Our Ringworm Saga To Date...

[intertwangled]

Ok, so I’m looking through “how to” YouTube Videos about how to lime sulfur dip a pet. I ordered my bottle online to save time and money since the vet didn’t have any on hand and special ordering would take an extra week.

The problem is that the animals in most of the videos are not totally like mine. I have a larger dog (malinois), a small dog (Boston Terrier) that likes to lick everything, and a cat that will run for the hills if it’s bath time. Only the malinois has active symptoms (bumps currently being cultured for exposure to ringworm kitty I had been fostering until last week).

As for the animals in the videos:

1. They’re small (so easy to dip in a bucket).

2. They’re well behaved (so there’s no instruction on handling if they try to move around, fight, or lick themselves)

3. They’re bathed in a sterile environment with a holding area/ cage/ kennel for drying and easy access to an e-collar to prevent licking.

So I need to figure out a plan. What I would like to know is this:

1. How long does it take for the dip to dry (in case I have to hold onto them or watch them until the dip is dry)

2. What’s the most effective way to apply the dip to a large dog? (Garden sprayer)?

3. If I don’t have an e-collar, how should I handle/ restrain my cat/ dog during and after the dip to ensure its safety?

My thought was just take each dog for a walk in the sun after the dip but would 15 minutes in the sun suffice? What if the feet get dirty or the dip comes off the feet before it is dry?

Am I overthinking this?

Any tips appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! The member who posted this appears to still be active, you could pm him/her...

Severe Case Of Ringworm That Wont Go Away

 

[intertwangled]

Update: We (me and husband) ended up using the garden sprayer and sprayed/dipped them in the driveway with dogs on tie-down. My boston terrier hated it; my malinois didn't mind it and just stood there. Walked both of them (separately) afterward in the sun. Doesn't seem like either of them are trying to lick. Cat is nowhere to be found! (Oh, dear). Not sure how we will manage the kitty when we find him. He really hates being handled unless it's on his own terms; hardly even tolerates being picked up. He doesn't have symptoms so I don't know if itrafungol will be an option for him unless we are unlucky and he has late symptoms after we start treatment on everyone else.

 

[intertwangled]

So I decided to take the time to look back on the past few weeks. I know for many families the ringworm saga can several weeks to several months, which is very worrisome for me. I'm just thinking with a lot of experienced owners and professionals in this forum, maybe I could get some more (new) insights on what I should be doing... and of course, also any support is really wonderful. Sorry, this is a long post! And I know all of this may make me seem like a very emotionally needy and easily anxious person, which I admit right now I am feeling this way, but this is NOT LIKE ME AT ALL. I'm usually the calm, collected one; the "rock" of the family. I'm longing to feel normal again!

So initially, here is the timeline of what had occurred in our saga to date:

Friday 8/3 we rescued a kitten off the side of a busy highway near our home. She had multiple health conditions including fleas, worms, ear mites, eye infection, upper respiratory infection, and areas of hair loss. Gave an initial soapy bath. Kept in laundry room. Plan was never to keep the kitten but at this time all the shelters were overloaded and we couldn't leave her in danger.

Saturday 8/4 we took kitten to vet. We named her Peekaboo. Vet took ringworm culture (but no Woods Lamp exam) and performed other tests for other conditions. Prescribed treatment for eyes (terramycin) and ears (drops for the mites), and told to give maleseb baths 2x/week. We kept kitten in our bathroom as a precaution. But I did handle Peekaboo often, moreso after the first week since there was no phone call re: culture (and I didn't know any better).

Saturday 8/18 took kitten back for follow up. Eyes and ears cleared up. Ringworm culture came back negative. Vet gave us ok to let Peekaboo explore. Vet said ok to stop the baths as well. So from that day she had access to our master bedroom, bathroom, and one other spare bedroom. Kitten was very active. Because she didn't like dogs (and our cat doesn't like kittens) Peekaboo had no direct contact with animals. However, once she was put back in crate for the night, our other animals had access to our rooms, and likely had shared some common points of environmental contact.

Thursday 8/23 I noticed a few itchy spots on my chest and had what I thought were insect bites on my lower left ankle. Thought it might've also have been staph. Didn't think much but did itch them often. Was not cognizant about having to wash my hands.

