Add me to the list.. Kohl has RINGWORM!!

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Two days ago I noticed a little round patch of crusty on his cheek. I knew immediately it was ringworm. It was a Saturday, so no vets open.
my mother made an appointment today for him at her vet. She had to take him because I had a prior appointment I had to tend to.
Anyways, he has ringworm on both sides of his cheeks. They did a skin scrap, a culture, a combo test (neg/neg) and the woods lamp. The vet gave him a sulfur bath and that is it.I must wash him weekly with it. I wanted him to have an ointment, but my mom did not push the issue as I would have.
So, on top of the rest of everything I have to do, I must combat this... And everyone knows how careful you must be with this fungus. Thank god he has not been around my cats. He was still in quarentine for a few more weeks. Atleast I can be thankful of that!
Wish me luck, this is just what I needed... :rolleyes:

[catmandu]

Oh No!
We are praying for Kohl, that you and your White Coats can get this under control.

[cassiesmom]

awwwww, da baby has ringworm! Boooo! So sorry to hear that, but I'm also very glad he has not been in close contact with your other cats. Baby Kohl, feel better soon.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

As of right now, he is one miserable kitten :(

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Just had his first Sulfer bath/dip. It was stinky, and his little teeth are chattering. I feel so bad for my little tyke. Makes ME want to cry for him. I have to let him air dry. I just hope this stops his itching. :(

[Catty1]

Does he have to have a bath that covers his whole body? Poor little guy...is there a heating pad you could put a towel on, or a small space heater?

I didn't realize you DID name him Kohl! I hope that poor guy feels better soon. How long does he have to have these baths?

HUGS to Kohl and to his caring meowmie!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that he has ringworm.:( Please be very careful when handling him. You may also want to change your clothes after handling him just to be on the safe side. When Starr was still with his foster mom, he got ringworm even though he was in a different room than the kittens that had it. His foster mom said that she must have been carrying it on her clothes and this is how it spread to him and 2 other kittens in the same room. I hope he'll get better very soon.

[jennielynn1970]

Ringworm is an airborne spore. It's not an actual worm or anything like that, so definitely be careful. Change clothes, maybe keep an air purifier in there with him as well. When we get it at the shelter, it is hell to keep under control and treat. There was a pill that they had gotten at one point to give to the cats. Can't remember what it was, just that it was expensive. They have a spray now also that they use on the kitties to help stop the itching and treat it. Will have to check the name of it out for you.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Katie, you may also want to put all of your other cats on the dog program pills just as a precaution. This is supposed to help with ringworm but you have to give them a large dose. I did this with my cats and none of them got it from Starr. Here's a link that talks about using it: Program (http://www.showcatsonline.com/program_and_ringworm.htm). This talks about using it on cats that already have ringworm though. I hope this will help.

Here's the doseage that Starr's foster mom's vet gave her:
The vet gave me two different size pills. The small one is 90 mg. and the large one is 409.8 mg. The dosages they gave me were based on the weights I provided and are as follows:

17 lbs. 2 large
14 lbs. 1 1/2 large
12 lbs. 1 1/2 large
8 lbs. 1 large
3 lbs. 1/2 large
1 lb. 1/2 small

I'm supposed to give the pills with a full meal and repeat this dosage in 2 weeks. Everyone gets the same dosage except for the 1 lb. kittens who will get 1 whole small pill at that time.

Here's another website that tells more about it: Program Use (http://sllewellyn.homestead.com/Fungus.html). I hope that this info will help.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Aw.... poor you, and poor kitten... :(
Be sure to wash your hands very well after you touched Kohl and before you pet the others :)
Good luck :)

[CultureJunky]

Damn, Katie that is not what you needed right now. I am so sorry.
I really hope it clears up quickly, and PLEASE be careful not to get it yourself and pass it on to the others, that would be a nightmare to much to think about!
Good luck in your fight against it, and pass on my wishes to Kohl to get better soon.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Hi. Thank you all for your input and well wishes. Little Kohl is still itchy, and miserable.

He only gets the bath every 5 days, which isnt bad. He just hates it, and I hate it for him.
I went to MY vet today and he prescribed Tresaderm as a precaution.

Krazy- Do I have to get that from my vets office, or can I order it online? We did not carry it at Lehrs office... And I doubt another vet will prescribe it to me, without ANOTHER exam (more money).

My only problem with this whole thing, is the amount of touching I must do. I have to handle him CONSTANTLY with the meds, feeding, burping, cleaning his bum off... Whew. It is hard work. I CANT let any of the others get this. I refuse to. I am being very careful. I use gloves when I am handling him, and I wash my legs and arms off IMMEDIATELY after contact. I feel so bad, because all I want to do is kiss and cuddle him, and I cant. :(

[krazyaboutkatz]

No, you don't have to buy the program from a vets office. I bought mine online. I bought mine here (http://www.entirelypets.com/progfleconfo.html). Good luck.:)

[sirrahbed]

Here (http://www.calvetsupply.com/) is another place that sells the Program and is where I bought mine. It was about $36 for the six pack of the large size. (Thank you for posting the dosages, Tracey! I had calculated Emily's by weight and gave her slightly less but I was close)

Sorry to read that you are dealing with ringworm also. It must be very hard to get the face wet when shampooing. We are about 3/4 through treating Emily and her spots are looking much better and are growing fur. We also have a gross liquid medicine, griseofulvin - but very little actually gets into her. She hates it and foams it right out of her mouth.

I hope Kohl gets over this soon.

[Lizzie]

I'm really sorry this has happened, Katie, both for you and Kohl. I remember hating the fact that I couldn't cuddle, snuggle and kiss the kittens for months when my group got it. Even now, I can see the effects of limited handling during the 3 months they were in isolation. Can you hang up an old robe in his room so that you can put it on when you enter and leave it behind when you leave? That's what I did, as well as gloves, and I had shoes in the room that I slipped on and off for use in that room only. You are going to come to loathe the smell of Clorox.

I am hoping that we don't have it back. I found a couple of lumpy places on Darcy's shoulder yesterday and when I investigated, I accidentally peeled back a scab to find a raw patch of skin. I left him at the vet all day for them to check him out. The cytology report didn't show anything awful, but now I have to wait 10 days for the fungal culture. It doesn't look like ringworm, but since I've had it in the house in the past year it's high on the list of possibilities.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Thank you both for the links to the program. I think I am going to try it, just in case.
The ringworm has spread to his chin and throat, but hopefully that is as far as it gets.
I am treating this as toxic waste is handled! lol
Lizzie, yes I wear gloves, and socks and I change outfits before I leave the bathroom. Thankfully the washer is beside my bathroom, so it goes right in. Then I go back to shower.
Thanks to everyone for the support and well wishes, also ideas and advice. I will update more tomorrow on the situation.
*hugs* kt and kits