6 Things I Learned from Our Ringworm Plague (book length....)

i need some kind  the time. Over the weekend I spent almost 16 hours scrubbing my 10 room home again. We cleaned all the carpet and upholstery and used Health guard as a pre-spray. Rosie began treatment 6 weeks ago this coming Tuesday.

Tomorrow is her culture. Vet called and the lab will do PCR so I can get the results in 3 days.The vet told me she had never known this was available so I am glad I brought it up. As I have said I was going to let her have more freedom once all the final big work was done. I just used my black light and her spots still glow. I have been sobbing and am not going to let her roam.EVERYTHING I have read says that after 4 weeks, 4 baths and oral meds she should no longer be contagious.She has had 6 baths and 1 dip, 3 weeks of oral meds, miconalzole topically and yesterday I dabbed her spots with lime/sulfur dip.

I am crushed. I am still going to the vet tomorrow in case I am using the light wrong. Rosie is also shaking her head and when I touch her right ear she cries so maybe something is going on there too.

 I am so tired and this week I have no help here to dip her again.She is depressed and has little interest in anything but hiding.I have changed her bedding every day, done a deep cleaning in her room everyday and now I feel like I can't do another thing.Say a little prayer/keep a good thought for us because I find it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel .Thanks.

I am glad I didn't have a Wood's Lamp or I would have been suffering as much as you are during our ringworm plague. (I suffered plenty as we also had one or two more life-threatening cat illnesses to treat...but I missed that particular glowing green torture),  It might be a good idea to stop using it, Maureen. It's not helping you and it might not be telling the truth.. It's cultures that determine whether the cat is cured, not the lamp. Not all ringworm fluoresces, I've read, just a little more than half of it. And other things can glow in the lamp besides ringworm. 

Ringworm cannot be diagnosed by simply looking at a lesion, but at least one of several testing methods must be used. One method is through the use of a specialized black light called a Wood's lamp. Several species of the ringworm fungus will glow a fluorescent color when exposed to a Wood's lamp. However, it is estimated that up to half of the most common species of M. canis  do not fluoresce under a Wood's lamp, and T. mentagrophytes  does not fluoresce. Other substances may fluoresce and cause a false positive reading. In addition, a healthy animal may have spores on his coat but may not have an active infection. So, this is not the most accurate method.

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I'm very sorry you are going through all this, and I'm sure you are beyond exhausted from all that cleaning. I hope the vet can give you some advice and support on that front so you can relax a little. It sounds like you are doing everything right. I hope that culture is negative.

My main concern is Rosie. You need to make her happier, and YOU happier. Spend time with her. Play with her, talk to her, pet her and give her lots of treats. She doesn't know what's going on and thinks her whole life is going to be the way it is now. She needs companionship. She really needs your love. If she constantly sees you only for meds and dips and cleaning, no wonder she's depressed. Depressed cats have depressed immune systems. She needs to perk up.

Please try to remember that while ringworm is a disgusting nuisance, it is not fatal. Often cats clear it on their own, in time. (Not that any of us want to sit around and let that happen since it can spread around in the meantime.) It is essentially the feline equivalent of athlete's foot, a fungus that is unpleasant but nothing more serious. There are people on this site that are coping with dying cats and kittens who have panleukopenia, FIP, or other deadly viruses. They REALLY have it bad. Ringworm is just a fungus. It's gross but it will go away. And once it does, life goes right back to normal. I hope you're almost there!

Hang in there and keep us posted on that culture. In the meantime, put that lamp away and go watch a movie or take a nap, please.

Bunnelina- I am sorry it took so long to reply. I broke a finger on Monday and it is hard to type. GOOD news- Rosie's culture was negative!!!!!! Happy dancing over at my house. My vet said that what I  thought was glowing under the black light was just a little staining from the dip.Everyone of us who has been through this knows the relief I feel.

Bunnelina- I want you to know that I spent time with Rosie in that room. I was in and out all day because I work from home. I also spent 7-9 pm with her every night . I played with Desmond and Milo from 9-10 pm and then back with Rosie from 10-11pm.I just still feel she was getting depressed and basically I have just been over stressed.

I did give her a dip this week and she will get another next week pending the 2nd culture. I have extra Sporanox ( vet says she gives extra incase of spills etc.) I think I will give her one more week of it.

