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

The cats are back into the house.  All furniture is covered, throws are being washed daily.  I am vacuuming everything DAILY.   We haven't touched the Q-room yet.  I'm not doing it by myself, daughter works, so perhaps this Saturday we will go at it and scrub every inch of it, let it dry good, spray bleach, air it out (hoping for a sunny breezy day...in Michigan) and then the chore of moving her stuff back in.  Everything wiped down and vacuumed beforehand.  I better rest up.

DD got a spot over a month ago, got oral meds and cream to put on it, which she did.  Yesterday she starts itching in the same area, looks down and now she has two spots.  Called the doctor for more meds.  Doggone this stuff is resistant. 

Yes we are paranoid as all 'get out'.  I keep telling myself that we are on the downside of this journey.  Hoping and praying that Eli's culture comes back negative.   Yesterday I gave the trio their baths.  I've got it down to a science now (who would of thunk THAT?) and I noticed a spot above Eli's eye when he was wet.  I about SCREAMED.  Talk about going down into a horrible hole....but my daughter came home and said NO MOM, THAT IS A FRECKLE THAT HE HAS ALWAYS HAD.   I had never noticed the freckle but she has assured me that the is what it is. 

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I still cannot believe how much laundry and cleaning I did. It is so overwhelming. I still have not replaced most of the stuff I threw out but I have no regrets about having thrown it all out. I was paraoid about the dog getting it, work 12 hours a day and was up against this alone while the rest of my life was coming unhinged. not having to deal with the rugs and curtains and couch and chairs, etc was a relief. I really hope you are on the downswing now.

I saw pictures of Gilligan yesterday on the Happy Tails section of the website of the rescue I returned him to. He looks so beautiful, gorgeous fur and healthy. I hope he has a long and wonderful life with his forever family.

Why do you write that we should NOT get the generic Sporanox? Can you share a link to any website that shows proof that the brand name is more effective? The animal pharmacy Road Runner online compounds the Itraconazole oral solution at their facility and supplies countless vet clinics. They only carry the generic Itraconazole to do this and it is $54 per 150 ml bottle versus $350 for the Brand name Sporanox,  same amount I have been quoted from other pharmacies online. My vet says the generic is fine as well...so I am very interested in your source of proof on Brand name being more effective. Thank you for taking the time to put together a wonderful list of helpful "to do's" weapons in this war against ringworm. And it is war... me against the spores. They must all be eradicated!

I had read to not give generic itraconazole somewhere too, but my compounding pharmacy assured me the generic is fine and I didn't need the name brand. So when I switched from grseofulvin I went to generic intraconazole. I have heard that Sporonox is cherry flavored, also, and that cats don't like it. The compounding pharmacy mixed the generic into an oil based solution for maximum absorbtion, which was great, AND they could make it chicken or fish flavored. If (shudder) I ever end up in this mess again (which is unlikely since I will probably never own another pet because of this) I will immediately use the generic intraconazole.

I also want to add that I did very little vacuuming. I threw out all my rugs and have nothing but hardwood and tile. I swiffered like a maniac. I have a crappy vacuum and didn't like the idea of having to dispose of the vacuum bag every day so I didn't. Also wasn't keen on the idea of disinfecting the vacuum itself after every use, the hoses, and tubes and stuff. The swiffer does a great job picking up pet hair, at least. I vacuumed one day and then swiffered after and was horrified to see hair on the swiffer still. I also read that certain household cleaners, like Clorox Cleanup, will also kill ringworm if allowed to sit For 10 min like the bleach. I used a lot of that too. The fumes bothered me less than those from bleach. My skin is allergic to bleach and the smell gives me migraines so I had to wash everything bleach able twice - once in bleach and then once to get rid of the bleach residue. Such fun. Hoping to tackle the quarantine room this weekend. Going to repaint the room anyway so I'm going to scrub the walls with chlorox cleanup, hopefully there are minimal spores left in there after all the swiffering I did.

Yesterday we did the Q-room aka daughters bedroom.  Walls washed, ceiling, ceiling fan, closet, top to bottom of her room with pinesol & wee bit of Dawn.  Then a total rinse all over with clear water.  Lastly did the floor which is wood, then all misted with bleach water.  Closed the door and let it dry for 30 minutes..   My DD did the bleach misting because I'm pretty sure I am allergic to all these cleaning fumes.  Chronic sore throat and cough for the last two weeks.  I just cannot do anymore. 