Friday 8/24 one of my chest lesions started to raise and another area was extremely itchy to the point I could not sleep. I made an appointment with the after-hours clinic at the hospital (the regular clinics were closed as it was a hurricane (Lane) weekend).

Saturday 8/25 I got my chest lesions examined. Dr. thought "looks fungal" but wasn't sure. Gave me anti fungal ointment as well as steroid cream, which I've been applying twice daily.

Sunday 8/26 noticed a very ringwormy lesion in my personal area. At that point I knew it HAD to be ringworm. This was my day of panic. This day was the first day I had to put Peekaboo back into her crate full-time, and in the spare room, which we didn't have the time to clear out (and I didn't know I had to yet). This day we had to keep our adult cat Suarez permanently outside (he used to spend the night in the spare room where Peekaboo was staying). I emailed Peekaboo's vet (whose clinic was closed on Sunday). I started doing a TON of internet research and tried to get support online. This was the day I lost my appetite and started to lose my marbles.

Monday 8/27 Called Peekaboo's vet, they were able to schedule me for Tuesday. Needed me to bring her in for a weight so that they could prescribe oral meds (per my request).

Tuesday 8/28 Took Peekaboo back to kitty vet. I was crying the whole visit because she had been so distressed over the past few days and I was afraid to handle/ console her. Still no woods lamp test done, but the vet acknowledged the hair loss and my lesions and so did diagnose ringworm in spite of the false negative culture. I was able to get itrafungol for the kitten, and was told to continue with malaseb baths. No instruction on environmental cleaning or dipping.

Tuesday-Friday 8/28-8/30 I took many hours off work because I was unable to focus on anything but the ringworm. I hardly ate any food. My immune system was horribly compromised. I emailed my regular doctor, she told me to continue the meds but to schedule a follow-up. She also recommended showering with Nizoral (ketoconazole-based anti-dandruff shampoo) I did take the time to try to rest and clean the house. I spent so much money on cleaning products. But the fact that Peekaboo was in the house made things very stressful as she was constantly crying for attention. Meanwhile I was paranoid about my other animals having caught her ringworm.

Friday 8/31 I was able to find a temporary foster to care for Peekaboo. Things were looking up...

Mon 9/3 (Labor Day) I dropped off Peekaboo at her new foster. I had help from my in-laws that day to clean up and sterilize the spare bedroom that Peekaboo had been in. We got rid of the bed and chair, washed the curtains, swiffered the walls/ceiling/fan, and cleaned/ mopped the floor. I was feeling better until THAT EVENING, when I noticed a bump on my Belgian Shepherd Akila's nose. Per internet support advice, I initially treated with OTC Miconazole ointment. As it was Labor Day I had to wait until the next day to schedule an appointment for her.

Tuesday 9/4 brought Akila to her vet (different clinic from Peekaboo's). Culture taken from the nose scab (this was after two applications of the Miconazole). No toothbrush culture taken. Akila's vet recommended to continue treating topically with Miconazole 2x/day but also told me about deep cleaning the house and using a vacuum/ throwing out the bag. She also recommended that Akila be separated from our other pets so as to avoid transmission. I was devastated at this news. Akila is such a needy, devoted shepherd with high anxiety (because of her breed). I was scared that this would make compromise her immune system as my anxiety did mine. But the vet's position was just to take the precaution. I ordered Lime Sulfur Dip online (rushed) as I didn't want to wait to treat and heard it was far more effective than miconazole. Vet hadn't brought it up at appointment but I learned about the dip online, and emailed vet who said "it couldn't hurt." This was the first night we had to quarantine Akila-- in the same room that Peekaboo had been in. My husband has to sleep in the room with her to keep her calm (he is asymptomatic and has the stronger immune system so he offered). During the day Akila stays on the back porch. I didn't have any bag-style vacuum and I got really frustrated cleaning out the bagless Dyson. I purchased a used Dirt Devil upright vacuum on Facebook Marketplace and a ton of bags. I didn't know anything about the HEPA filter factor. I've been vacuuming daily with this Dirt Devil since I bought it, but changing the bags.

