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

[bunnelina]

Hi JayPeaches,

First — no one ever died of ringworm! There are many diseases, like FIP and panleukopenia, that kill cats in horrible ways, but ringworm is more akin to athlete's foot or another gross FUNGAL (not viral) skin disease. It is only a serious problem for those who have compromised immune systems, i.e., humans with cancer, HIV, etc. It's skin problem that's annoying but doesn't kill, so I think you can relax. (I have to add that cats have died from the oral meds to treat ringworm, but it's rare. But it happens, so when you give them, check and double-check dosage, keep a close eye on the cat, and do any blood tests the vet recommends to monitor liver enzymes, etc.) 

Keep in mind that, if you did absolutely nothing to treat the cat, she would probably cure by herself . . .  in time. (I do not recommend this; no one does!) But she'd be contagious to others, and that's enough reason to make treatment a high priority. 

I hope you will talk to that vet who is willing to prescribe about these new developments on the cat's head. From what I've read, it is not possible to get ringworm in the mouth because it is a skin fungus and doesn't affect mucous membranes, so I'm wondering if the cat really has ringworm or something else. Cats can get so many other skin diseases and they can be tricky to diagnose. Have you gotten a definitive ringworm diagnosis yet? (The new PCR test  can give results in a few days rather than taking weeks). 

With my four cats, we initially didn't dip the sick ones (our male elderly Persian and our male kitten were very ill with calici virus, carried by the new kitten) but we still gave everyone the oral meds because my vet thought it was the top priority for treatment.  

I'm not sure why you are soaking the cat for 10 minutes if you are all suffering so. Just soak her to the skin and stop, and the dip will still be soaking her for many minutes as she's drying. Ten minutes of soaking makes no sense to me and it sounds like agony for all involved. Dab the lime sulfur solution on her face, just avoiding her inner ears and eyes, nose, etc.

Hang in there!  I'm glad the cat is okay with isolation!

 

[gemmamiso]

Hi, my new kitten was just diagnosed with ringworm. We couldn't afford the treatment and the shelter that we got him from said that if we brought him in, they would treat him for free and give him back to us when he was ringworm-free.

We brought him to the shelter and started cleaning our house, but I am terrified that my other cat has gotten ringworm. There's a black ring inside of her ear, but that's the only sign I've seen so far.

Also, how will I know that my house is ringworm-free? I don't want him to come back home just to get re infected. Any advice? AHhhh this is so stressful. 

 

[bunnelina]

Hi Gemmamiso, I'm on the road and can't write at length. I suggest you look at post 476, above, where you will find three links that will give you the info you want to know about ringworm, including what it is and how to clean your house effectively to get rid of it. Good luck!

 

[gemmamiso]

Thank you!

Also, since my cat that has ringworm isn't in our house anymore (and won't be until he's ringworm free, sadly are the number of spores not going up anymore? So if we just keep cleaning now, the spore levels will go down and not go back up at all? I'm sorry I don't really understand :l

 

[Sa'ida Maryam]

Hi , oooh. I read the heavy "sigh" that someone's little one's ringworm appears to be spreading. I got the news late. Sorry , did you say you are washing the with the sulfur -lime mix, I was wondering what is the medicine you give them by mouth? I am so disappointed in my vet. 1 week 1/2 they are still waiting for diagnostic cultures. So I called today and told the office I have ringworm now, and it incubated for about three weeks on my skin, because baby kitti had it bad, when he left the rescue/ foster.place. Needless to say, I sent them a letter expressing my disappointment that they did nothing before. and my vet NOW says she wants to start intraconozole, pulse therapy. What. ! It sound like life long therapy, the fungi is maybe resistant. To the line drugs from the past. I am no expert,but. I am trying to get the Lamisil. The introcanozole is top of the line AND I understand NOW the vet wants to treat this aggressively. ANY ONE AGREE OR DIsagree. Please, post .And (yes) I used a home remedy for mine until I can get to the Walmart. Walmart sells introcanozole $110 for ten 100mg capsules.i will post again after I consult my vet. I hope to start Lamisil (terbinafine). They say different medicine take different lengths of time to work. I am 2 1/2 weeks and months behind getting this thing under control. Yelp.