I am opening the door to her room and giving her access to 1/2 of the house while the boys are in the other half. The plan is that when she is settled and comfortable with the house then I will begin intro's with the other cats.So far she isn't comfortable enough to come down the stairs but she enjoys resting at the top on the landing and likes to meow at the room next door to get my son to come out and pet her. I will be patient.Thank goodness she can come out, we are in the 90's again and that room is to hot.- I am also keeping up with the cleaning

I have to tell you all what happened after leaving the vet on Monday.I had just walked out the door with Rosie in my old plastic carrier ( I have a lux carrier but didn't want to have to disinfect it) Rosie suddenly began throwing herself around in the carrier ( she was stressed) and I dropped it. It broke apart and she ran like hell. We were in a shopping mall at a busy intersection. I could not catch her. The entire staff of the clinic came out to help. They brought blankets, carriers and laundry baskets. Some of them stood at entrances asking people to drive slowly. My vet said Rosie was under a large truck, none of us could see her.I slid underneath and after several minutes someone opened the hood but she wasn't in the truck  engine area.I was about to climb out , devastated, certain I would never see her again when, I felt a large box that was mounted beneath the truck move.I looked up in this small corner I saw a little of her gray fur. Long story short it took effort but we got her out. In the process my arm got stuck and I dislocated my elbow, broke a finger and lacerated my arm. Road burn on my face etc. I am fine, nothing a few butterfly bandaids didn't help. I can't tell you how grateful I am to the vet staff. 13 of them spent at least 45 minutes helping me. If they had not she would have either been gone or run into the traffic.

Oh my, I am also grateful to you Bunnelina and you Rosie T for the support, advice and encouragement.I honestly would have lost my mind without you.I will let you all know what the 2nd culture results are.

Bunnelina- Hope your move has ended and you can relax. I look forward to the day when I don't have to vacuum every day . My house was not meant to be so clean.

What a story! I'm so glad you got her back AND have a negative culture. I hope you heal quickly from all your injuries, which came on top of so much stress. I wish you a very boring next few weeks with less cleaning and more time to rest and enjoy your cats and your old life. I'm very glad if I was helpful but, honestly, from here I can tell that you are full of courage, strength and wisdom and you have been heroic all around. If you don't believe me, look at your arm! 

As for us, we are now hoping not to move after all. We decided that we made a mistake in buying the new place and are hoping to sell it and not lose a fortune in the process. If it doesn't sell, we will have live there and sell our current place, which will be very hard. This has been a very strange and confusing situation, and all of our own doing, so the stress has been like nothing I've felt before. I am even nostalgic for the ringworm days... at least it wasn't our fault and I always knew exactly what needed to be done next! I am trying to be optimistic and hope someone will make an offer soon. Please keep your fingers crossed! I can't wait for my life to be boring again....

Hi Maureen! Soooo happy to hear about the negative culture!!!! Yay!!! The end is near!!! What a story though about almost loosing her and your injuries! I am so happy you and her are ok. Yes totally take some time off lay on your couch and do nothing! You deserve it !!!

Bunnelina- I can empathize with situation. We once bought a house. Competition in buying homes  is huge in San Jose so, we bought what we thought was a sensible home. A few days later I was driving around, simply because I was stressed . I happened to see a man just having a 'For sale' sign put up in front of his home. I pulled over, certain we could not afford that house. It is a Cape Cod, which is my dream home.It was within 5 K of our top budget. I was just so lucky that we were able to pull out of the first house without penalty.

You live in MA? My sister lives there and she feels the market is good.I will cross my good finger for you. Thanks again. Just one more culture and I will relax. For whatever reason just this morning I have 4 spots of RW myself. Ugh.

 Rosie T-I am taking it easier. I will keep up with the cleaning but for now just maintenance. There is a walk-in closet in Rosie's room which I will have to get to but not this week. Thank you for your encouragement. This ringworm is a long haul. I barely remember anything from the last 6 weeks except for cleaning.

Thank you, Maureen! Your words and that crossed finger mean a lot to me. I agree with RosieT that couch time is in order. The very stressful situation you just went through and your injuries on top of being exhausted have to be taking a toll on you, even if you feel okay. Have a good long rest and I hope you heal in all ways fast! 

Thank you Bunnelina- I am at this moment enjoying couch time. Rosie is here with me in the family room. When  I first adopted her I called her the 'Walmart Greeter' of cats. I had predicted that she would be the kind of cat that lays right at the front door to say hi to everyone as they come in. That is exactly her favorite spot. It took 3 nights for her to come downstairs. I finally figured out that she had never dealt with stairs before so, I carried her down. Within an hour she was running up and down the stairs loving life. Hurray!