Wed-Thurs 9/5-9/6 I'm such a mess I took full days off work. I started noticing other lesions on Akila, and emailed them to the vet. On Wed 9/5 I had a ringworm follow-up with the Kaiser same-day clinic. I learned I had lost 5 pounds since the prior ringworm visit on 8/25. This Dr. recommended using OTC topical rather than continue the Rx ointment. They gave me a stronger steroid liquid (as my eczema was flaring from my compromised immune system). I was prescribed a single dose of oral Diflucan. And because of my anxiety I was diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety.. I requested a referral to a therapist.

Fri 9/7 I had my first therapist visit which helped, and I was able to get to work for a few hours afterward. Lime Sulfur Dip arrived from amazon.com that evening. Akila's culture was still negative but it was still early.

Sat 9/8 Akila and Taco (my asymptomatic 14 year old Boston Terrier) had their first Lime Sulfur Dip. Akila took it like a champ. Taco, not so much, but with my husband's help he did ok. Our adult tabby cat Suarez ran off. No way was he going to stick around for anything that involved baths or spraying. I worry about him because he may have been exposed having spent time in the kitten's room, and also because he is friends with a local feral cat that we would not be able to catch, treat, or bathe. As of right now Suarez doesn't show any lesions or hair loss. Knocking on wood.

Sunday 9/9 was probably the worst day for me emotionally. Called a lot of people and they came through for me.

Monday-Friday 9/10-9/14 I had to return to work (I'm a social worker) and play catch up. I had lost a lot of time but being at work helped me take my mind off Akila and her isolation distress. Cleaning every day, for several hours after work. Go to bed exhausted every night. My husband is my rock!

Tuesday 9/11 Dogs had their 2nd lime-sulfur dip. I called Akila's vet for an update on the fungal culture but the vet said it was still negative.

Wednesday 9/12 I took Akila to another vet per recommendation of someone in a kitty forum who had experienced ringworm. This new vet prescribed Akila with itrafungol (which we discussed at length). She also said she thought malaseb/ malaket baths were more effective than the dips but let me decide what I wanted to do. I decided to stick with the lime sulfur dip. She was ok with that. The Rx plan is that Akila will be on the itrafungol for a week, then a week off, and then switch to oral ketoconazole. (There is a limited supply of itrafungol). She also said that in a week, if Akila's lesions are showing progress we might be able to let her back inside by next Wednesday. I'm torn about this because I want her inside but also everything I read says "dogs can remain contagious for 3 weeks even with aggressive treatment." I don't want to have to start square one if Taco or Suarez were to start showing symptoms as a result of exposure.

Thursday 9/13 I checked in on Akila on the home security system and saw that she was barking (whereas before she was just pacing and whimpering). Our neighbors have a newborn and so I am worried about this situation as well.

Friday 9/14 felt more like a normal day. Appetite starting to come back (was able to have a light lunch and even a few nibbles of dinner!). Noticing that Akila is starting to settle more into this new routine. She is depressed which is sad, but better than distressed and barking.

And now, today is Saturday. Just decided to take a look back on everything that happened. It's dip day (will be the 3rd dip). Thinking we might have to catch Suarez to dip him at least once as a precaution. We'll just see how it goes...

--

So now, some questions.
1. Have I been doing harm by vacuuming with a non-HEPA Dirt Devil (I am using 3M Filtrete bags if it helps)? I don't know if I could afford a Miele. I've already spent a few thousand on vet bills, cleaning supplies, and increased electric bill from all the laundry. I think my Dyson has a HEPA filter but it's a pain to clean because it's bagless.
2. Would you go through the trouble of catching an asymptomatic cat and force-dipping him as a precaution? The new vet will not prescribe itrafungol unless the animal has symptoms (and our regular vet will only prescribe with a positive culture).
3. What's your take on my dog's isolation? Do you think the new vet's plan seems to make sense? Have any of you had to deal with a canine member of your family having caught the ringworm from the cat? How did you deal with it?

Thank you in advance!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I have never had to deal with ringworm, but just want to let you know that I have read your update and let you know that you're doing great so far. Hang in there. It WILL get better .

How's the kitten doing over at the Foster care home? Us he now pretty much symptom free? Has the Foster ever dealt with ringworm before? If not, they were awfully brave to take on this little one for you! If they have dealt with it, they might even be a resource for you.

I'm not bothering to attach any of our articles on ringworm, because it's evident from reading this update that you've read them, plus that 35 page thread of Bunnelinas. Wish I had specific answers for you, but I don't. So sorry. I know it's frustrating that you are even getting different answers from your Vets .