 

[Sa'ida Maryam]

Thanks Maffy18 for the tip on giving the calcium supplement and pilling I am still waiting to start my Walter his rename for now, on what ever the vet prescribes. I finally got in my head what should be done. I stopped the warm heat pack and sponge with the lime -sulfur mix. In between complete treatment baths. I came to accept that the oral antifungal ( what ever the vet prescribes) must be given and I will get the baseline liver panel blood work as the vet wants. I do think I will ask about the calcium supplement definitely. What made your vet give that supplement. I mean what test did they take. Is it standard procedure to check calcium level while on Antifungal(aziole)? I worry my Walter will be stunted in his growth with all the chemicals I have to pour into and onto him. I am saddened , so much I just saidto myself and my husband agreed , after through cleaning, to let our kitti out of seclusion. I am sorry for all the questions , but here is another one.
Anyone know if Ciderm Pet shampoo smelled nice? Help. sulfur is phew!!!!! Weeks of sulfur and I will lose weight from vomiting after that smell.

 

[mrsedaddy]

We found a 4 week old kitten on 7/9 who had a horrible case of ringworm. We've been through 6 weeks of dips, oral medal and baths. After the last dip the vet said we could turn her loose in the house, but I used the woods lamp and saw there are still hairs glowing. She has no lesions and no missing fur. We have ano appointment in the morning for vaccines, should I request a culture and them shave Her? she's been out with my other cats and one has become her BFF and we found them cuddled up sleeping today. I developed one lesion a week after rescuing her with no recurrence and I've been somewhat diligent with the deep cleaning. so far everyone is clear but it's only been a week that she's had free reign of our house. She's a sweet baby and the thought of isolating her again is upsetting. She is our special rescue girl and I just want her to have a happy kitten hood [emoji]128546[/emoji] thanks everyone

 

[bunnelina]

Hi there,

Blessings on you for treating this kitten! Many shelters euthanize cats with ringworm so you may well have saved a life.

Shaving is not recommended when the cat is not in really, really bad shape. It can cause microscopic (and larger) nicks in the skin that are breeding grounds for infection as well as more ringworm. Dipping and oral meds are the way to go.

She could be glowing for other reasons besides active ringworm infestation. She could be a "dust mop" as ringworm vet-expert Dr. Karen Moriello puts it. In other words the kitten could be picking up a few spores from around the isolation room. Woods Lamps aren't nearly as informative or diagnostic as cultures are.

I hope your vet can do a PCR culture that will come back in a couple of days, versus the standard kind that takes weeks and is not as accurate. 

If you want to read more about Karen Moriello's ringworm treatment, click the link. There are also two good, up-to-date articles here on The Cat Site about ringworm and also housecleaning for ringworm (it's less focused on bleach, since we don't live in kennels! It's much more about vacuuming with a HEPA filter, for example.) Click here for the housecleaning article.

Best of luck to you today!

 

[Sa'ida Maryam]

Hello and thanks for reminders: it is so helpful to just sit and write about the ordeal of identifying, treating and learning about the care of animals. In short, I just want to put it out there and get it off ( my Chest). I WAS SO angry when I learned my little rescue had RW, I wrote the rescue house a letter expressing it. I got a sharp reply and they weakly defended the issue of NEver letting a kitten out for adoption without a clean bill of health ( hog-wash). WHY IS HE IN MY HOUSE, Then? I learned that many times health, and behavioral problem in animals is often the reason why poor animals are in the rescue House, in the first place. I think the rescuers are great. I just want them to be honest with the adopter. You see the worker admited the local shelter was a kill shelter and had Walker on the list. AfterI told her I am a member of TheCatSite.com. She told the truth.
Well, all is good for him now, At 4 months old and after a 4th LimePlus bath. The stuff bubbled like hydrogen Per, H2O2. Over the infected sites. The little guy had it all between his Rear TOES. !!! Like a human gets athlete's feet between the toes. And believe me he is a regular Athlete :hobbes: so I am not so upset, now. Cause I feel more prepared after reading this trend and I think when this is all over I will send them a HAPPY TAIL. cause I think he is going to make the most wonderful companion. :rub: You know , that just made me quess, cats can be prone to reoccurrence of RW, just like some people are prone to athlete's feet, Yeah, why not? I will try to remind myself that hot weather , damp environment mixed with his chemistry will require antifungal treatment to his paws every year. Hopefully to prevent spreading to the places he can reach during a good scratch. I remember , my mom raised me to NOT Scratch. Yep. So daily brushing my kitti will help reduce the need of him scratching ''I HOPE. :nod: but I will have to brush him when he is tired. :lol3:

 

[blessings2u]

I wanted to point to Chlorine Dioxide for the spore killing of the house.

It is what is used to purify drinking water and you can fog your house and car and can even spray your pets.

jkatinc.com sells shampoo and liquid to spray.

They say it kills the spores in ONE MINUTE.

They show petri dishes, which were treated twice and ringworm didn't grow on it.  

 

[pushylady]

Chlorine dioxide? It sounds a little extreme to me! If it's that effective, it would probably harm cats, and from what I see online it's pretty intense stuff.

 

[Sa'ida Maryam]

I have noticed the process of healing healthy skin on my kitten and cat depends upon a lot of things . There are definite degrees of healing which are determined by many factors. 1. the length of exposure to the fungus. RW prior to treatment. 2. The health and age of the feline. 3. The length of time all treatment is started. 4. The location of the most infectious area. Each one of these factors have subdivisions that improve or negate the out-come of your pet's progress toward health skin. My little kitten from the Rescuse House had a large thick crusted scab which had been growing for months In foster care and untreated when I got him. 4 more weeks waiting for Cultures after being seen at the vet. 2weeks with lime-sulfur dips only. my adult cat gets two lines on each ear. I get a skin spot.
KITTI/ had the 4th lime-dip bubbling on his infected areas that Finally soften and lifted some of the scab. I would gently exfoliate the scab to reveal health skin tissue below, but it took a total of 8 dips, sponging and 1 week of oral meds before the crust scab could be remove. I warn: do not comb rigorously. Gentle is a must. Anyway, after 2 months healthy skin with new hair growth has begun.
CAT/ had small couple of lines , it did not look bad. The lime-sulfur dip was wiped on the ears.. That lime wipe lifted the fungi and left large bald areas on the ears. That skin was quickly under full body lime-dips and oral meds. And in 3 days the skin turned ashen color and 5days pink and hair is growing back. I know I must give them at least 30-40 days of pills and I have switched to Malaseb shampoo. I would not start treatment with it cause it is too mild and will mainly just condition the skin and coat.
Keep up all the good work and there can be good results.

 

[Sa'ida Maryam]

Just wanted to add that when exfoliating the scab of any lesion try to do so while the area is damp, not dry cause you can easily clean the comb ( I use a plastic lice comb) by wiping with a paper towel and discarding the damp scab and hairs in to trash can. Combing dry will have flakes with spores falling everywhere , not good.

 

[cherilyn]

Hello everyone!
I am new in here and have just spent several hours reading most of this thread. Thank you for all the info! Here is my situation...
I accepted a kitten from my daughters boyfriends family as one of their many cats had kittens and they were trying to give them away. The day before she was coming to my home my daughter tells me she has a bald spot on her ear. My thought was ear mites. I asked her if the ear stunk and so on. I ended up chalking it up to an ear problem and told her I would handle it when Amica (the kitty) got here.

When Amica arrived she was very patchy looking in many areas and had thin or bald spots all over. Her ears were completely bald as was half of her head. But my silly self fell in love with her instantly. After about a week of trying everything I knew to help Amica I took her to the vet.