We moved everything back into her room after it was cleaned first.  What a chore.  I had to laugh because the rescue that I volunteer at sent me a txt wanting to know if I could foster a small dog.  I said it wouldn't be advisable since we are not totally sure we are RW free yet.  If it is still lurking here in my home, I'd be real surprised.  But you just never know.  I don't know if I will ever feel comfortable.

I get you about the vacuuming.   I didn't use it upstairs because it is wood flooring.  Now our family room and lower level are carpet.  Scares me.

I frankly have not felt comfortable in this house since this whole thing started. I remain petrified that somehow I didn't clean enough and the dog will get it. I truly worry that I will never be comfortable in my own home again. I can't imagine ever owning another cat after my beloved Clara goes. I won't even take the dog to Petco anymore because I'm afraid she'll bump into a dog with it and bring it home. I realize these are not completely rational thoughts and maybe the fear and dread will fade with time. Maybe it feels so overwhelming because of all that was happeningwith my father and friend and that back muscle infection I got while trying to cope withthe ringworm. I don't know, probably never will. I just know the last 6 mos of my life were by far the worst 6 mos of my life. I can't do it again. I never knew about ringworm before this and now it scares me more than the plague. I hope all remains happy and healthy in your home. Bless you for fostering. Such a hard job. Let's hope it's all over for you as well and none of us ever has to go through this again.

I feel compelled to weigh in on the ringworm (epidemic) and to also thank NikoOkamoto for her post #29 where she asked if anyone had tried chlorine dioxide and added this link: http://www.jkatinc.com/.

Before I continue I feel 90% certain that this product not only worked, but worked extremely effectively, but MOST importantly how fast it worked.

Now, for a little background.  We have two beautiful indoor only oriental short hair cats that are 4 and 5 years old respectfully and live in FL where we moved from MA late last year.  We also were in the midst of having a new 10 week old oriental s.h. join us in this past march when we initially saw the breakout that was quickly diagnosed as ringworm.  Every breed will have different cautions as to how to treat them for certain things, conditions, etc... For instance, in general OSH's do not fare well with normal doses of medications, specifically any anesthesias.  Many have allergic reactions to shell fish.  And with this particular breed they can be bouncing around one minute and quickly spiral to a monitored situation in a very brief period if coming down with a sickness.  They have been very good health-wise over the years but we have had a situation or two where we have become highly educated on their vet treatment, etc... as a result.  The cats do not go outside and are strictly indoor.  About a week prior to the new family member was to join us we noticed a rough patch about the size of a quarter embedded in the oldest cat.  Soon there after we saw patches creep on the other cats ears.

Now that being said from my experience and what we witnessed with the first two cats and then on the new kitten I can attest that from not only from each cat household experience that you all are sharing, the experience from one cat to the next can vary DRASTICALLY.  The only way that I could make the analogy would be to have a very similar what may seem innocuous disease in humans and have one person's experience be an extreme.  For instance, most are familiar with chicken pox and in humans it typically will strike quickly, swiftly, go away only to be remembered as a part of childhood.  BUT in other rare circumstances it can cause hospitalizations and can be quite serious.  

Many people here are confronting ringworm from the nuisance stand point.  A spot here or there that needs to be attacked in order to make disappear.  This was true with two of our cats as well.  HOWEVER, the four year old had such a horrible case that it actually completely took over both of his ears.  The were inflamed, scaly, and resembled burn wounds.  They were hot, seemed cause a fever and burdened what was a normal playful cat to relegating him to being in a 24 hour state of extreme discomfort, with emphasis on extreme.

We tried everything: sulphur baths, every combination of OTC foot (or other) creams available.  As a last resort after much deliberation and consideration we chose to get Lamisil oral pills.  We would strongly encourage you to do your own research on this and ABSOLUTELY do not just take your vet's word for it.  From our standpoint we would not even consider using Fluconazole, Itraconazole, Griseofulvin, or Clotrimazole.

Now it is hard to say as we really were dealing with an extreme condition and were willing to do whatever it took to help our little guy with his suffering.  Yes- he was in constant state of suffering as a result of a ringworm infection.  Not just a blemish we were trying to eradicate. His daily activities were altered 100% and we had to do what we could to fix it.  We ordered the Lamisil oral pills.  He was to take 125mg daily for 14 days, take 7 days off, and then resume for 7 days.