 

[intertwangled]

I have never had to deal with ringworm, but just want to let you know that I have read your update and let you know that you're doing great so far. Hang in there. It WILL get better .

How's the kitten doing over at the Foster care home? Us he now pretty much symptom free? Has the Foster ever dealt with ringworm before? If not, they were awfully brave to take on this little one for you! If they have dealt with it, they might even be a resource for you.

I'm not bothering to attach any of our articles on ringworm, because it's evident from reading this update that you've read them, plus that 35 page thread of Bunnelinas. Wish I had specific answers for you, but I don't. So sorry. I know it's frustrating that you are even getting different answers from your Vets .

The kitten (Peekaboo) is doing great at the new foster home. It's actually a co-worker of mine who is working for her-- As a side-job, I'm a social worker on a veterinary hospice team. My supervisor, a veterinarian, volunteered to take in the kitten. So yes, she is very experienced! And she has a nice big bathroom that's easy to clean while still being big enough for exploring/ enrichment! I try not to use her too much as a resource as she is doing me a big favor and I am trying not to overstep my boundaries as a contractor more than is necessary (trying not to bug her outside of work matters unless she asks me). But I do have other resources, including you lovely people on this site :-)

Yes, I feel like I've been reading practically EVERYTHING on the internet that has to do with ringworm, including the 35+ page (and counting?) Bunnelina thread and the articles posted on this site. If there were more resources for people with dogs (if there were a Karen Moriello canine counterpart) that would be real nice.. having a dog with ringworm has its own set of unique challenges. But since it seems to be more common in the cat community, I'm really glad that most of the cat people I've been speaking to have been super supportive.

 

[intertwangled]

The kitten (Peekaboo) is doing great at the new foster home. It's actually a co-worker of mine who is looking after her-- As a side-job, I'm a social worker on a veterinary hospice team. My supervisor, a veterinarian, volunteered to take in the kitten. So yes, she is very experienced! And she has a nice big bathroom that's easy to clean while still being big enough for exploring/ enrichment! I try not to use her too much as a resource as she is doing me a big favor and I am trying not to overstep my boundaries as a contractor more than is necessary (trying not to bug her outside of work matters unless she asks me). But I do have other resources, including you lovely people on this site :-)

Yes, I feel like I've been reading practically EVERYTHING on the internet that has to do with ringworm, including the 35+ page (and counting?) Bunnelina thread and the articles posted on this site. If there were more resources for people with dogs (if there were a Karen Moriello canine counterpart) that would be real nice.. having a dog with ringworm has its own set of unique challenges. But since it seems to be more common in the cat community, I'm really glad that most of the cat people I've been speaking to have been super supportive.

 

[intertwangled]

Oops, guess I can't edit/delete! Anyway I meant my supervisor on my side-job is looking after my foster kitten :-)

 

[intertwangled]

Another concern I have is that my (currently asymptomatic) adult tabby cat Suarez (pictured in my avatar, who is staying outdoors for the time being-- I don't trust my shepherd unsupervised around Suarez, and his "room" is currently being used as a quarantine room for Akila overnight) is chums with a neighborhood feral cat that I cannot approach, trap, examine, treat, etc. This feral cat (that we call "Girlfriend Cat" even though we found out later it's an intact male) does have some suspect pinkish spots on his face but I would not be able to know for sure if it's ringworm vs. the product of cat fights or environmental infections. He's always had scratches and weird stuff on his face even before this ringworm episode, but now that I know how horrible ringworm is, it makes me afraid to ever bring Suarez back inside or even pet him since I know the two kitties spend so much time together. Suarez thinks he's a dog and likes to (sweetly) rub up against my doggies when we're walking. It makes me so nervous. I feel like I might be talking into a long tunnel, but what should I do... Just keep Suarez outside until Girlfriend Cat's symptoms go away on their own and minimize contact with my doggies? What would you do?

