Ringworm info needed NOW !

[jenluckenbach]

Pumpkin has ringworm and the vet can't see him unti Thursday night.

1) can I use a human over the counter anti-fungal?

2) Does it only spread body to body or can it live on surfaces?

He has been in contact with ALL my cats for 27 hours. What are the odd I have an epidemic.

HELP!

[Craftlady]

ringworm (http://www.hdw-inc.com/healthringworm.htm)

This article says no to human remedies and according to the article, Yes to its very contagious. :(

[catnapper]

Soory Jen, I have no idea. I do think I remember someone here commenting on using human antifungal ceam. I can't tell you who or when though.

[NoahsMommy]

If its the same as the human variety, my friends used to use nail polish remover to kill the ringworm.

I don't know. Its worth a call to the vet, maybe?

Be careful yourself....you can get it just by touching your cats. Do you have gloves??

[kittycats_delight]

Oh Jen....I am sorry. Get that boy quarentined. I think that is a start. I wish I knew what to tell you. Maybe Tracey knows of something.

[catmandu]

I REMEMBER MY AUNTS TELLING ME,THAT YOU CAN CATCH RINGWORM,FROM CATS,AS MY DEAR MOTHER,HAD RINGWORM,FROM HUGGING HER CATS.
AND THAT ONE BY ONE,MUST HAVE AN INFECTION,FOR PUMPKIN,TO HAVE CAUGHT IT,AND YOUR CATS,HAVE TO BE TESTED TOO.
WE ARE SORRY,TO HEAR THIS,AS THIS,IS SOMETHING,THAT YOU DONT NEED.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/catmandu/catphotos1112.jpg

[rg_girlca]

Oh Jen, if it doesn't rain, it pours. Poor Pumpkin and poor you.

((((((HUGS))))))

[jenluckenbach]

Well, it looks like my household is doomed.

this article.....

http://www.astdhpphe.org/infect/ringworm.html

says ringworm can be transmitted via surfaces, and Pumpkin had been everywhere over this past 27 hours. I can only clorox so many surfaces, everything else is carpet or cloth.

I guess I wait until Thursday to see what the vet thinks about the other cats. 16 other cats !!!!!!! :( :(

[slick]

Oh boy, if it isn't one thing, it's another. I'm sorry that I can't offer up any advice as I've not had any experience with ringworm.

Would it help if I booked some holidays, a plane ticket and landed on your doorstep to help? I'll scoop the poop, pick up the puke, wipe the bums and anything else you need. ;)

{{{hugs}}}

[caseysmom]

My puppy had it and my dog nor any humans in the house ever got it. I used the meds the vet gave me but a friend used the human over the counter meds and it wiped out the ringworm.

I would bathe the other cat, quarantine the one with ringworm, vacuum and wash like crazy and wash your hands a lot.

[JenWhite]

:( Oh Jen. We adopted a kitten that had ringworm (among other maladies) the vet said oh, don't worry you won't get it :rolleyes: uuumm, yes we (my huby, son, step-son & myself)sure did in a very bad way. I would try to keep your affected cat away from others, and try not to snuggle/handle him. I used nizoral an antidandruff shampoo on our kitten at the vet's advice. I hope you get this all cleared up soon!

** It can take 10-14 days to actually show up, they looked like little flea bites originally on us :o

[Laura's Babies]

The last ringworm I had was after my daughter in law had come from out of state and brought her cat. I couldn't figure out where in the world I got it since it was on my upper leg. Several week after returning home, she called me to tell me her cat was discovered to have ringworms and I had a persian cat that would allow NO grooming PERIOD! My cat never caught it but I did! He needs to be isloated PDQ!

[jenluckenbach]

Slick.........You're hired!!! :D :D

Pumpkin will be separated until the vet appointment and then for however long is needed.

I will ask the vet about program for my other cats (as a preventative)

I already cloroxed all surfaces I was able to.

Vacuuming......next.

With such short exposure, I'll hope for the best. If I get it, well, OK, but please...not all my other cats. :(

[AbbyMom]

Jen

One of my fosters, too, had ringworm when I brought him home in August (unknown by me at the time). He is one of a bonded pair that I keep in the spare bedroom.

His companion has not caught it after more than 5 weeks in the same room, so apparently not all cats will catch it. YEA!

When I took him to my vet she asked if I wanted the vet topical treatment or if I wanted to get the human stuff from Walgreens. I assume from her question that the vet stuff is preferable for cats, but human stuff will do in a pinch.

But...please wear latex gloves to apply it. I bought these little latex "finger cots" at Walgreens that cover just one finger. This will help prevent you from catching it or spreading it. They are in the first aid section. I also found them at Target.

Also, my vet highly recommended shaving the area, especially since he has long hair.

GOOD LUCK! Sorry you have to go through this.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Jen, I'm so sorry to hear this.:( Ringworm can be very difficult to get rid of and so far I've been lucky in that only Star has it. I'm actually taking him to the vets this Saturday so they can do a culture to see if he still has it. Hopefully he's finally cured.

I was using the Miconazale spray from the vets but it was irritating his ears too much so I decided to order some other stuff online. I'm now using an infection protection gel which has benzalkonium chloride in it and a healing and protection spray that I spray on him every 4-6 days instead of bathing him which also contains this.

You can also buy a similar product called "Fungisan For Cats" at Petsmart or probably other pet stores which also contains this same ingredient which I wasn't aware of until last week. I also bought Pet's Best Disinfectanct Spray which is an antimicrobial spray that gets rid of viruses, bacteria, and fungi and you just spray it any where you need to. It's very pricey though so it would probably be best to stick with clorox bleach. Here's the link to the stuff that I ordered: Pet's Best RX (http://www.qbased.com/petsbest/ringworm/). I've also been giving all of my cats program pills and I'll continue giving these to them for 6 months. You can order these online too. Good luck.

I also found out that some cats will never break out with ringworm but they can be carriers of ringworm.

[rkidsrcats]

Tiger brought it home with him when we adopted him, but only showed minor skin flaking and no major infection, we think he was more a carrier. However, he passed it on to Percy who lost some hair on the back of his neck during his bout with it.
None of the other guys got it, but I got a little on my neck where Tiger would curl up and sleep. It was about 3 months before we saw any signs of ringworm in Percy after getting Tiger, so the short exposure time you are dealing with might save you.

Vet prescribed conofite lotion for Percy and anyone else that showed signs. We used gloves to handle Percy and Tiger and washed and bleached blankets, towels...etc. Anything they slept on. And we just kept washing stuff and being really careful about washing our hands and using gloves when we handled those two. Luckily, no one else caught it, but we used the lotion and precautions well into 6 weeks total before we were in the clear.
We didn't do baths, except for Tiger because he tolerated it and we thought he was the source.

And for MY neck - the vet said use Tinactin. It worked.

Sorry this is happening to your crew - hopefully it is minor.