Does this look like ringworm?

I adopted a new kitten a month ago that I found out had ringworm. I have been treating him with topical ointment and oral meds for the past month, as well as washing and bleaching everything constantly, and washing my hands so much that they now crack open and bleed. The poor thing has been in isolation for a month in a guest bedroom, mainly spending his time in a large dog kennel, which I hate. His hair is finally just about all grown back, and my other cat thankfully hasn't gotten it. I thought I might be home free. However, now I have a suspicious mark on my body that I am afraid might be ringworm. I am terrified that if I do have it, it could be at least another month of isolation for EVERYONE, because I can't take the chance of giving it to my other cat or reinfecting my kitten.

The mark is in the area between my armpit, and well, my boob--kind of a weird place to get it. It is not uncommon for me to get a rash or sores in this area (chaffing), but this sore looks different. I tried to include a picture, but it might not be very clear. Anyone who has had experience with ringworm, please look at it and tell me what you think. I am seriously going out of my mind!


The mark is actually horizontal, not vertical. It just looks vertical because of the way I had to hold my phone to get the picture--not sure if that makes a difference.

Yes...could be.  If you see a circular patch with a reddish color ring around it that's ringworm.  Hard to tell from the picture but it looks to me as if there is a red ring.  The problem with isolating ringworm is the fact that the lesions cast off spores that go everywhere.  Your poor cat shouldn't be contagious after having the oral meds for two weeks but now you are contagious.  I have had good luck with Lamisil ointment once a day after cleaning the lesion.  I then keep it covered with a bandaid at all times except bathing.

It sounds like you were being careful but ringworm is tough in the environment.  It gets on our clothes and then we carry the spores everywhere we go.  I foster ringworm kittens from the shelter and I always use a paper gown whenever I enter the infected area and take it off before I leave.  Before I used this method...I got ringworm.

My resident cats have never had it.

I change my clothes each time I interact with the kitten and even take a shower afterwards, so this is all still very baffling to me. The vet is the one who said to keep him isolated, and she stil recommends it, at least until his next visit on Tuesday, and then we'll go from there. I am REALLY hoping that the mark is not ringworm. There would then be a high likelihood that I would reinfect the kitten or give it to my older cat--starting this nightmare process all over again. I have actually been crying because I am so stressed about it. I have to interact with the kitten to feed him, give him meds, etc., so staying away from him would not be an option.

This is another, maybe clearer picture of the mark. It's hard to get a good one because of the location.



A couple of other things: I got the kitten on December 9, found out he had ringworm on December 12, and only noticed the mark on my body about a week ago, so about January 7 or so. I read that the incubation period for ringworm of the skin is about 4-10 days, so could the mark be something else--not ringworm? The mark does not itch and has only gotten slightly larger.

If it is, I do have miconozale ointment that I am using for the kitten that I could put on my lesion. I have also heard that applying a bleach-soaked cotton ball to the lesion a few times a day is a faster alternative. Does anyone have experience with this?

If somebody could please respond, that would be great. I'm freaking out here--not for myself possibly having ringworm but giving it to one or both cats. If the little one is still on oral meds, will that protect him from getting reinfected?

Anybody?

Hi there!  I have had ringworm twice.  Once I got it from one of my students and the other time I got it from our new kittens. I have to say it does look like ringworm to me. Is it itchy? Mine was incredibly itchy. The absolute BEST cream is Naftin (or get the generic kind), but it is by prescription. It gets rid of the red ring in about 4-5 days, and then you use it for another week after the redness is gone. 

For the kitten, you may want to look into using a lime sulfur dip. I just finished treating ours with 30 days of oral terbinafine and bi-weekly lime sulfur dips (six weeks).  We have had a negative PCR panel and one negative culture.  I just took them to the vet today to see get another PCR panel, and will get those results in 1-3 days.  It's a long, slow, horrible process.  Nothing fun about it!  Daily vacuuming and bi-weekly cleaning the floors and surfaces with accelerated hydrogen peroxide (Rescue is the brand name - they use it at our vet's office, and it kills ringworm).  

The chances of you giving it to your cat are probably fairly slim. Your cat would most likely need to come in contact with that spot on your body. Cats are different, though. They drop spores all over because of their fur. You can spread it on you, though, so make sure you don't reuse any shirts that touch that area until you wash them.  

If you are able to, I would go see your doctor and have him/her take a look at it.  Ask about the Naftin cream.  It is really great stuff.  When I got ringworm from a students before, the dermatologist was able to tell right away what it was.  She scraped it and then looked at the scraping in another room (maybe under a microscope?) Anyway, this time I knew what it was, so I just called my doctor and was able to get the prescription filled.  

 
If it is, I do have miconozale ointment that I am using for the kitten that I could put on my lesion. I have also heard that applying a bleach-soaked cotton ball to the lesion a few times a day is a faster alternative. Does anyone have experience with this?