 

[inkysmom]

Wow you've gone through a lot! I took in an adorable three month old three pound kitten next to a busy road almost eight years ago. He had one little bald patch on one of his front paws but no other health problems. So I didn't isolate him but let him out with my six other cats and large dog and all over my carpeted cluttered apartment. He of course had to sleep cuddled up with me all the time.
I and my live in boyfriend at the time caught ringworm before the cat's test came back. It takes at least two weeks to a month for a positive culture to grow.
All we did was wash all our clothes and bedding and everything we could once, vacuum once or twice, didn't do anything special you the furniture and isolated the kitten while he was treated daily for a month. I remember I had to give him some kind of oral medication and wipe his whole body down with a liquid medicated wipe.
Then the fun part of catching and wiping down the dog and six other cats with the same medicated liquid every night for a month. One of the cats at the time was feral and there was no way I was going to catch, hold him and wet him without winding up in the ER so he never got treated.
None of the other animals ever caught it and u didn't do nearly as much cleaning as you did. I did isolate and treat the kitten daily for a month and preventatively wipe down the rest of the other pets daily for a month and wash everything.
For the humans, the little itchy red circle spots went away with the cream the doctor gave me. There weren't that many but it was embarrassing.
It was definitely inconvenient, and a major stress and pain having to were paper towels and wipe down seven or eight animals a day and isolate a clingy yowling kitten and wash everything and I felt embarrassed that the doctor would think I was unclean. I definitely wasn't impressed with my stupid now ex bf telling everyone we'd caught diseases from my cat. But I don't remember getting as overwhelmed and devastated as you. But my mom had died of cancer the year before and a month or two later the bf and I broke up after many years together, so I guess a little ringworm paled in comparison to losses.
It is definitely overwhelming and time consuming to have to clean extra and medicate and bathe multiple pets daily.
I'd isolate and bathe your cat at least once to be safe and keep him inside and away from the feral cat to avoid reexposure.
My pets needed daily treatments for a month but that was eight years ago.

I was mainly mad at the two different vets who'd seen my kitten and tested for ringworm and not told me to isolate him or how contagious it was to humans and other animals.

I didn't take as many precautions as you and none of my other animals got it. I did isolate the kitten so your poor stressed dog is probably safer isolated even though it's not the best for its mental well being.

You'll get through this!!!

 

[inkysmom]

I would bring your cat inside isolate him in one room and start treating him daily and get him tested as soon as possible. Keep him isolated and inside for at least the month and treat him daily. Wear protective clothes, ie oven mitts if he's feisty and have your husband help you if needed

There are humane traps that you could borrow to trap girlfriend cat and bring him to a vet or shelter just to get a ringworm culture. Could take a month to get back but at least you'd know. You could just bring him in the rap there, the vet could sedate him, get the culture and you could set him loose again after he's awake.
That's the only way to be positive about no ringworm exposure. Or make your cat I doors only permanently so he can't get exposed. Outdoor cats pick up all kinds of ticks, parasites, infections and diseases that they can pass on to people.

I always make any cat I take in fully indoors only and they love being spoiled and pampered.

 

[intertwangled]

Thank you inkysmom for your kind and thoughtful response. I don't know if I could isolate Suarez indoors even after his room becomes free again. He's always been able to access the outdoors and I don't know if I could handle him meowing all day in the room for months while we wait on the feral. He is asymptomatic. I could do a fur culture for good measure. But for safety reasons, Suarez can't share the main part of the house for more than a few minutes because my shepherd will obsessively follow him around like she's hunting him, and if we weren't home to supervise she may even try to bite or kill him. Fungus aside, it's already such a balancing act managing our pets. We only ended up with Suarez because we'd rescued him from our neighborhood as well (a few years ago) and had nowhere to take him. I'd never in a million years would've thought I'd end up with a cat AND a cat-hunting dog but we've managed to make it work. So for now it seems more feasible for Suarez to stay outside. If it's true that ringworm is self-curing and if Suarez remains asymptomatic, maybe Girlfriend Cat will get over it after a few months (if it IS ringworm)? It is risky but I really don't know what else to do aside from trapping it and placing it under a stressful quarantine; or otherwise having to remove the cat from our neighborhood. But that cat has always lived here. It wouldn't be fair.

What kind of liquid medicated wipe did you use?