SIDENOTE: my husband and I are basically starting over and currently live in a small travel trailer from paycheck to paycheck. I had saved to get Amica all the things she would need for her new life with us. So vet visits are extremely hard for me to work out.
I have had many cats before and never had any issues with them health wise so I was not worried about receiving a kitty. I was only worried about trying to provide a home for one so it did not have to face any other option.

Anyways... I took Amica to the vet.
The vet said he thought it looked like ringworm but would not know without tests. He took her to put under the light to look for ringworm but when he returned he said "nothing glowed". He also explained there are 3 kinds of ringworm and only 1 glows. So it still could be ringworm. I could not afford that test so he did another cheaper one first. He looked at her crusty spots under a microscope... Well scrapings of them. He said he found bacteria and a small amount of yeast. He recommended an oral med (sorry forgot the name) and also some ketoconizol shampoo. I was to bathe her daily and let it soak for 5 minutes. Do this for 10-14 days. He said if she did not improve then the other test would need to be done. He also told me if the other test came back possitive that the medication needed for that was around 400.00 (I almost threw up)

So home I go to begin the process of daily torture sessions for my new 12 week old baby. She did better than expected with the whole process I must say!

Amica is very snuggly and lovey and since I had no instructions otherwise I happily obliged! I was tickled when she would curl up in the crook of my arm to sleep all night and that she wanted to constantly be my neck scarf!

Then I got a spot.... HORROR!
I first got one on my calf, then my wrist, then my arm. I immediately started using an antifungal cream on them. In the meantime my Amica seemed to be doing much better! Her hair was growing back and everything!
She has finished her oral med and although no longer required I still use her medication shampoo on her 2x per week because I want to make certain she is good to go for her spay. (and it smells super yummy)

So it has now been over 3 weeks. ... And yes I have been cleaning and sanitizing and doing laundry like a mad woman because I'm funny about funk like that.

Now Amica looks like she has completely recovered yet today I noticed some skin under her chin feeling crusty. So I looked closer and she also has a crusty spot by her ear again. Wth???

As far as my own lesions, my stupid doctor did not seem concerned at all. The cream I was using didn't seem to be working. Hubby insisted nail Polish on the spots would suffocate it and soon it would heal... Yea no, didn't work for me. Mother in law insists a vet told her to use clear iodine on it and it would go away but I couldn't find any. Then I did something a bit crazy... I just used bleach.

Only on me... Never on an animal!!!

We all know this isn't what bleach is for and it should not be put on our skin however I was desperate! I took a small bottle and my household bleach and though a 1:1 dilution may have worked I went for it and used 2 parts bleach to 1 part water. I dipped in a Q-tip and dabbed the stuff right on my spots and blew it dry. I did it 2x a day for the first 2 days. By day two I saw a significant improvement!!! By day 3 I did it once a day and day 5 I stopped completely as the spots were almost healed.

Now here is my issue...
1. The new crusty on my baby.
2. I now have 2 new spots today one in my armpit and one on the back of the shoulder of the same arm.
3. I cannot afford the test the vet told me about or the med.

I have sulfur lime dip I bought online. I did not use it because I took her to the vet instead of just experimenting with chemicals on such a small baby. She was only 1.6 lbs at 12 weeks when I took her to the vet. She is now double at least...

So I am considering trying the dip because I am thinking maybe she did have ringworm and it isn't all the way gone?!?

Suggestions and advice please...
Also how long should I continue to dip her if I do? And how will I know if it has done it's job? Do I just need to wait and see who is stop breaking out in spots?!?

Admittedly it probably was not the smartest choice to go ahead and take in a sick kitty in my situation but it seemed we both needed it and I love her!... And I am pretty sure she loves me too! So any words of wisdom and answers would be so great. Thank you so much!
... Sorry such a long post but here is a pic to make it worth it. [emoji]9786[/emoji]

20161016_122814.jpg

• cherilyn
• Oct 29, 2016

 

[bunnelina]

I have never heard of Dr. Moriello or any vet recommending "exfoliation" for ringworm. Probably much better to leave them alone to heal in their own time.

