agk! I have ringworm!

**wolfie** · 10-03-2004, 10:04 PM

I got it from my friend's kitten.

I went to the doctor's today and he gave me a cream for it. (oh, and btw, ringworm is a fungus, not actually a worm!) Anyway, I asked him what I can do to make sure my pets don't get it and he didn't know.

Anyone know? I haven't been near them much since friday (when I noticed I had it), except to feed them and clean benjamin's litter box, to be safe. Although Cocoa was sleeping on my bed when I woke up Saturday morning! I feel bad that Benjamin hasn't gotten any exercise in 2 days - but I'd feel awful if he got ringworm from me!

**CathyBogart** · 10-03-2004, 11:06 PM

Use lots of tinactin foot powder(A wonderful anti-fungal), and unfortunately, try to keep contact with other fuzzies down to a minimum for now.

Been there, not fun.

**petslover** · 10-04-2004, 06:53 AM

Yeah, I caught a ringworm from my dog a few years ago. It takes forever to go away, or at least mine did. A little advice, don't stop using the cream when you think its starting to go away. Make sure it is all the way gone before you stop using it. Good luck with it. You can always wear a big bandage over it so it won't be as contagious and just wash your hands before you handle your pets.. Well at least, thats what I did and none of the pets got it...

**EssTer** · 10-04-2004, 07:10 AM

I have strange question... what is ring worm???

**moosmom** · 10-04-2004, 08:37 AM

Ringworm is a fungus that is very contagious both to humans and animals. My daughter had it when she was in the hospital having chemotherapy treatments. The doctor prescribed a cream which was applied to it 3 times a day (ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when applying). It can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months to go away.

My cat, RB Marina Mar got it as a kitten behind her ears. It took 3 months to go away and I kept her isolated in my spare bedroom from my other cats.

Most people who don't know what it is get totally freaked out when they hear the word ringWORM, even though it's NOT a worm.

**jazzcat** · 10-04-2004, 08:41 AM

Jazz had it when I got her as a kitten and it took about 6 weeks before the vet said I could take her out of quarantine and let her be around my other pets. I was very lucky and never caught it from her. I made sure I washed my hands after everytime I was with her and medicated her and I really disinfected everything daily and vacuumed regularly. Mostly though, I think I was just lucky.

**aly** · 10-04-2004, 08:56 AM

I've caught ringworm from the shelter a few times and I've had several fosters with it. My own animals have never caught it from me because I'm extremely cautious and careful. Be sure to wash your hands frequently. Use paper towels to dry them off instead of a towel so you don't spread it around. Try not to touch your infected area unless absolutely necessary.

If you get it again and don't want to go to the doctor, you can go get athlete's foot medicine over the counter to treat it. I always use Lamicil and it works well.

**wolfie** · 10-04-2004, 10:55 AM

Thanks everyone. I've been putting the cream on, and washing my hands like crazy

Do you think it'd be safe if I took Benjamin out of his cage to run around? Or should I not risk it?