scabies or mange? moma cat aggressive with kittens

Ok so finally my colleagues got back to me with a mix of good and bad news:

The good news are: when they fed mome more food, more regularly, she started spending more time with kitties. Kitties still don't want any food. They are mixing eggs and sheep with some fat and sometimes chicken and feeding mom. They will add non cow cream if they find it.

The bad news are; going out to LOOK for cat food and medicine is not an option.

They did try to call up some vets but they were not successful. They will try again to see if a vet would come instead of them going.
There are more details but since this is a public forum id rather not mention... bottom line is, they couldn't find any of the medicine.

There are 2 ways to proceed:

1. I need to make a list for my friend who is flying in to the country next week. I will ask for revolution (selamectin) or anything other alternative they find, ivermectin or any other alternative, anti fungal amd anti parasites spray. ... cat food.

What else?

2. What are medicines that are found in a human pharmacy that could be helpful? Anti parasite anti fungal antibiotic....
Amoxicilyn for example....flagyl for intestines. ... what else?

3. My colleague there is willing to neuter the small male kitties herself is she gets some guidance on to do it. Any volunteers?

OK, ringworm is a fungus. Mange, aka scabies, is a parasite.

Revolution treats various parasites including mange.

Ivermectin also treats various parasites, including mange.

Malaseb treats both ringworm and mange.

Lime Sulfur Dip treats both ringworm and mange.

People have to remember that these cats are in a military base in Iraq so skin scrapings and cultures are likely not available. Revolution, although good, requires a prescription and since both mom and kittens have to be treated it will be fairly expensive. (Regardless what mom has the kittens should be treated too.)

In shelters, where things have to be done on the cheap, any skin conditions are usually treated with lime dip or malaseb shampoo because you can't know for sure what it is and paying for cultures to come up with an exact diagnosis isn't an option. Also, even when you do a culture vets normally recommend starting treatment right away, before the culture comes back since it can take a while for it to come back and you don't want to delay treatment for several reasons.

The reason I think lime dip or malaseb is a better option is because not only will it work for both fungal and parasitic infections but it's available over the counter, is only about $15 to treat the whole bunch and may very well be available in Iraq.

Iraq is close to the United Arab Emirates which has a large Western population and therefore has western vet care and products. It may be easier and quicker to buy what's needed from a UAE vet instead of shipping it from the US.

(Also, my original advice about bottle feeding the kittens was based on them being about 2 weeks. At the size they are it's not necessary.)

Do you know where in Iraq your friend is stationed?

Excellent advice.

I just want to add, the lime/sulfur dip must be repeated once a week I believe to cure completely.

Also, good consistent food is essential, as she has this condition due to poor/malnutrition.

I also will add another two cents, I don't believe it is ringworm, it does look like mange to me.

Regardless, they are both treated with the lime/sulfur dips.

Hi again.
Correction. They are not in a military base, but in a civilian compound - civilian organisation, but still they cannot get out. (Period).

Nothing will be shipped from the US. A friend is flying over from Kyrgyzstan, she will bring whatever she finds...

Lime sulfur dip and masaleb, okay... good way to proceed. (Now who's the genius who will find out the names in russian and Arabic)

I still think that calling a vet to come over should be an option (if they promise to pay extra). I will try again with them.

Will ask my friend to get cat food.
Will update you as soon as I have news.

It is not a pet friendly place at all...

djoe said:

Ok so finally my colleagues got back to me with a mix of good and bad news:

The good news are: when they fed mome more food, more regularly, she started spending more time with kitties. Kitties still don't want any food. They are mixing eggs and sheep with some fat and sometimes chicken and feeding mom. They will add non cow cream if they find it.

The bad news are; going out to LOOK for cat food and medicine is not an option.

They did try to call up some vets but they were not successful. They will try again to see if a vet would come instead of them going.
There are more details but since this is a public forum id rather not mention... bottom line is, they couldn't find any of the medicine.

There are 2 ways to proceed:

1. I need to make a list for my friend who is flying in to the country next week. I will ask for revolution (selamectin) or anything other alternative they find, ivermectin or any other alternative, anti fungal amd anti parasites spray. ... cat food.