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For your ringworm (not the cats'), my boss said her daughter got ringworm every time they went to the beach, and to get rid of it, she would mix cortisone cream and athlete's foot cream, and apply it twice a day.

Thanks for the advice. The lesion is not itchy, so maybe that's a good sign? I went ahead and washed the area with Bentadyne (not sure of the spelling) and applied some miconozale, since that is what I had on hand. I also covered it with a bandage, but I am not sure if that was a good idea. Is it better to leave it uncovered? I have not heard of Naftin. Can it be purchased over the counter or do you have to have a prescription? I don't have insurance and am struggling a little, so a doctor's visit is probably not going to happen right now. My cats have way better medical care than I do!

I have been changing and washing the kitten's bedding (towels) daily in hot water with bleach, but I can't wash my clothing in hot water without shrinking them or add bleach without ruining them. Will washing them in cold water with just detergent be enough to get rid of the ringworm spores, or do I need to find some kind of antifungal detergent, if such a thing exists?

Covering it with a bandaid is not a good idea, as fungus thrives in moist, warm, dark places.  Ringworm is something to let air dry.

I have found that if I use just under half a cup of bleach and fill the washer first so it's well diluted, I can wash darks or colored clothes without ruining them (great for when the shower curtain gets that nasty pink mold at the bottom).  However a safer alternative for clothes you don't want to risk is white vinegar (I use that when my darling cat Shadow finds and pees on a piece of clothing that my darling cat Montressor dragged onto the floor).  Google said that borax is also a good fungus killer for clothes and bedding.

Pre-treating the clothes by getting some athlete's foot powder and sprinkling it on and letting the clothes sit for a bit before washing might be helpful if just a straight wash doesn't kill it.

I have found that athlete's foot cream will get rid of fungus beautifully on just about any area of the skin.

Thanks. I have it covered with a bandaid right now--guess I'll take it off. I just thought it would keep the spores "contained" and off of my clothes. As for letting the spot air dry, that will be hard to do unless I walk around naked since it is under my shirt. [emoji]128515[/emoji] I am afraid that the ointment I applied last night made the situation worse because it looks more red.

I'm not sure a bandaid will keep it "contained", I do know it will lengthen the healing time.

I get fungal infections under my boobs from time to time, a week of smearing athlete's food cream always solves it, but you're right - the first day or so, it seems like it's getting worse.  I think the cream just aggravates the raw skin at first before the fungus starts getting killed.

And vinegar for everything.  I buy huge quantities because it's great for getting out cat smells.  I even mix it half and half with water in a squirt bottle and spray the entire carpet down with it from time to time.  That may work for killing any spores on things that can't go in a washing machine, such as carpets, upholstered furniture and even walls and hard surface furniture where bleach would damage.

I don't think ringworm cares about "moist" areas.  Most cats acquire it on their faces and extremeties and I had it on my hand.  My lesion healed within a week also covered with a bandaid.  Seems to me it would help with the spores and clothing problem.  My lesion did not itch.

My kitten has recovered from ringworm since I last posted. The spot that I had had almost faded completely, but I noticed a couple of days ago that the spot seems to have returned in the exact same place! It is an almost perfectly circular red ring with a red dot in the center. It kind of looks like a bulls eye. This is so frustrating. What gives?

Im not a doctor or anything like that but this is what ive done to get rid of ringworm.
Dilute some bleach with water and apply it to the spot with a cotton ball 2x a day. I usually do 1:1 ratio

danni88 said:

Im not a doctor or anything like that but this is what ive done to get rid of ringworm.
Dilute some bleach with water and apply it to the spot with a cotton ball 2x a day. I usually do 1:1 ratio

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That's actually a common treatment for athlete's foot, though it's a stronger ratio than what you soak your feet in. And fungus is fungus, no matter where it is, that should work on ringworm too.

danni88 said:

Im not a doctor or anything like that but this is what ive done to get rid of ringworm.
Dilute some bleach with water and apply it to the spot with a cotton ball 2x a day. I usually do 1:1 ratio

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I would NOT use bleach on a cat. Instead, they should have a prescribed oral medication and lime sulfur dips.

It's really best to check with your vet before trying any at home treatments. Some cats have underlying conditions where at home treatments would cause a problem.

AmyL said:

I would NOT use bleach on a cat. Instead, they should have a prescribed oral medication and lime sulfur dips.

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I wouldn't use bleach on a cat either. I was referring to treating a spot on myself. Sorry I probably should have said that in my previous post.

I used lotimim and covered it with a bandage.even tho, it looks like it maybe gone in a week or two, they say, to use the lotimim for 4 weeks..I did not find, that the bandage kept it from healing.

I have 4 cats, that have ringworm caught from a foster cat. My question is..If, I am sitting next to a person, can that person, take it home to her cat. I think, I am keeping the spores, pretty much under control, with oral meds, a lot of cleaning and Lysol.