RINGWORM at the Sirrah house...argh updated 4/11/07

[krazyaboutkatz]

Debbie, I'm sorry to hear that Emily has ringworm. Starr had it when he was a kitten and I returned him to his foster mom so she could treat him because she also had several others fosters that had it. He had dry flaky white patches. It took several months and then he had another small a outbreak on his ears when I had him.

I bathed all of my cats just in case and I just used some medicine on Starr's ears but it irritated them a lot. I later used animax cream and he later had the same ringworm culture test that Emily had to make sure that he didn't have it any more. I also gave all of my cats the dog program pills just to be on the safe side and no one caught it. I forgot what the doseage was though. Good luck.

[Catsnclay]

Well Deb - how's it going??????

[shais_mom]

ohh
gosh -
I have no advice but am offering hugs and prayers!

[Lizzie]

I'm sorry you are going through this and hope that Emily's ringworm clears up quickly and it doesn't spread. Adult cats are more resistant to the fungus than kittens, so that will help. And, as others have said, some people are prone to get it and others are not. If you haven't experienced any itchy patches on your skin by now, you will probably be okay since I am sure you are now being careful not to allow Emily's fur to touch your bare skin.

I had three kittens with it at about the same time as Tracy. (Imagine keeping kittens still for ten minutes while the shampoo "works"!) Even though only one kitten showed signs of ringworm, I isolated them all in a large bedroom. That was in early August, when the weather was glorious and they really should have been out on the deck in the sunshine. By the time I was able to release two of them, it was December. The third kitten didn't show any signs until her brothers were almost clear so had to be isolated alone for another three months. Only now is her fur starting to grow back across her nose and around her eyes - the most horrible place for her to get it because extremely difficult to treat.

I feel sure that the fact you are treating Emily with oral as well as topical medicine, that she is an adult cat and you don't have any FIV+ cats will help you get through this in a few months. You will have to be insanely clean, laundering in warm water everything that Emily lies on every single day. Clorox, most unfortunately because I loathe the smell, is the only thing that kills the spores as you probably know from some web research. I threw out a sofa, climber, computer chair and rugs in order to ensure that I got rid of the spores because I couldn't Clorox them. Everything that I took into the isolation room was cleaned with Clorox when it left. Their dishes were washed on the sterilisation cycle. I wore a robe, overshoes and gloves that stayed in the room.

Good luck! It takes time and work, but it does go away.

[catnapper]

Oh dear - I have no advice but I wish you best of luck with everything. It sounds like a nightmare. (((hugs))))

[moosmom]

Ringworm is HIGHLY contagious to both pets AND humans. Make sure when you handle a cat with ringworm to wear rubber or latex gloves and always wash your hands everytime you handle them.

Miconizole cream for athletes foot is a great topical cream. I had a case of ringworm years ago. Fortunately, only one of my cats had it. She was isolated for 3 months till it completely disappeared. Her ears were totally bald. My daughter and I took turns sleeping in the bedroom so Marina Mar wouldn't get lonely.

Good luck and please, be careful.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Awwwwww, I just found this thread. I am not often on PT anymore...

My cats got ringworm (Maya & Inka) after we got Zazou. Zazou came from a shelter, and was a carrier for this disease. She didn't get ringworm, but I treated her as well!
I had to wash all 3 cats (Snoopy wasn't here yet) every 4 days, and give them medication. It was a VERY HARD time! I was as wet as my cats, and my kitchen was a wet mess . But..... it helped!!
After a while, when the bads weren't needed any longer, my scratches got time to heal properly . Be careful though when you have touched her: wash your hands with a special disinfectant !

Good luck, Debbie!!

Pics from my girls. Don't they all look so happy???
lovely Inka


gracious Maya


and the one who caused all this mess: lovely Zazou

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Poor pusscats....hard to explain to them that its for their benefit isn't it?

[sirrahbed]

Update on Emily and the battle against ringworm:

We are giving Emily her griseofulvin doses twice daily at 1 teaspoon at a time. She HATES the medicine and I think that right now, she hates us also The medicine is supposed to be given with a fatty meal, but Emily refuses wet food. We have tuna in oil but she does not even want that right now. So, we catch her twice a day, wrap her in a towel and do the best we can in getting that medicine into her. She has learned to spit lots of it out. This morning - I was very worried that she inhaled some of the medicine. I heard gurgling and gulping When I put her down, she acted very distressed and the rattling sound was very loud for about 5 minutes. She was able to give a few coughs and she is breathing fine now though she looks scared and *I* am still a little scared that I may have choked her. I hate doing this to her even though I know it is to get her healthy. It still makes me want to cry because she gets so upset - poor baby.

I have also researched and sent for some of the Program dog tablets. I found some research done among showcats and am following those suggestions.

As for the baths - the shampoo the vet sold us is Hexadene which does not even contain a fungicide - the vet feels that regular bathing helps to remove the spores. So, I am bathing her but not really aggressive about it. She hates that too. Thankfully, Emily is so sweet and docile that the baths are going pretty well - no bloodshed yet. Today is bath day but I may or may not do it.