Wow you've gone through a lot! I took in an adorable three month old three pound kitten next to a busy road almost eight years ago. He had one little bald patch on one of his front paws but no other health problems. So I didn't isolate him but let him out with my six other cats and large dog and all over my carpeted cluttered apartment. He of course had to sleep cuddled up with me all the time.
I and my live in boyfriend at the time caught ringworm before the cat's test came back. It takes at least two weeks to a month for a positive culture to grow.
All we did was wash all our clothes and bedding and everything we could once, vacuum once or twice, didn't do anything special you the furniture and isolated the kitten while he was treated daily for a month. I remember I had to give him some kind of oral medication and wipe his whole body down with a liquid medicated wipe.
Then the fun part of catching and wiping down the dog and six other cats with the same medicated liquid every night for a month. One of the cats at the time was feral and there was no way I was going to catch, hold him and wet him without winding up in the ER so he never got treated.
None of the other animals ever caught it and u didn't do nearly as much cleaning as you did. I did isolate and treat the kitten daily for a month and preventatively wipe down the rest of the other pets daily for a month and wash everything.
For the humans, the little itchy red circle spots went away with the cream the doctor gave me. There weren't that many but it was embarrassing.
It was definitely inconvenient, and a major stress and pain having to were paper towels and wipe down seven or eight animals a day and isolate a clingy yowling kitten and wash everything and I felt embarrassed that the doctor would think I was unclean. I definitely wasn't impressed with my stupid now ex bf telling everyone we'd caught diseases from my cat. But I don't remember getting as overwhelmed and devastated as you. But my mom had died of cancer the year before and a month or two later the bf and I broke up after many years together, so I guess a little ringworm paled in comparison to losses.
It is definitely overwhelming and time consuming to have to clean extra and medicate and bathe multiple pets daily.
I'd isolate and bathe your cat at least once to be safe and keep him inside and away from the feral cat to avoid reexposure.
My pets needed daily treatments for a month but that was eight years ago.

I was mainly mad at the two different vets who'd seen my kitten and tested for ringworm and not told me to isolate him or how contagious it was to humans and other animals.

I didn't take as many precautions as you and none of my other animals got it. I did isolate the kitten so your poor stressed dog is probably safer isolated even though it's not the best for its mental well being.

You'll get through this!!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

As far as "girlfriend cat", can you maybe get close enough to shine the blacklight on him to see if it lights up? It's possible, if HE's the carrier, that Peekaboo actually got it from Suarez, who could be a carrier! Kind of like Typhoid Mary. I think some cats can be a carrier and never by symptomatic. Wouldn't that be something?

 

[intertwangled]

Yeah I don't know. I can get maybe within 10 feet of Girlfriend Cat before he bolts. I don't know if a blacklight would shine that far :-(

Peekaboo had hair loss from the beginning; and Suarez has been around me and my other pets for the past few years and we never had anything so I'm pretty sure Peekaboo was the source of the ringworm. Peekaboo and Suarez have never been in direct contact (aside from the one time Suarez saw her and tried to attack the crate she was in when we first brought her home). But they have both been in the spare bedroom or the master bedroom at different times. And it had to have been this shared environmental space (or my handling) that infected my dog Akila.

I hope I'm just being paranoid. Suarez and Girlfriend-Cat have been friends for a long time and I've seen weird stuff on GF-cat's skin before and never thought anything of it, even though I've always picked up and cuddled with Suarez. Ringworm never became a subject or issue until Peekaboo entered our lives.

As far as "girlfriend cat", can you maybe get close enough to shine the blacklight on him to see if it lights up? It's possible, if HE's the carrier, that Peekaboo actually got it from Suarez, who could be a carrier! Kind of like Typhoid Mary. I think some cats can be a carrier and never by symptomatic. Wouldn't that be something?

 

[inkysmom]

I don't remember the kinds of meds I used, it was eight years ago. It was a light blue liquid for the wash.
The only thing that worries me about leaving both cats outside is if they keep rubbing up against your dog and one has it or is a carrier the dog will keep getting reinfected which means you could keep getting reinfected. So if it were me, I'd either keep both cats outside completely and not let them have any contact at all with the dog or kitten if you take back the kitten, or maybe I'd test both cats and keep both cats in a room together since they're both friends. Maybe they'd be less stressed since they have each other. I took in a pair of very bonded adult male cats years ago when one got very sick with pneumonia. He was an abandoned stray and his buddy was completely feral. They had no issues at all living in one room in quarantine together for over a month being together. They were in that room longer while the sick one recovered.
You're nice, no way would I ever tolerate any of my past or present dogs chasing or hunting any of my cats. The dog would be tethered to me permanently or locked in a crate for as long as it took to learn it was completely unacceptable behavior. I am as positive as I can be with training all my animals but safety comes first. Then I do whatever works.