This is where it gets interesting.  I saw NikoOkamoto's post for Jkat (see above ) right after we ordered the Lamisil.  We started the Lamisil regimen on a Saturday afternoon.  In addition, we began using Jkat's product on that Tuesday (about 72 hours after the initial dose of Lamisil).  It is hard to say but by Thursday afternoon the results in our extreme case were nothing short of remarkable.  I am not a vet and could not say for sure which product was causing the vast turnaround in the condition but I firmly believe that it was the product from Jkat.  Within 4 days time it was completely healed, and within 7 days it all but disappeared.  It could have been a combination of both the Lamisil and the product from Jkat, but I again firmly believe it was the gel and liquid applications from Jkat.

Now here is the interesting part-  knowing that there are a lot of snake oil sale out there we contacted the seller and found out she lived on FL's west coast not to far from where I would be traveling for work.  She actually met with me and went over the origins of the product.  The fact the it is non toxic, the fact that it had been used for years  in agriculture (to little fanfare, thanks big pharma) with great success.

Again I cant exclusively say that it was Jkat's product over the Lamisil but with my experience and situation and what I personally witnessed I would 1000% use this product to eradicate the ringworm.

I hope that I can help someone out there reading this, especially those that are enduring the more rare and extreme cases that can be devastating to you and your furry friend.

I am not familiar with that product, but just wanted to add a general reminder. You should always consult with your vet before trying anything on your cat. What works and is safe for one cat, may not be the same for another. Also, non-toxic is species-specific, so something that is used in agriculture or is even entirely safe for humans to consume, may still be toxic, to some extent or another, to cats.

Again, not commenting about this specific product, just a general warning reminder. 

Thanks so much for your tips. I've been at it with my Maine Coon kitten since February. Started lime/sulphur dip yesterday. Wondered how many times a week and for how many weeks you dipped your cats. My vet is suggesting twice a week for four weeks.
Thanks!

Hi, that's a long time... I hope your kitten gets negative cultures soon!  

Just wanted to share that my cat got a ringworm on her ear a few weeks ago. I brought her to the vet and he had me order an oral medicine called Fluconazole (sp?). It is a liquid that I would have had to syringe her for 100 days, I think.

I don't like giving medicine for things that I can take care of without it. Also, on the list of side effects for the Fluconazole is liver toxicity and that made me really uneasy. So I started "spot bathing" her ear 3 times a week with Melaseb Shampoo. I just wet her ear really good, lathered the shampoo on the ear and some surrounding area of the ear. I leave the shampoo on for 15 minutes and then rinse it off really well. I watched her closely to make sure it didn't get in her eyes or that she didn't lick any off. After 3 weeks her ringworm is completely gone. I am still spot bathing her though because I heard you're supposed to treat ringworm for 2 weeks even after symptoms disappear. 

But I also heard that the sulphur dips work really well too! I have never tried it though. This is my only cat that has ever had ringworm and she's had it twice now. Once in 2011 and once a few weeks ago. 

Just my 2 cents!

Yes, it's been a slow-motion kind of nightmare.
It started with a tiny red spot in front of her right ear and a bloody toe. As the kitten was VERY active and was leaping up on bookcases from runs at top speed, I attributed both injuries to kitten craziness. A week later, she wasn't better and had runny eyes, so I took her to the vet my cousin recommended, who cultured her for ringworm and diagnosed an upper respiratory infection and conjunctivitis. He gave me Miconazole in a clear liquid to apply to the tiny spot on her forehead and to her toe, oral arythromyacin, which gave her diarrhea, and ear drops, which she hated. By the time he called with the positive culture announcement, this kitten had been with me only three weeks and was still less than four months old. (I just want to mention that I got Shakti on a Saturday and on Monday took her faithfully to my original vet, who said the kitten was fine--just a bit skinny. When I mentioned that she'd been sneezing all weekend, I was told kittens do that--$250 for a clean bill of health.) Anyway, back to the new vet and the phone call informing me of the positive culture: he wanted her to start on oral Itraconazole, but she'd been through five or six days of meds and diarrhea, so I checked it out online first. When I found side effects such as heart arrhythmia, liver failure, and convulsions, I refused the oral meds. I'd only had Shakti for three weeks and she was still less than four months old.

