Ringworm

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  • 15 November, 2011 at 5:16 pm #49029
    Patara
    Participant

    Does anyone have any experience with ringworm? I noticed some crust around his mouth so I took him to the vet and it was ringworm. He’s confined in the bathroom now with a towel, his heating pad, and his toys. He’s about 6 weeks old so he just started pouncing and running. He’s very playful. I feel so bad to have to lock him up. We cleaned everything and threw most things in the washer with bleach. He’s on Tresaderm and medicated shampoo.

    1 – How long does he have to be confined for?

    2 – How do you clean furnitures and things?

    3 – I looked up and found that a lot of vet uses Virkon to disinfect things. Has anyone else use that before?

    Thanks.

    15 November, 2011 at 5:24 pm #705681
    Jeankit
    Participant

    I’ve never had a kit with ringworm but I know some members have had experience with it. You can click the pink tag on upper right for more chats on subject until more join in on your thread!

    16 November, 2011 at 7:53 am #705682
    Patara
    Participant

    I searched the tag. Thanks so much, Jeankit! I feel so bad that he has to be locked up. He’s always meowing for me T_T.

    16 November, 2011 at 2:14 pm #705683
    ecbrown
    Participant

    I just wanted to wish you well with your cat. We had quite a struggle with ringworm when we adopted Leo. We knew it was possible he had ringworm so he was in the laundry room from the beginning. So I never had to sterilize couches, etc… The laundry room was easy to do with diluted bleach. We just used throw away boxes and towels for bedding and toys that could be discarded. Laundry washing and vacuuming are important. He was on oral and topical meds. After 2 weeks (out of 6) of oral meds the vet thought the life cycle of the fungus was interrupted enough to let Leo out of the laundry room. That may have been a bit soon…he still developed new lesions after that. But none of the other cats ever got it. And the humans in the house caught it while he was still in the laundry room (even though we washed hands carefully every time.)

    I think some people must be more immune to ringworm than others. My husband snuggled Leo like crazy and never got it but my kids and I did. Just be as careful as you can. One precaution I wish I had taken is having a set of clothing just for visiting with the ringworm kitty. The spores probably were all over our clothes even though we washed our hands. Good luck.

    16 November, 2011 at 4:13 pm #705684
    Mo
    Participant

    I don’t have any suggestions about cleaning. A lot of the farm cats got ringworm five years ago, and also gave it to me (I in turn gave it to my sisters…we were always told to share ;))

    What we do at the shelter is spray the cats with Vetericyn.

    Home

    “Vetericyn works quickly to care for infections or open wounds. In addition, it is safe as water so it will not harm your cat or the environment. Cats typically lick their injury so any products applied should be non-toxic. Vetericyn is non-toxic so it will not cause injury if it happens to be ingested or licked after application. This is possible because Vetericyn works in the same way as your cat’s immune system. As such, the body recognizes it as a friendly infection-aiding ally. Vetericyn also creates an optimal environment for healing.

    Vetericyn used on wounds have demonstrated a reduction in healing time by up to 60%. Vetericyn significantly increases the oxygen content at the wound site within 30 seconds and maintains that oxygen level for up to 36 hours. This increase in oxygen along with the reduction of infection is responsible for these accelerated healing times. As a one-step cleanser and dressing, it eliminates the need for multiple products while reducing the application time and requirements.”

    The cats that I have seen that were treated with Vetericyn healed much faster than those on any other ringworm medicene. It can be used for ringworm treatment, as well as other things (Hot Spots, Rain Rot, Rashes, Post-Surgical Sites, Burns, Cinch Fungus, Ring Worm, Skin Infections, Scratches, Eye Infections, Cuts, Skin Ulcers, Thrush and Insect Bites).

    That is probably way more information about treatment than you wanted, but I thought I would put that out there. I hope your cat gets better soon!

    17 November, 2011 at 11:36 am #705685
    Patara
    Participant

    Thank you EC Brown. I kept washing the clothes right after I go visit him. I didn’t want to leave it out because I’m afraid of the spores, so I’m doing laundry all day. At the moment, I’m not that scared that I’d get it, but I’m more worried about him getting worse or catching it again. From reading, it seems like if people get it, nail polish seems to work quickly. It must have been so hard to see your kids catching it.