 

[intertwangled]

I think for now we will have to keep them outside we are still using the room for my symptomatic dog's quarantine until we get the ok from the vet. That room actually belongs to my stepdaughter; but she hasn't been over in a while as she has been spending more time with her grandparents (who live closer to her school). Only Suarez (my own asymptomatic tabby) is apt to try to rub and cuddle my doggies (not the feral); but I've been shooing Suarez away to protect my doggies and vice versa (Suarez just doesn't understand that Akila doesn't love him back!).

I just ordered the jkat shampoo and dioxiguard spray; so maybe with that on him it'll minimize any spores he's carrying or passing on until we figure out what's going on.

As for my dog.. I don't tolerate bad behavior but I can't control her internal emotional impulses. If I tell her to lie down and stay she will. She's always had to be obedient when Suarez comes walking our way when we're returning from a walk. She knows she's not supposed to tug or chase. But she will demonstrate anxiety and continue looking around as long as she knows the cat is about, even if she's on a down-stay while doing it. I guess it's like knowing there's a big spider in your bedroom. Your impulse is to want it gone, and you don't want to make a scene, but as long as you know it's around you can't rest. You'll listen to people that tell you to ignore it, but it's not a matter of obedience. It's deeper. So I have to work with her with emotional control over the situation. Til I get to that point, I just don't give her the opportunity to make any mistakes :-)

 

[intertwangled]

I just got an email from the vet and I am SO CONFUSED. Akila (my dog's) culture came back OFFICIALLY NEGATIVE after two weeks of daily monitoring. For most this would be cause for celebration, but for me it's still DOUBT! The culture was from one isolated site (dead skin taken off of lesion on nose). Never got a full body toothbrush culture or taken anything from the lesion on her ankle. Our foster kitten's culture was also an official negative (also taken from the visible hair loss/ lesion-y areas), yet we (humans) still ended up with ringworm and Akila still ended up with suspect lesions two weeks following exposure. WHAT IS HAPPENING? The vet can't really treat or give recommendations without evidence of the fungus. But I can't fathom what else the lesions on Akila ARE! They do seem to be responding to the treatment; they are smaller and turning color (less red; still too early for fur to grow back). We are still treating systemically per our 2nd opinion vet (though I hate to put vets at odds with each other). But I am not sure what to do next. Just emailed our regular vet back.

 

[inkysmom]

My vet and cats dermatologist both said it can take a month for the results to come back. Two weeks is too early to officially say it's negative. One of them, most likely the kitten since he's the newest addition, could be a carrier who's symptom free but infecting others.
Or your dog could be picking it up from other places like the vet or other dogs and giving it to you. Your dog could be the carrier. But again it takes a month to officially say a result is negative, two weeks is too early according to my regular vets and more than one cat dermatologist.

 

[intertwangled]

UPDATE now that it's almost OCTOBER.

1. Initial Ringworm Kitten finished round of oral meds; still with temporary foster family but likely to come back to our home in a few weeks if no permanent home is found before then. We're looking to set up a spay for her.

2. My lesions are healing at different rates. The ones that appeared first (that were very ringwormish) are almost totally gone, but it's taken about 5-6 weeks. They did heal on schedule, but it's the "clearing" that has taken forever (having the color go back to regular skin color). The ones that appeared a week or so afterward (on my feet and legs, mainly), are healing but you can still see where they are (patches of darker splotches but they're not raised or scaly). I've been trying everything: Lotrimin, Lamisil, Ketoconazole Shampoo, Tea Tree Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, and even have been spraying it with the J-Kat Dioxiguard spray. I'm so weirded out that people have had ringworm that disappeared 3-4 days after applying topical. In any case, I know I'm not supposed to be contagious as of several weeks ago, but I'm wondering for how long I will still need to continue with one-use towels (before washing) and regular sheet laundering, and when I can afford to be more cuddly with my husband and asymptomatic pets. My head and ears are itchy all the time. Possibly from the Nizoral shampoo? I keep examining my head/hair (visually and with blacklight) and asking my husband to look through, but he says everything looks normal; there's no pink patches or hair loss.. I freak out over pimples around my hair line. But they're not growing. I'm wondering if this is just the normal paranoia that goes along with the ringworm program.