Two weeks later we were back at the vet. The original spot was healing nicely, but the ringworm had also started a new lesion a bit to the right. The toe had healed beautifully and the black light revealed no other lesions at all, except for inside her right nostril, of all places. Because Miconazole has a strong odor, the vet gave me a pink lotion called Keto Chlor, which I was told to use instead. Five days later, the ringworm has spread all around the right ear right under the lotion. Back to the Miconazole. Great.  Finally healed. Then all the hair grew back. No loss of hair now, week after week. And I checked her fur. Nothing. Four weeks later: nothing. Then a black shadow down her nose. More Miconazole. I called the vet and he suggested the lime/sulphur dip, but except for the toe, which was probably the original lesion, the ringworm had always been on her face and the top of her head. And a week later it was gone. All good. Sigh of relief. Another month goes by, with me checking her fur.

Then a week ago Saturday, there's white hair all over the living room rug, and Shakti has a two inch square of pink showing between her shoulders. She's confined again to the living room and I constantly spray surfaced with alcohol or bleach. I threw out the pillows and her rug covered climber. I washed the futon cover with bleach, soaked the futon with alcohol, and cover it with a sheet, which I also launder every day. As the vet was on vacation, I got the Miconazole going, but it spread and was itchier than the lesions before. It was 3" x 4" five days later when we saw the vet and I brought home the dip. I did it Tuesday with gloves, but following the vet's directions it made only enough to cover her back, and the hair absorbed most of it. With all that hair, I honestly don't know how much of the liquid reached her skin.

So I clipped my beautiful eight month old Maine Coon girl today--that's the good thing about the slow motion, she's twice as old now-- and tomorrow we'll do the second dip of LimePlus Dip, 4 oz. to a gallon of water this time. I'll be able to get more on the skin now that the hair is about 3/4 inch. I called the vet yesterday to tell him how the first one went and ask if I'm thorough each time I dip her whether I still needed to do seven more for a total of eight. He insists on two a week for a total of eight. So I was curious how many dips worked for you and the group. 

I've had fleas and giardia with cats before--but this. . . this is insidious. And I'm reading that spores can survive two years in your home?!!!
I'll be grateful for any advice as to dosing and applications of this dip. I also read tonight of the fatality of a 15 yr. old kitty. OMG. How awful is that?
Thanks, everyone. And thanks so much, Bunnelina, for starting the thread.

They say ringworm will naturally "go away" in two years - honestly I wouldn't wait for two years for it to erradicate itself lol. My family had bad a year ago with 3 cats and without getting into detail....while it was a nightmare, it is now a memory! All my cats survived and were cured. There is an end - just trying to give some support and let you all know that this will pass.

Thank you so much! I appreciate your words of encouragement, Catmom.

Hello skaticat!  How's things going now?  It's been 3 weeks since your last post.  Hopefully things are better.  I pop onto this site every now and then just to see if I can offer any words of wisdom, because I've been there, done all this too!

Ours started in mid-January when we adopted a foster kitten, into our two cat household.  Two wks later a spot showed up on kitten's face, bare, round and pink.  We also noticed a clump of hair on his neck that was matted and we attributed it to a kitten bite.  Off we went to the vet and she was suspicious about ringworm.  She shaved the area on his neck, and it was a round red spot, about the size of a dime. 

Ringworm it WAS after waiting 2 weeks for a fungal culture - this whole time kitten is all over my house.  I didn't know much about ringworm, now did I?   About that time, we noticed that our 5 yr old kitty Eli had a spot below his ear too.  Shoot me now!   We quarantined the two cats in a bedroom, wood floors, everything OUT.  Our vet gave us malesab shampoo, twice a week, plus oral meds terbinifine for 4 weeks.  I bathed all three cats and never would I have thought I could say that I had that down to a science!  

Our 16 yr old kitty did not get it and we did not isolate her.  I cleaned every room top to bottom, and it was a total nightmare for 3 months.  I washed, bleached, had carpet and furniture cleaned, and while a nightmare, it did go away.  I never thought it would and I wouldn't wish this nightmare on my worst enemy. 

There is light at the end of this tunnel.  Our vet was worried because I guess most people will not go to the lengths that it takes to get rid of ringworm.  They just put the cat to sleep, or surrender it to a shelter.  So sad.  It just takes a ton of work. Good luck!

Hi Shakticat!  I just read your story and am so sorry to hear what you and your kitten are going through. I don't get emails when someone adds to this thread, even though I'm subscribed for instant notifications. So I'm sorry this has taken me so long.