 

[jaypeaches]

IMG_2047.JPG

• jaypeaches
• Oct 31, 2016

IMG_2048.JPG

• jaypeaches
• Oct 31, 2016

We are trying to determine if a third cat now has ringworm.

two weeks ago, I noticed sharpie's fur looked oily and ragged (normally he's soft and silky). His fur would come out in my hands when I'd pet him and there was also a fair amount of dandruff. About the same time, I noticed an obvious bald spot on the top of his head (easy to see because of white skin/black fur). There was no scab or flaking or anything. Within a day or two the hair started growing back in and now, a week later, you can't even tell there was a bald spot. A closer inspection that same day revealed another bald spot on his belly (see pic with white fur). Again, no lesion then or now, no dry skin, nothing, just smooth bald skin. Hard to tell if it's growing back because white fur/light skin in that area. Also inspected his paws, where I could see the fur thinning. No patches or bald spots, but just barely tugging on the fur pulls it right out of the follicle. See pic for noticeable black spots on the hair shaft. This is the same a week later.

We took him to the vet and she did find some yeast, but no bacteria. Also did a skin scraping - still waiting to see if ringworm will show up. Also did a thyroid test - completely normal.

On the one hand, ringworm seems the obvious conclusion. On the other hand, it is presenting NOTHING like the other two cases in our house (both of which had obvious lesions and no hair loss all over).

I wonder if he is having an allergic reaction to something. We stripped the bed in the room he sleeps in to make the cleanup easier, but he continued to sleep on it with nothing but the plastic mattress pad on top.

Any thoughts? If ringworm comes back negative I guess we'll go to a specialist, but I can't help but think it has to be related (I.e. Allergic reaction to plastic or cleaning methods).

 

[bunnelina]

Hi there,

Ringworm can be hard for experts to diagnose just by sight, so none of us here is qualified to judge from photos, I'm sorry to say. That said, I never heard it presenting a nice, clear bald patch, but who knows? I agree that maybe it's a hopeful sign that the other two cats looked quite different when they developed spots. But the only way to know for sure is by culturing. It's tough to have to wait for a diagnosis in these situations, especially given that the standard cultures can take weeks to provide an answer. I hope your vet is using the new PCR culture that give a result in a couple of days. 

There are a multitude of other skin problems cats can get, from parasites, allergic reactions, dietary issues, stress, etc. It could well be a reaction to ringworm treatment or cleaning agents if it's not actually ringworm. You are wise to be thinking about it from all kinds of angles; trust your instincts.

I hope you can get to the bottom of it soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's something simple and easy to cure and not more ringworm. Hang in there! 

 

[bunnelina]

Greetings Cherilyn, and welcome to The Cat Site!

I'm sorry no one here got back to you sooner. There was a small fire in my apt. building last week and things have been a little crazy even though we are all fine.

First off: there is nothing smarter and better than adopting a sick kitten and giving her a loving home. I'm sorry you are going through all this with her. But you were right to take her. You'll have a friend for the rest of her life. And you may have saved her life; you can't trust everyone who adopts kittens these days.

So...  ringworm... it sounds like you've read all the advice here and are up to speed on what do to and what not to do. If your doctor has diagnosed your own skin problem as ringworm, then you don't need to wonder anymore about culturing the kitten. You know!

Ringworm treatment can be really expensive for cats. Tiny kittens, especially, can't handle the smallest doses of terbinafine that larger cats can have, and that is the least expensive medicine.  The medicine suitable for kittens is very expensive. Yes, it's ideal to give oral meds while doing lime-sulfur dips and cleaning like a maniac. But the truth is:  you can only do what you CAN do.

Another truth: eventually ringworm goes away on its own. It can take a long while, but if you don't have multiple animals spreading it back and forth, this will happen sooner.  With multiple animals, it's so much more complicated. When I was dealing with it, seven years ago, we had four cats, and I was corresponding here with families who had as many as 26 dogs and cats, as I recall, plus lots of kids. And of course, money was tight, and they couldn't afford the usual treatment. And so it just kept going around and around in that household. You have so much less to worry about with just one kitten and a few people.