    Thank you Mo for Vetericyn Info. If it works for the shelter, it must be really effective. It mentioned that it increases oxygen content to the wound to help with healing, but I thought you’re supposed to suffocate the spores and try to deprive them of oxygen.

    I just ordered PuracleenRX because it’s supposed to be a hospital grade disinfectant.

    After doing a lot of research, I think it seem to have more to do with the weak immune system, so I went out to get something to boost his immune system. The natural pet store sold me Flying Basset Colostrum that I could mix with his food. I also added some acidophilus (good bacteria) and a little fish oil to his food. He’s eating Wellness Core too. Hope these will help. I’m just trying whatever i can.

    I took him out to play in the sunlight earlier today (so he can be away from the bathroom and I think sunlight is probably good for him). He really enjoyed that. He’d run up his little cardboard scratcher wedge and do the belly flop jump onto me from there over and over. It was super cute :).

    27 November, 2011 at 6:40 am #705686
    Patara
    Participant

    Update: It’s been about 2 weeks. He went to see the vet again today, and the vet said it’s completely gone :). I only locked him up in the bathroom for a week, and then I felt bad, so I let him out after seeing that the scabs were already gone for a few days. None of us or our other animals caught it.

    I just want to share what I’ve done just incase someone else might end up with a kitten with ringworm as well. Maybe this will help since it worked for me:

    Quick info: The ringworm showed up when he was around 6 weeks old. Scabs were on the base of his whiskers, a little on his nose, some on his chin, and a little on his paws.

    I mainly used Tresaderm on his scabs day and night and used the medicated shampoo twice per week. (They were prescribed by the vet.) The vet still thinks that I should continue with the medicated shampoo and since I’m out of Tresaderm, use diluted iodine on the whiskers area (which is where I found the scabs) just to be sure for a few more weeks. When he was locked up during the one week, I was being extra careful and washing my hands and changed my clothes whenever I’d go play with him. I’d also take him out for a supervised session in the sunlight so he could run around a little bit and I figure sunlight is probably healthy.

    Other than that I focused on the nutrition since I noticed that Ringworms attacked weak immune system. He was on Wellness Core wet food and I’d leave some Orijen dry food out for him. I sprinkled a little bit of Acidolphilus (human’s Jarrow brand) and Colostrum (Flying Basset Organics brand), and also a few drops of omega3 fish oil (human’s Barlean brand). So I did my best to pump up his immune system and was hoping that he’d fight off the fungus.

    I was quite scared since it seemed to be super contagious, but eventually I realized that I probably cannot get rid of everything. I just tried my best to keep things clean and wash things often with hot water. I tried to make sure we’re as healthy as possible (take the vitamins) and get proper sleep so our immune system would hopefully be strong against the fungus. I think we were lucky. He seemed to be cured within a week.

    27 November, 2011 at 6:51 am #705687
    feral
    Participant

    Good job Patara. You are lucky. Most don’t get rid of ringworm that quickly. If I may make a suggestion. Be sure you research well before you give any vitamins or minerals to your kitty that are normally for humans. You can never be too careful.

    BTW…what’s your kitty’s name?

    27 November, 2011 at 7:03 am #705688
    Patara
    Participant

    Thank you Feral.

    Yea, I asked the vet first and they said it was okay :). I only gave him a little bit of the fish oil and the acidolphilus (little sprinkles and a few drops), and the Colostrum is for cats.

    His name is Sherlock ^^.

    27 November, 2011 at 7:18 am #705689
    feral
    Participant

    What a cute name!! I’ve got to say I’ve learned so much from others here since I’ve been a member,which I think has been about 4 yrs. now. I still keep learning. The beautiful people here have seen me thru thick & thin…good & bad times. They’ve been my rock!! I hope you enjoy TDK enuf to keep coming back. You’ll never be sorry you did.

    I reside in California with 9 furbundles, ranging from age 4-19(almost 20).

    And btw….Welcome to TDK Patara & Sherlock!!

    27 November, 2011 at 1:44 pm #705690
    ecbrown
    Participant

    I’m so glad you had success, Patara! My vet never even suggested shampoo/baths but it makes sense that it would be effective. (I have a horrible fear of ever bathing a cat, but Leo was a kitten so it wouldn’t have been too hard.)

