Ringworm...not better :(

[michellek75]

After my mini-rave of CS...I came home tonight to give Stewie a bath only to notice it's getting worse. I want to scream. He's got two big spots (one the size of a quarter and one the size of two quarters lined up). Those spots are not growing...but it seems to be spreading everywhere in little spots. I've been successful at keeping the little spots from growing bigger - but I have NOT been successful at keeping new little spots from popping up.

In your ringworm experience - does this sound familiar? What else should I do? Here's what I'm doing now:
1. Bath every night with Betadyne and cat shampoo (from vet)
2. Treating every spot with Trasederm and now CS
3. He and the other cat (who has NO signs of ringworm and is also getting a precautionary bath) are living in the bathroom which I bleach every day.

I'm tired. I'm worn out. There has to be something better. There has to be something stronger. Please...me and kitty are tired of this stuff. 6 weeks and it's not getting better!

My sister-in-laws aunt is a vet and she is sending me some Program and Conofite cream...but I won't get it until Sunday because that's when I see my bro next (they live 2+ hours from me).

I want the STRONGEST thing possible to kill this stuff. What is it? What do I need to do to get rid of this? My vet isn't aggressive enough - but I'd like to walk in there tomorrow morning and say I want "x-y-z"...but I don't know what that is! If he doesn't help me tomorrow - it's time for a new vet.

I've read some people say there is a dip you can put your cat in.

WHAT WORKS???

Thanks for sticking through this with me...it's so frustrating!

 

[white cat lover]

What works depends on the cat. You have to be patient, there is no fast easy cure for ringworm. If the kitties have been living "free" then they could've possibly re-infected themselves. It can take months to treat. Sorry I have no better news. Ringworm stinks & all you can do is wait it out....

 

[stephenq]

You're desire for a cure may outweigh the need. RW isn't dangerous, only unsightly and at worst mildly itchy. The most aggressive treatments are dangerous and can be harmful. You may want to try a sulfer dip (not dangerous) and the use of Program, an anti flea med with anti fungal properties (but you have to discuss this with your vet). A good anti fungal cream is Lotrimin.

RW isn't such a bad thing, and many "cures" are worse than the disease, so please be careful.

 

[stephenq]

Also, if you're using bleach i hope your rinsing it very thoroughly. Bleach is highly toxic to cats.

 

[jennyr]

Several knowledgeable people I talked to said that it is only cured with oral medicines - Nizarole or Lamissil in tablet form are two good ones. My cats seem (touch wood) to be clearing up after being on tablets for three weeks, with another week to go. I used cream too, but I think it is the oral meds that really prevented re-infection.

 

[michellek75]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I went to a new vet this morning for a second opinion. Now he has an upper respiratory infection, possible secondary skin infection and possible staff infection...along with the ringworm. We're not sure if the ringworm is still active - so he took a new sample to test. That will help us determine course of action.

Right now I will bathe the cats a couple times a week, give both cats an antibiotic (orally) for the upper respiratory infection and treat Stewie's spots with Lamisil (although he was really positive about CS).

Anyway - he calmed me down today which was good. It's not so much that I care what Stewie looks like...I just want to make sure he's not getting even sicker. Stewie is the type of cat that if anyone can get sick...he will. Now that I know he has a possible secondary skin infection and possible staff infection - I'm glad I brought him in. He needed it.

I'm also starting Program on Sunday - the vet said this was ok to do.

Thanks again everyone and I'll keep you posted!

mk

 

[kittenkiya]

Try Lamisil. I used it on Tammy-Timmy for 10 days, once a day. No more ringworm, no spreading of ringworm, has never come back.

 

[michellek75]

Thanks!! I'm on Lamisil now...crossing my fingers the ringworm gets better, stops spreading and all subsequent side effects start getting better...i'd be happy with things just not getting worse!

thanks for the encouragement!

 

[sadie's mom]

Sadie has had 2 bouts of ringworm (I will NEVER bring her to a public pet food store again

).

Here's what really worked for us (but it didn't work as fast as they claimed it would, but good results within 3 days, hair regrowth within 1 week): http://www.petsbestrx.com/PetRingworm/#shop
I used the Ringworm Super Pack. I did not bathe her everyday in lime sulfur as it's hard to get in Canada, instead our vet had me use the healing spray on Sadie's coat.

Our vet also prescribed 2 months of fluconazole (so Sadie doesn't become a carrier). She would not give Program for ringworm as she said it is hit or miss as to whether it really works - some studies claim it works, other claim it doesn't work.

I know how hard it is to feel so worn down and deflated! But, rest assured that there will be an end to it. And, in the meantime, just enjoy the fact that you're getting a daily workout without going to the gym.

Keep us posted on Stewie's progress (pm me if you need some first-hand advice on conquering ringworm) and I hope his URI clears up soon. Could you please let me know how you make out with the Program treatment. I'm curious to see if it works for Stewie. And, remember, ringworm looks worse before it gets better and it can take months to run its course. Also remember that the spores can live in your environment for up to 2 years, so it's imperative that you practice good housekeeping (vacuuming everyday, throwing away the bag after every use, is a good defence.

 

[sbent]

I'm new here, I was lurking for litter box advice, but had to answer this.

Give the colloidal silver a little more time. Also, are you giving it to your kitty orally? Give it to the other cat orally as well. I would think you should know in a week if it's working. I'm a lurker by nature, so I really feel confident about this enough to post.

I tend to talk a lot, so I'll try to make this short. Six or so years ago my daughter who was two at the time played with a neighbor's outdoor cat. A while later it appeared that she was coming down with the chicken pox. They grew into ringworm. Got all the topical and oral stuff from the Dr. and it didn't seem to do anything but make them stop growing. It was terrible. I called Whole Foods and they told me about Colloidal Silver. I don't remember how much it was, but it was less than $20. It worked. I don't quite remember the time limit, but it was much faster than conventional meds or I would have dropped it. It's good for a whole score of things that you can google.

Fast forward to a year and a half ago. We rescued a stray. She was tiny and covered in ringworm. Patches of hair were falling out. I checked online to see if c.s. was dangerous for animals and found out that it wasn't. I put a teaspoon in her water dish for two weeks and rubbed every place I could find on her fur with it daily. It cleared up the ringworm rapidly (as in, it looked better 72 hours later), but obviously it took the fur a while to grow back. I didn't want to chance conventional meds because she was so young, and we had such luck the first time.

I know it seems far out there, and I was really surprised at how well it worked. Another thing I learned was how to get rid of fleas and lice. Neem oil. This stuff stinks so bad, you almost don't care if the fleas are around, but within a week, there are no fleas. Our second rescue was 5 mos. ago and he's really furry and he was infested with lice. Neem oil took care of that problem.

So, there are my testimonials.