The thing about ringworm.... it's systemic. Kittens and cats who are ill, or who have poor or developing immune systems are more susceptible than healthy adult cats, usually. But when there's ringworm in the environment in high enough concentrations, everyone can get it, including us.

That's why spot treatments do not work. The areas you can see are just hot spots but the fungus is ALL OVER the cat and the environment. Dipping and really saturating the cat will help kill the spores in the fur, but they also get deep in the skin, I believe, which is why oral meds are so important. As is sticking the cat in a bucket of stinky solution and soaking her to the skin.

Another thing to keep in mind about the spots: when you are doing oral meds and dips, you are eradicating the fungus but you might still see the ugly spots for awhile. They take awhile to heal but that doesn't mean they are contagious. You can get negative cultures while you are still seeing spots, esp. if you are giving the right oral meds.  But you should not discover any new ones by about two weeks after the treatments began.

I really understand why you are afraid of the oral meds. We were told we could only give our young kittens Sporanox, a cherry-flavored liquid for children. It was only available here in Boston at the pharmacy in Children's Hospital. In other words, it was rare (and pricey) stuff. But it worked and it's less risky than the other oral meds — in the correct dose.

When you give oral meds that can be dangerous, I recommend that you double-check or triple-check that your vet gave you the correct dosage for your kitten's weight.  Because our vet messed up, even though she is a superb vet. Math mistakes happen. I found out by talking to another vet that the dosage we were told was 1/10th what it was supposed to be. I asked my vet to redo her math and she was appalled — that dosage wouldn't have done a thing for the cats. What would have been worse is if her math mistake led to an overdose. So do some research and ask another vet or two to confirm the dosage before you give any medication that concerns you... Just to be safe, not sorry. Keeping that in mind, you might ask your vet about Sporanox because it's supposed to be effective and you really need to beat this thing, and your kitten is older now. We gave it for two weeks on and two week off, maybe twice. Our two kittens tolerated it well, and both were also sick with various viruses and were getting parasite treatments, too

I've only ever adopted two kittens that didn't come with a laundry list of illnesses. And I hope you know how AMAZING you are for treating and saving your kitten. Shelters (and some people) often won't bother keeping such a kitten alive. Too much trouble, too much expense. You have SAVED your kitten's life. Make sure you tell her that, often. (And I hope she listens better than mine do.)

As far as the dips.... we kept doing ours until we got two negative cultures. Cultures can turn positive in a week or less, but if they're negative, you might be waiting three weeks, which is a royal pain as you're dipping and dipping and cleaning like mad... until you get the good news. Then it was all worth it, and you've been working your tail off with results. We did our cats once a week, and thought that was plenty.

Please keep us posted and hang in there!  I will try to check back here more often for updates.  I wish you all the best!!!

Forgot to say hi to Catmom110!  See, I told you it would all seem like a bad dream someday!

Thanks for replying and for your words of encouragement, Eliandkoby.
I've quarantined Shakti in a room with a carpet, which I vacuum every day, and a futon, the cover of which I washed with bleach and removed--then covered with a sheet I change daily. Is that enough? How do you deep-clean a futon?

The breeder admitted by phone--not e-mail, so I've nothing in writing--that she picked up ringworm a year ago from a cat show. Shakti's favorite playmate, one of her sisters, was still on the breeder's website for sale two weeks after I got my girl. That was before I found the ringworm, and as she was a gorgeous silver girl I was thinking of taking her, too. After our vet visit I checked the website and her photo had been removed. Every member of that litter was there with their owners' first names, but it was as if this kitten never existed. I believe she must have gotten ringworm too and the breeder destroyed her.

Thanks again for writing to me.

May you never see ringworm again!

Hi, Bunnelina!!!
Thank you for your reply about the dipping. I've given Shakti seven soaks so far. At week three she got another round on her nose and even some brown spots on her tail. Thank you for letting me know they might not be contagious. I make sure her tail lays right in the lime/sulphur solution for awhile, and I won't freak out so much now if I see more brown spots. It O does seem as if Shakti, now nine months old, has more energy again.

So when you say systemic, you're referring to the growth cycle of the fungus? Or do you mean it's internal as well as external on my cat? If Headso, I guess I should be looking for Sporanox! Please read by reply to eliandkoby. I do believe the breeder destroyed one of Shakti's sisters--so tragic. And then, there's the futon.

Again, many thanks!!! You've been so helpful to me. 
Head butts and hugs!