    28 November, 2011 at 5:31 pm #705691
    Mo
    Participant

    That is great that he is getting better 🙂

    “Other than that I focused on the nutrition since I noticed that Ringworms attacked weak immune system. He was on Wellness Core wet food and I’d leave some Orijen dry food out for him. I sprinkled a little bit of Acidolphilus (human’s Jarrow brand) and Colostrum (Flying Basset Organics brand), and also a few drops of omega3 fish oil (human’s Barlean brand). So I did my best to pump up his immune system and was hoping that he’d fight off the fungus.”

    Nutrition does make a huge differance 🙂 It is amazing the health difference between cats food dry versus canned food, or high versus low quality food!

    May I make a suggestion though? Wellness CORE, as well as the Wellness line (both dry and canned foods) has been attributed in many cases to causing UTI’s in cats. I don’t know why – probably to high in some mineral. Wellness CORE is also, rather suprisingly, higher in carbohydrates than most of the Wellness grain free foods. Cats are not set up to digest carbohydrates – their typical prey would be 2-3% carbs on a dry matter basis (that is, IF they eat the stomach contents at all). I’m not saying to not feed canned (far from it!) but perhaps choosing a different brand would be a good idea. http://catinfo.org/ has information on picking brands.

    http://parenting-furkids.com/index.php?topic=747.0 is a link to a chart that I made with the carbohydrate levels in different foods on a dry matter basis.

    The best, low carb, canned food IMO is Before Grain canned. The company does have some questionable issues, but less than most brands. Unfortunatly, no commercial cat food IS perfect. You just have to pick the best out of them, if feeding a commercially made food.

    BTW, Nightmare (my one cat NOT eating home-prepared raw food) loves the 96% Quail & Chicken flavor of Before Grain. He is incredibly picky, so a food getting his approval, means something lol!

    28 November, 2011 at 9:33 pm #705692
    AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew
    Participant

    My crew doesn’t like the BG canned foods but my best friend’s two kitties love it (all the flavors) and they are very picky eaters. Now the BG chicken dry food, my crew will inhale if they could.

    29 November, 2011 at 5:06 am #705693
    bumblebee
    Participant

    Oh yeah, I remember something about the Wellness Core food causing UTI’s in some cats. I remember reading about that. Scary…. I’ve never tried feeding the BG canned foods. True, cats can sure be picky!!! LOL

    29 November, 2011 at 5:53 am #705694
    Patara
    Participant

    Feral – Thanks for the warm welcoming. I’ve learned a lot here as well.

    ECBrown – I have a high tolerance for pain. One time, my other cat was about to attack my mom’s little dog. I stuck my leg in between them to block (fearing for the dog’s life) instinctively as he was in the midair. My leg was extremely bloody lol. He felt really bad afterwards and was acting super cute/rubbing his head on me. I know he felt guilty, so I couldn’t even be mad.

    Mo – Wow that’s very interesting. All my cats were on regular wellness until I found out about the Core (recently) and I thought it was better because it’s higher in protein. I tried Blue Wilderness canned too, but they seem to like the Core more. I will definitely look into Before Grain brand :). I always try to do my best, and I hate it when something I do would hurt them instead of help them.

    Last time I tried to convert my other cats into completely raw food, one got really sick and then I found out he had CRF right after. Maybe his kidney was already pretty deteriorated (since he’s old), and the high protein raw diet ended up hurting him instead. I’ve always felt really bad about it :(.

    Thanks everyone else for informing me about Wellness Core and UTI!

    2 December, 2011 at 8:04 pm #705695
    Latifah
    Participant

    I found online that neem oil works on ringworm. I contacted someone from PetCo and was told that it worked to get rid of ringworm I am waiting for it to come in the mail now. I sure hope it works on Suggababy.

    2 December, 2011 at 8:12 pm #705696
    ecbrown
    Participant

    I’m such a worry wart, I looked up neem oil and safety for cats (I’m sure you already considered this.)

    This article indicates it’s probably safe but you have to look at the ingredients and make sure there are no essential oils in the product (neem is a pressed oil like olive…which they say is okay…tea tree oil is an essential oil…not good for cats.)

    http://susanspetcare.com/2009/07/15/is-neem-oil-safe-to-use-on-cats/

    Hope it works well for you. They say you can make a shampoo out of it too.

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