I wanted to tell everyone that my vet called , she had never heard of the PCR culturing until I mentioned it ( thank you Rosie T) she spoke with the lab today and they told her that that PCR is so sensitive that there is no need for a second culture. The culture I had run on Desmond is also negative. We are going to do 2 more rounds of sporanox ( 7 days on and 7 days off) to be on the safe side. I feel as confident as I can that she will not be re-infected in our home. I still have multiple spots but will keep them covered.

If anyone comes across this in the future when it is time to start cultures ask your vet for PCR , what a relief to get results in 3 days as opposed to 21.It is a little more expensive ( $79) but if you do it it is a great thing.

Other than that take advice from Bunnelina and others that have posted here and read what Dr. Moriella has on line.Whew- Good luck Bunnelina!

Hi Everyone,

8 years ago I dealt with ringworm in my kitten, Martini. I never saw any spots on her, but I got it. When we took her to the vet they were able to confirm it with black light and culture. Looking back I was lucky because I had just moved into a small apartment... much easier to clean! It was a really difficult, long process and I was grateful when it was over. We added another kitty Midori to the mix a year later and ringworm was a distant memory.

Or so I thought. Midori passed away suddenly back in January at the age of 6. In June we added a new kitty, Merlot, to the mix. Turns out, Merlot came with fleas.  When the vet tech saw my panicked face she told me "you've gotten through ringworm.... ringworm is WAY worse". She was right, i was able to get rid of the fleas fast and fairly easy. In September, Merlot went for his neuter. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed a bald, crusty spot on his ear. I brought him to the vet and my worst fears were confirmed Tuesday. Ringworm. Again. Martini also now has a spot on her ear.

So here I am again.. 8 years later.. googling ringworm advice and tips again. Both kitties went to the vet for their dips yesterday. I'm not in a position to do it at home, Martini needed to be sedated for it to be done. After I went and got some miconazale cream to put on their spots. I have cleaned 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom for them (they can't be together right now, Martini is way too moody for that). I'm slowly cleaning the rest of the house (i'm also fighting off a bad cold.. my sick day from work turned into a laundry & cleaning day). It's much harder to clean a big, very lived in home compared to the small barely lived in apartment i had to clean last time.

My vet said the kitties don't have to get dipped again for 2 weeks. Is this normal? It's been a while since i've been through this, but last time Martini was shaved and dipped once a week. I never used any cream on Martini... but she also didn't have any visible spots.

I'm just concerned that maybe I'm not doing enough? I know it takes a while to go away, but I just don't want it to go on any longer than it needs to. I read on this thread about pills? Should i ask the vet for them?

Hi there,

Very sorry to hear that lightning struck twice for you. No good deed goes unpunished, but it sounds like you got Merlot from a rescue or shelter, so you saved a life (perhaps by making room for them to save one more) so your good deed was in fact a great one. So take heart.

I hope you are over this bout of ringworm quickly. You've come to a good place for support and information. There are other people here dealing with it, and some "survivors," too, and we are pleased to help, advise, encourage, and sympathize.

If you haven't found them already via this thread, I'd suggest you read two overview articles about ringworm posted here on The Catsite. I helped with their content and they are pretty factual and comprehensive. Here's the first one: 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/ringworm-in-cats

In that article is a link to a second article about housecleaning, since that is a huge part of the ringworm treatment... as you know. A good vacuum with a HEPA filter will help you a lot. There's a lot more info in there. I know you've been through this before and I'm sorry to say there are very few shortcuts to housecleaning. But at least we can help you better than a lot of the standard old vet recommendations, which assume you live in some sort of kennel and tell you to bleach your entire house. (We're more like: "Vacuum your entire house. A lot! Ringworm floats around like dust mites, so it's easier to try to trap it, not kill it.) You don't need to go crazy with bleach solutions or other toxic chemicals unless you just can't help yourself (some of us can't).

Two or three things occurred to me as I read your message:

1. Are your cats getting lime-sulfur dips or something else? Lime-sulfur works, disgusting as it is. Not everything else does. It also makes cats a lot less contagious. If both of your cats just have tiny spots on their ears, it might be why your vet is telling you that you don't need more frequent dipping. You can also spot treat the ears/heads/paws (hot spots) at home by mixing up a small amount of solution and keeping it in a jar. I found that some of the other topical creams and lotions were too harsh for my cats' skin so watch out for rawness or irritation when using those.