The lime sulfur dipping is important. Try to do it twice a week. It will make the kitten much less contagious. You can mix a small amount of it in a jar and apply it to the spots if you feel the need for extra topical treatment. It may take a while, but eventually all ringworm resolves itself and goes away. Medications can make that happen a lot faster but if you can't afford them, lime-sulfur dipping is the way to go.

Also, be as thorough about cleaning as you can. It's a blessing that you live in a small space because it is much easier to clean it than a big house full of carpeting and so on. Read the article posted here about cleaning to make sure you are doing it the best way and not wasting your time. Here's the link.  If you don't have a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter and you have carpets, look on this thread for other proven cleaning agents (I think Accel is one) that you can use. Microfiber clothes are also good for wiping things down. Clean them often, and sterilize them in a microwave or dry them in a very hot dryer. Wipe the place down from top (ceiling) to bottom and when the place feels truly spic-and-span and free of all dirt and dust, you will have done the job. Then keep it that way as well as you can.

I hope you will not rely on folk remedies that people recommend to you, like bleach and nail polish, and so on. Try using another antifungal cream from the drugstore on your own spots. Lamisil is one, I believe.  Your doctor should be able to advise you on which one is best. If you're not getting the help you need from him or her, maybe you need to try a better doctor!  

Finally, I hope you will look around on this site to see if there are any options for you to get more affordable care for you kitten given your financial situation. Some vet practices offer discounts on care, or deferred payments, or even free care, and I believe there's information about that here on the site. It is worth exploring for sure. Ask your own vet, or the biggest animal hospital near you if they know of any resources to help you. It's great that you are getting back on your feet and it's wonderful that you are helping a cat that really needs you at the same time — a generous thing to do! I hope there's an organization or fund that can make that easier for you. 

Hang in there and keep us posted here on how things are going. Take care!

 

[tracie holladay]

My kitten is going through this and I desperately want to spot treat his lesions in lime sulfur between full-body dips. But my husband is stubborn and he doesn't think we should deviate in the slightest from the doctor's instructions to dip once a week. 

 

[bunnelina]

Hi Tracie,

Check with your vet by all means, but I think you can certainly do spot treatment between dips. Dabbing a little more of the mixed solution onto the affected areas is a good idea, and I personally think it's much better than some other topical prescription treatments, which can be harsh and irritating — our calico now has blackened patches on her white ear — permanent discoloration from the nasty prescription ointment our vet prescribed for her ringworm spots.

Somewhere in her literature, Dr. Moriello says it's fine to do spot treatments. Her ringworm treatment generally recommends TWO full dips per week, so keep that in mind, too. I'm not saying that one dip isn't sufficient; it probably is. I'm just saying that doing a little spot treatment is not like "overdosing" the cat. In fact, lime-sulfur is said to be soothing, not irritating. It's more of an old-fashioned remedy that works than a drug that might cause bad side-effects, interactions, etc.  

You can mix up a cup of solution and keep it in a jar in the fridge, and dab it on once a day or every couple days. Then save a small amount in a jar the next time you mix the solution to do a full dip. I don't think it keeps for long periods, but I don't know, so I'd mix it up at least weekly. Just be sure to do your math and dilution correctly to get the correct strength. 

The only reason I would hesitate to do this at all is if your kitten is still very young, tiny, and fragile, as in, not eating solid food yet, too young to have shots, dealing with a serious, systemic illness (ringworm is "merely" a skin problem), etc. If the kitten is big enough to handle weekly dips plus Sporanox, or itraconazole, or whatever he's getting (NOT griseofulvin, never that, it's very toxic and there are safer drugs), he can handle you dabbing on a little more as a spot treatment here and there.

(Does your husband let you cut off the "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law" tags from your mattress and pillows? I had a husband like that once. I have a different one now.)

Best of luck to you both and your kitten! I hope your kitten gets some negative cultures very soon. Keep us posted on how things are going.