to get pics because I was trying so hard not to spread the ringworm more. I sent the breeder these pics. She has no shame from what I can tell. She never showed any remorse or sympathy of any kind.



I really believe the lime sulphur combined with topical and oral meds will work much faster for you. I was so broke (I drive a school bus and was on summer break working PT) I could not buy a trio of meds all at once and was not advised to. My guess is you should start seeing the lesions heal within a week to 2 weeks.

I don't know what the lesion was on my Paws neck 10 days after his neuter but I treated as ringworm. The ketoconazole healed it in 6 days along with 2 fungus baths. He had 7 days of miconazole spray and fungus baths 2 times weekly prior and it only got worse by th 7th day.

Originally Posted by StormySkiez

This too shall pass

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Well, if YOU really believe that after all you've been through, I have no business being so depressed. Thank you for the star!

I just found Snicky's ringworm pill on the floor from early this morning. It went into her mouth in a pill pocket and my husband swears he watched her swallow.... the pill pocket but not the pill, obviously. If we can't get their meds into them or dip the ones who are sick, we won't be over this for AGES! If lesions start to clear in two weeks, I'll be thrilled. I'd be even more thrilled if the calicivirus would clear. Snalbert is still being force-fed and Possum has bad coughing/sneezing attacks.

Thanks for the photos and the details, so I know what to expect down the road. Our lesions differ from most of yours; dark spots, tiny scabs, but the spot on Possy's nose is like Gizmo's, only darker.

Are you using Sporanox or another type of itraconazole? My vet said, "It HAS to be Sporanox" when we first discussed it but didn't explain why a generic wouldn't be acceptable. If you'd like, I can ask about this when I check in with her.

I'd be less demoralized if our apt looked normal. I miss my carpets, cushions, and curtains. Having ratty old sheets on all the furniture and the bed is depressing. But I see the point of it. I took a break from cleaning today but I'll have twice as much tomorrow.

You're welcome. The gifts here on the forum are a great idea. Reading that phrase makes me feel better every time. I wanted to share it with you.

It's a chance but have you tried crushing the pill and mixing it into a spoon or two of wet food so you don't have to force the pills down. I add a bit of hot water to warm up the food and to thin it out a bit. My pets have been getting wet food since the start of this to aid in administering the meds. I continued to give them wet food after they were done with the meds to give them something to look forward to every morning. I started all of the pets on multi vitamins a month ago and I'm trying different oil for their coats. Mixing it in the wet food was working like a charm until I tried a cheaper cod oil. They liked the fish oil, hate the cod oil.....

From what I understood the itraconazole was the name brand, not a generic. I have never heard of Sporanox till now. My pets have been off the itraconazole since the middle of july. I used ketoconazole on three pets a little over a month ago for suspect ringworm. Sadly it seems other skin issues arose after this ordeal. I'm Trying different things to combat it.

In my pictures you can not see the raw skin or scabs. The pictures don't show truly what the ringworm looked like. It's so odd how different the ringworm can look on different ppl and animals. It does not look the same. My daughter had the typical looking dried rings. Mine looked like chicken pox. My husbands looked like a full red, dime sized circle. Everyone but me caught a couple of spots. I had 10 or more over a 2 month period. I think because I was so stressed. Lord knows it wasn't from lack of treatment, cleaning or isolation. It pays to not stress.

I feel the same way you do. I want my life back to how it used to be. I still clean like crazy and have the sheets on the couches. Throw rugs and toys put away. I still use precautions when handling the pets and touch them as little as possible. I can't have the grandkids over yet! As I can afford it I'm taking all the pets in slowly to get the fungus cultures done.

Remember having you couches covered and the extras put away makes things easier to keep clean! Don't give up. Lol, I have been looking for a vent group in my area, no luck! Perhaps we can continue to vent together.

Do you have a facebook or myspace? I'd like to add you as a friend. "Kim Lamb" is my FB "StormySkiez" is my myspace.

Originally Posted by Bunnelina

I'm supposed to mix up a small batch of lime sulfur this weekend and sponge it on the kittens' faces and ears. Heaven help us; I foresee disaster. But the groomer can't dip them until Friday so this is their interim treatment.

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How did this go? Have you seen improvement using the clotrimazole?

Hi,

Thanks for your message. Snicky doesn't like to eat food. We're already putting lysine and potassium in her wet food and all she does is lick the juice. I personally got that pill into her today. She gets a two other pills daily as it is, using a shooter. I used half a pill pocket and made sure she ate a few bites afterward. We can't get three of our cats to eat anything reliably, so just feeding them can be a complicated routine.

I crushed a bunch of lysine tablets and mix either 1/8 or 1/16 tsp into their food, depending on their size. They prefer it to the expensive gel, so thanks for that tip!

I chickened out on the lime sulfur; I'll ask my husband to help me do it tomorrow. Today I asked him to clean some out-of-reach spots for me, so one request at a time. (He wants to help but is busy with his jobs and writing a book).

I'm at the point where I'm surprised to find cat hair. With four longhaired cats, that's pretty amazing, considering I was never a zealous housekeeper. I can't really clean fireplaces, or get behind the tall bookcases, etc. But I do my best. I even soaked and rinsed a bowlful of pinecones! I'm probably the only person in America who's done that.

The clotrimazole isn't working wonders yet but Possum's spot seems less evil; I'd say it's less dark and raw. Wendy still has spots on her ears but I want to believe they look a little fainter, too. This cream does seem less irritating.

I'm almost afraid to say this, but I think the boys with the virus are doing a little better today. Snalbert has eaten food in a bowl (!!!) and is walking around howling hoarsely, which means he's more like his chatty old self, not silently hiding. And it's been more than a day since I heard little Possum have a scary coughing or sneezing fit. On the other hand, I escaped for five hours so I can't say for sure.

I can't have any visitors, either, and you're welcome to vent to me all you want!

What a terribly tough event you two are going through. I had no idea ringworm was so difficult to deal with.

Kinda sounds like when my daughter was young and sent home from school with head lice. She has, and had, hair all the way down to her backside. We tried everything, for weeks, cleaning sheets, bedclothes, curtains, threw away all but her most beloved stuffed animals (and mine, too, for that matter), etc., etc., but could NOT get the situation under control....

Until we found out one of her best friends also had lice but who's mother was not taking the necessary steps to eradicate it.

So Kim lost her friend, and the lice... but, thankfully, kept her hair.

Not that that in any way compares to having to treat poor little kitties who have no idea why you're dipping, scrubbing and rubbing all these nasty chemicals onto and into them. My heart goes out to both of you.

Stay strong, ladies!!!