I am washing all of our linens with diluted bleach and doing what I can to meticulously clean everything - but there is just no way I can eliminate the spores. We have upholstered furniture and carpet throughout the house. But I am trying. Lots of handwashing and cleaning. All of our kitties are snuggly with one another and short of isolating Emily for the next month - the cats are going to come into regular contact no matter where they are. I hope that isolation does not become necessary. I am petting and stroking her as I always do.

At this point, I don't know what else I can be doing. I hope we can get rid of the ringworm and that the other cats don't get it. I am planning to give everyone the Program. Emily's hairloss is contained to 3 spots and all but one are looking good. One spot is about the size of an egg but the skin looks good and there is no redness or irritation - it just looks like she has been doing too much grooming.

Fingers crossed here

[smokey the elder]

When I had a ringworm outbreak 4 years ago I was given Program tablets (double up the dose) and a topical called Trezaderm. The combination worked very well. I never bathed a single kitten. I was careful not to spread ringworm, but I think adults are usually more resistant. At the time the vet said I could give Program as a preventative, so I did that, too.

[sirrahbed]

When I had a ringworm outbreak 4 years ago I was given Program tablets (double up the dose) and a topical called Trezaderm. The combination worked very well. I never bathed a single kitten. I was careful not to spread ringworm, but I think adults are usually more resistant. At the time the vet said I could give Program as a preventative, so I did that, too.

Did you use the tablets? If so - how did you administer? Crush the tablets??
These dog tablets are supposed to be flavored so I hope this helps. I plan to crush and give everyone their own dose in tuna or something wet that they love. Emily will be a problem since she does not like wet food though I am hoping that a serving of tuna when she is hungry will help.

Anyone have suggestions about giving liquid meds? I have looked at some sites - just say tip head back and squirt the liquid in. ( I use a syringe) This is getting harder with each dose since the amount is a teaspoon and Emily is learning how to spit it out. Probably no easier way though - but after the choking scare this morning - I am hoping that someone can give me some better ideas.

[Killearn Kitties]

Oh dear I'm sorry to hear about poor Emily. Ringworm is not something I have experience of, but I will be sending good vibes to Emily and you.

[Lizzie]

I didn't have to bathe my cats either, just shampoo each affected area with KetoChlor, rinse, shampoo again and leave on for ten minutes, then rinse. I wasn't able to do this to the kitten who had ringworm across her nose and eyes and she took by far the longest to clear up even though she was the only one who I put on oral meds. She was on Griseofulvin, which is horrifically expensive, and we used a fungicide ointment, but her ringworm was very resistant. I told the vet I couldn't afford any more Griseofulvin and he gave me a prescription for one of the new oral fungicides, which I got at Costco for $25 for a six week course, and it worked. Of course, each area of ringworm goes away by itself after about six weeks, so it's hard to tell what is working.

It's a frustrating infection to deal with. Every vet has their pet theories. Every cat responds differently and copes differently.

I isolated my kittens because some of my adult cats are FIV+. If they got it, it would take many months to get rid of and they can't take the oral meds. If you check your other cats daily for hair loss spots, you can jump on them with shampoo and topicals right away.

When I gave Miss Zoomalot the syringes of oral med, I sat her upright against my knees so her head wasn't tilted right back. I aimed for the side of the mouth, if I could. That does sound scary that Emily choked. In your place, I would keep my eye on her because even though it sounds like she was able to cough it all up, she might not have been able to get rid of it all. I'm sorry your vet techs are not more supportive, they should be able to give you a practical demonstration. If I'm going through something new like this, I take mine to the vet and have the techs watch me to make sure I'm doing things right, no charge.

[sirrahbed]

Since the vet wants me to bathe Emily - I want to be compliant but wish the shampoo had fungicide in it to make me feel like it was more worth the trouble y'know? The Hexadene is available with miconazole but that is not what he sold me...I have only given cat-baths a handful of times and it isn't easy or fun is it.

Just a few minutes ago, Emily jumped up on my desk and let me pet her - I was so grateful! I still shudder at the thought of choking her. I think I squirted the last bit of liquid too far into her already-full mouth Now, I know I will be neurotic every time I give her the medicine. We have been wrapping her a towel and holding her close, so maybe just tipping the head will work - will try. I find myself spending so much time in the morning and evening dreading medication time even though I know it is to help her.

Lizzie - what was the newer fungicide you got at Costco? Do you remember? I would like to keep it in mind in the event that we need to treat anyone again. The Griseofulvin was $109. I did not realize that ringworm usually goes away on its own. But, I know I still want to treat Emily the best I can to minimize spreading the infection and to prevent more hairloss. I wish I had informed myself better going into this - but was so surprised to get the call that her ringworm culture was positive after a month. I hope the Program is effective because a couple doses sure would be tons less traumatic for cats. I am really glad that everyone is adult and healthy here.

I also read that if humans had not contacted ringworm by the time the cat becomes diagnosed - that they likely will not get it. I find that to be encouraging. We are all so hands-on here and my grandbabies are also here several times weekly. No humans have any signs. Fingers crossed again. I know that the ringwrm is minor compared to the truly ill cats I read about here, but I can't help being a concerned meowmie.

[smokey the elder]

I crumbled up the Program and spiked their food. I think I gave it every two weeks.