Hello all,
I have a suspected case of ringworm in my household and am trying to stay calm. I've been reading nonstop for the past 2 days about the fungus and how it's diagnosed, spread, and treated. Here is the story;
Last week around Tuesday or Wednesday I noticed a spot on my inner thigh while showering, it was small and red and I thought it was an ingrown hair (didn't itch or hurt) by Friday it had grown into a small ring that is red and raised and itchy, it isn't large, a little smaller than a penny. I also noticed a place on my arm getting larger and a new spot on my chest so I had my husband take me to a health clinic yesterday to get it looked at. The dr just did a physical exam (didn't take any samples to have tested) and said that it looked like ringworm and prescribed me some cream to apply to it. Since my apt yesterday I have a total of 7-8 spots and have been washing with tea tree oil soap, applying tea tree oil, and the cream. No more spots have appeared since yesterday.
I recently adopted a 6 week old kitten (now 9 weeks old) from a foster home. The kitten shows no signs of ringworm (no hair loss, lesions, or brittle nails) and he has been introduced to our 3 year old male and they have had monitored Play time with lots of licking, wrestling and cuddles. My older cat has also not shown any signs of ringworm. My husband is also free and clear and has spent lots of time with the kitten as well as my mother when she visits. They are both fine. I also contacted the foster mom to see if the other kittens from his litter and the other animals she had in the house were okay and she said they are having no issues with ringworm there.
I have read that cats can be asymptomatic and show no outward signs but still be carriers of the spore. My question is how common is that and what are the chances of both cats having it and not showing any signs? We have laundered all towels, bedding and clothing I have come into contact with in hot water and we have applied Lysol to all couches, surfaces, cat scratchers etc.
I am planning on taking both cats to the vet tomorrow to have cultures taken from them. I am really hoping I contacted the fungus by an unfortunate freak circumstance and that the cats are free and clear, I have read nightmare stories onhere and other sources about trying to fully decontaminate a home from these spores. My main concern is how long it will take me to get the culture results and wasting precious time in controlling the situation while waiting to hear back.
Sorry for such a long post and I appreciate any and all advice in dealing with this!!
I have a suspected case of ringworm in my household and am trying to stay calm. I've been reading nonstop for the past 2 days about the fungus and how it's diagnosed, spread, and treated. Here is the story;
Last week around Tuesday or Wednesday I noticed a spot on my inner thigh while showering, it was small and red and I thought it was an ingrown hair (didn't itch or hurt) by Friday it had grown into a small ring that is red and raised and itchy, it isn't large, a little smaller than a penny. I also noticed a place on my arm getting larger and a new spot on my chest so I had my husband take me to a health clinic yesterday to get it looked at. The dr just did a physical exam (didn't take any samples to have tested) and said that it looked like ringworm and prescribed me some cream to apply to it. Since my apt yesterday I have a total of 7-8 spots and have been washing with tea tree oil soap, applying tea tree oil, and the cream. No more spots have appeared since yesterday.
I recently adopted a 6 week old kitten (now 9 weeks old) from a foster home. The kitten shows no signs of ringworm (no hair loss, lesions, or brittle nails) and he has been introduced to our 3 year old male and they have had monitored Play time with lots of licking, wrestling and cuddles. My older cat has also not shown any signs of ringworm. My husband is also free and clear and has spent lots of time with the kitten as well as my mother when she visits. They are both fine. I also contacted the foster mom to see if the other kittens from his litter and the other animals she had in the house were okay and she said they are having no issues with ringworm there.
I have read that cats can be asymptomatic and show no outward signs but still be carriers of the spore. My question is how common is that and what are the chances of both cats having it and not showing any signs? We have laundered all towels, bedding and clothing I have come into contact with in hot water and we have applied Lysol to all couches, surfaces, cat scratchers etc.
I am planning on taking both cats to the vet tomorrow to have cultures taken from them. I am really hoping I contacted the fungus by an unfortunate freak circumstance and that the cats are free and clear, I have read nightmare stories onhere and other sources about trying to fully decontaminate a home from these spores. My main concern is how long it will take me to get the culture results and wasting precious time in controlling the situation while waiting to hear back.
Sorry for such a long post and I appreciate any and all advice in dealing with this!!