2. Oral meds? You didn't mention them. They are very important in treating ringworm. If your vet didn't prescribe any, I'd suggest you google Dr. Karen Moriello's ringworm treatment and print out her recommendations for your vet. Do this soon if you didn't get oral meds. The two drugs she recommends are terbinafine and Sporanox; the latter is often considered safer for little kittens since you can give it in liquid form whereas terbinafine is better for larger, heavier cats. I'm not sure if Merlot is a kitten or a cat. (Do not use griseofulvin as it is known to be toxic while the other drugs are safer; if your vet uses it, it's a sign that he/she is out of date on ringworm, and you might be safer with a new one.)

3. Cultures. The gold standard for knowing when your cats are negative for ringworm. Read some of the earlier posts here on the last few pages to learn about a new kind of culture that doesn't take three or more WEEKS but more like three days. 

Best of luck to you! And please keep us posted on how things are going. Hang in there!

bunnelina

The kitties are now on itraconazole, day 4. They go for another dip tomorrow. At what point can I let them out of seclusion? (They're both in separate bedrooms). Do I have to wait for them to be completely healed first?

My vet told me our cats would be much less contagious after a couple of dips and one two-week round of Sporanox.  But then we never isolated our four cats in our small apartment. It was impossible. Only the two kittens got iy, while the elderly Persians, who were supposed to be very susceptible due to their fragility, age, and breed, never did.

Did you ask your vet?  If the situation is very difficult and is really stressing out you or the cats, I say, imho, it is not worth it. Ringworm is not a virus, it's an airborne fungus. It travels around the atmosphere like pollen.

Hang in there!

I haven't asked the vet yet. I was thinking after they stop smelling from this dip I might let them out. I just can't do it anymore. I'll have to reintroduce them slowly, martini is still NOT happy I got a kitten.

My male cats were never very hostile to new kittens. They are all playmates to some degree. My feral calico, on the other hand, hated all four kittens who arrived here after her. But she slowly got over it after a few days of careful intros. She now accepts them... but still thinks I am Evil Mommy. If both your cats like YOU you're doing better than I am!

Luckily, they both LOVE me. My other female passed in January very suddenly at the age of 6. Martini (8 yr old female) didn't really care for her & was perfectly content being alone. For selfish reasons I wanted another kitty. Martini hates my male kitten more than she ever hated the other female. Shes been loving the time alone these past few weeks. They were making some progress before this, so hopefully soon they'll be able to coexist!

Females often don't bond well. That's why we have one female and four males. She'll probably do a lot better with him since he's not "competition" and much smaller and younger. Just be sure to lavish her with attention while not ignoring him.

I'v been reading this tread for so long to get all the great info my eyes hurt. My question is I'm in central California and I noticed a lot of you are in others states. I all been every where and called a lot of places as well looking for the lime sulfur dip and I can't find it an where? When I went to the vet's office they looked at me like I was nuts. Is it because of where I live is it something that California has band? I'm freaky out! I know the fungus its self is not life  threating but I am worried if I don't get this taken care of my older cat and the one with health problems will have devastating effects from the oral medications. Also I noticed that (and maybe its because of where I live) a lot of you spoke of culters and the cost of them in the states where you live is so different then here. The vet office I took the 1 kitten to quoted think it was $138.00 just for the test. It just seems that around here or vets have no compassion for those facing something like this. Im so frustreted had they been willing to work with me in the 1st place so I could have oraly medicated all of them it might not have gotten so bad. But they refused they wanted every animal (4 rescue kittens, 1dog and my 4 fur babies) to be seen in the office, office visit + coulter + meds, times 9 and then they wanting to do this every couple weeks. There is no way I could afford this. Some one had mentioned cvs or a rx card that is was very cost effective but you still had to have the rx from the Vet to take to fill there correct? Even then they still are going to want to see all the animals in there office. And all of this because I was trying to be a good person and help this orphaned babies.  

    

Hi there. Just google "lime sulfur dip for cats" and you'll find it at many places including Amazon.

You really do need a prescription to get terbinafine. It is a powerful, potentially dangerous drug so vets want to make sure the cat needs it before prescribing it.

Hang in there... I hope you get some help from your community. Just keep asking and someone will listen.

Hi Maureen, I wanted to check in and see how your household is doing since your last post in regards to the RW? I was wondering if I might have the name and # to your vet? Are they located in San Jose as well? I'm in the Central Valley but would not mind the drive my husband works in the bay and our Dentist is in Berkley. From reading your posts it sounds like there office is pretty up to date on RW. Also I was wondering did you purchase the Health Guard on Amazon or some where locally? Where you happy with it? I have been using the bleach ratio for cleaning and adding it (full strength) to all the laundry but in turn ruined pretty much all our clothes.