3. My dog's lesions are also healing at different rates. Her nose and ankle lesion are healing well. They shrunk, the skin is looking more normal, and hair starting to grow back. Still, she has lesion-ish areas on her elbows that I discovered later in treatment. The funny thing is you can see them (pink round spots) even though they didn't result in total hair loss (some hair seems to be growing "through" the lesion, if that's possible?). I've been spot-treating them with lime-sulfur on the daily for the past week. She is still getting twice weekly Ciderm shampoos. Because of the Ciderm (per the product owner's guidance as she didn't know if one product would affect the other) we're not also doing the full-body lime sulfur dips anymore. Just the daily spot treatments. She has almost finished two weeks of oral meds (one of Itrafungol, one of ketoconazole). After tomorrow she will have one more week to go of ketoconazole. As of our follow-up checkup last week, the vet feels like we can probably bring her in out of isolation after tomorrow (having done 2 weeks of orals, and 3 weeks of either dips or j-Kat Ciderm shampoos). We'd still continue the oral meds, twice weekly bath treatment, and environmental cleaning for another week after that. Then after that, weekly baths and maybe weekend cleanings only? The vet didn't really specify. What did you all do? I'm nervous about bringing her in prematurely or stopping treatment prematurely (especially given her elbows), but she's been in isolation for 3 weeks already. The vet doesn't seem to think I need to bring her back for a recheck before letting her inside our house.

4. My other pets (boston terrier and tabby cat) have not shown any symptoms since this outbreak started almost 7 weeks ago (with kitten). My boston terrier has been getting baths at the same schedule as my symptomatic dog (belgian malinois). My tabby cat has had one J-kat Ciderm shampoo bath, and has been sprayed all over with the "lite" Dioxiguard shampoo from J-Kat twice. That's about it. I ordered food-grade Diomataceous Earth; heard that it can help as well and that it can be added to the cat food I'm giving my cat ad his feral friend. I'm getting mixed recommendations regarding my tabby cat and his feral friend (that has had no treatment, but has never been touched by me or my dog, and has never been where my kitten has been). The only way the feral cat would have caught ringworm (if he has it, which I can't tell because I can't get close enough to see anything) would have been either from the environment (totally independent of our outbreak), or through my cat (if perchance he is a carrier-- but even my cat has had no direct contact with kitten (only shared a common environment at different times). My tabby cat is mostly independent and doesn't get pet often as he's outside much of the time.) So I'm hoping that treating my tabby cat with a few baths will be enough. If I'm able to trap the feral (which I'm hoping to as he needs to be neutered), I might see if I could request that he get a culture taken while he's "under" for peace of mind. I have to wait till October to get that set up with the local rescue group.

I'm really hoping this is close to over as I start my new job on Monday, and my shifts will be 10 hours per day so I'll have less time outside of work to attend to treating my fur babies or my home. But I definitely appreciate any advice or support you can offer.

 

[intertwangled]

My vet and cats dermatologist both said it can take a month for the results to come back. Two weeks is too early to officially say it's negative. One of them, most likely the kitten since he's the newest addition, could be a carrier who's symptom free but infecting others.
Or your dog could be picking it up from other places like the vet or other dogs and giving it to you. Your dog could be the carrier. But again it takes a month to officially say a result is negative, two weeks is too early according to my regular vets and more than one cat dermatologist.

It's been almost a month now but no new word from the vet that did the culture. I'm not sure if they held onto the culture after having given me the "official" result vs. threw it out.

Kitten is not a carrier-- she definitely has had active ringworm as she glowed-- but the kitten has been outside of my home for the past month (living with another temporary foster family). I'm thinking my dog got it from me (as opposed to picking it up from the environment where kitten had been) since I handled the kitten, and then probably pet my dogs without thinking twice about washing my hands. And then she (my dog) likely spread it to herself (gave herself other lesions) because she rubs on everything. My other dog probably didn't get it because he's more mellow and so has a stronger immune system. And my cat, probably because I only pet him once in a blue moon (he's mostly outside and he doesn't insist).