What else?

2. What are medicines that are found in a human pharmacy that could be helpful? Anti parasite anti fungal antibiotic....
Amoxicilyn for example....flagyl for intestines. ... what else?

3. My colleague there is willing to neuter the small male kitties herself is she gets some guidance on to do it. Any volunteers?

Click to expand...

djoe said:

Hi again.
Correction. They are not in a military base, but in a civilian compound - civilian organisation, but still they cannot get out. (Period).

Nothing will be shipped from the US. A friend is flying over from Kyrgyzstan, she will bring whatever she finds...

Lime sulfur dip and masaleb, okay... good way to proceed. (Now who's the genius who will find out the names in russian and Arabic)

I still think that calling a vet to come over should be an option (if they promise to pay extra). I will try again with them.

Will ask my friend to get cat food.
Will update you as soon as I have news.

It is not a pet friendly place at all...

Click to expand...

Why can't you ship something from the US? It would be a lot easier than trying to figure out what's available in Kyrgyztan and where to find it. I did a bit of checking on vets in Iraq and according to what I've found the veterinary infrastructure was pretty much destroyed with the war so finding a vet to come out may be hard. Iraq is still, after all, a war zone and pets are not high up on the priority list in times of war.

In most of the developing world veterinary care is not mainly focused treating pets but on treating livestock. Livestock vet care is a bit different than small animal vet care. However, parasites and fungal infections face livestock too so I bet there are treatments for these conditions in Kyrgyzstan and Iraq. Maybe stores that serve farmers would carry these kinds of products. Of course veterinarians should have something.

The active ingredients in Malaseb are Chlorhexidine (for mange) and Miconazole (for ringworm). Look for these ingredients. There is a similar product called Pharmaseb that contains Chloroxylenol (for mange) and Ketoconazole (for ringworm). These ingredients can be used just as well. Lime Sulfur is used for a number of things, such as treating plants and bushes. I would not use that kind on the cats. Only use it if you find it as a dip for animals.

There is no reason to give these cats any kind of antibiotics. That won't help. In fact, antibiotics can kill good bacteria that they need to fight off the problems they do have.

3. My colleague there is willing to neuter the small male kitties herself is she gets some guidance on to do it. Any volunteers?

Click to expand...

I hope you're not serious about that. You can't start performing surgery with just some guidance on how to do it. Please tell your friend not to do anything like that. She could put the cats at tremendous risk, including death. I've seen many cat neuters be done but I would never, ever think I could do it myself. It's a minor surgery but it's still surgery that is done in a sterile environment under general anesthesia.

If it was me I would get a little care package together from the US and send it to your friend in Iraq.

@ziggy'smom im not in the US. I am actually neighbouring iraq at the moment.

Anyway shipping wont work as most "medicine" won't pass through customs.

My friend in KYG has found anti parasites and anti fungus sprays and shampoo, and she brought whatever cat food she could carry. Hoping they pass as individual use in her suitcase. Plus this is the most time saving way as she will be arriving tomorrow.

Hello everyone!

MEDICINE AND FOOD REACHED Baghdad yeseterday! Yupi!

treatment and feeding in process.

still looking for a vet who will go to the compound and neuter everyone!

On a different note, please see this announcement http://blog.myletsadopt.com/2014/05/20/emergency-its-life-or-death-for-diego-in-the-middle-east/

As for neutering the kittens yourself, I don't see why, under such extreme circumstances, it couldn't be done. Every day there are thousands of calves being 'neutered' every day under a lot less sanitary conditions then you would have. I know ranchers that neuter their own every year and they haven't lost one to infection. I think I would try to neuter then leave these poor babies to live a life of fights and abscesses. Good luck and I'll pray for you!

djoe said:

 
Hello everyone!

MEDICINE AND FOOD REACHED Baghdad yeseterday! Yupi!

treatment and feeding in process.

still looking for a vet who will go to the compound and neuter everyone!

On a different note, please see this announcement http://blog.myletsadopt.com/2014/05/20/emergency-its-life-or-death-for-diego-in-the-middle-east/

Click to expand...

Excellent!

I just shared the link for Diego too