Ringworm, help, I'm panicking!

[Heliakos]

Hi everyone! So, in September I found a lil handsome stray cat outside, took it to the vet and then home. Ive got 2 dogs too, everything was fine until recently - the cat ( my Heliakos! ) was diagnosed with ringworm. We immediately started treatment, we did the vaccine against the ringworm too, we are only 1 weak in and Heliakos is responding well BUT I made the mistake to read stories of people online with similar experience and now Im panicking, people have been talking about it like its the Plague itself, how the spores never really leave your home, how you should clean day and night day and night and still you cant get rid of it, how it never leaves the place or the system of its host.
One of my dogs is a senior dog and has got cancer, Im very afraid shes gonna catch it too, the idea of this thing living at my home infinitely is killing me right now. Im gonna vaccine my two dogs against it too in the following days and clean around well, but what is it wont be enough? What if it keeps coming back? And the thing is, Heliakos have been roaming the yard too, the home, and the shed too. Lets say that I clean my house perfectly well, how on earth Im gonna clean the yard and dark, full of old furniture and things shed too:? Dont even have the amount of money or time that would demand. My best friend tells me to give Heliakos away to avoid similar problems in the future, but I could never do this, he's the best cat ever.
If anyone has similar experience or advice, I will be grateful to listen to it. And sorry for my long post, Im just in full panicking mode right now.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. So, stop reading horror stories on line. Just give whatever meds were prescribed and do another fungal culture after treatment. I would definitely keep him inside as he probably picked it up outside.

You cannot sterilize the outside. But you can prevent him from going out there. Does he seem healthy otherwise?

With your dog with cancer, do they sleep together? Look over your dog a couple of times a week for any lesions. But honestly, I wouldn’t be concerned. Wash any bedding, vacuum and clean surface areas and you should be fine. No need to bleach everything or use harsh chemicals. If your cat is improving and there are no new lesions, you should be ok.

 

[Heliakos]

Hi. So, stop reading horror stories on line. Just give whatever meds were prescribed and do another fungal culture after treatment. I would definitely keep him inside as he probably picked it up outside.

You cannot sterilize the outside. But you can prevent him from going out there. Does he seem healthy otherwise?

With your dog with cancer, do they sleep together? Look over your dog a couple of times a week for any lesions. But honestly, I wouldn’t be concerned. Wash any bedding, vacuum and clean surface areas and you should be fine. No need to bleach everything or use harsh chemicals. If your cat is improving and there are no new lesions, you should be ok.

Thank you for your fast reply, really appreciate it. We have the two dogs inside, they dont sleep in my bed but we sleep in the same bedroom. Its not the possibility of me catching it that scares me, but the possibility of the disease being impossible to get rid of it ( coming back after treatment, staying forever in the home and yard etc ).
Before this happens, the cat was coming inside and was chilling in the yard and in the shed too. I have quarantined the cat in the shed now, as I dont have any other room in the home for it ( just one bedroom and a kitchen ). I still let him in the yard every day for some hours, because I cant keep him prisoned in the shed, as I read that the sun helps with ringworm and the cat needs it. I know its not wise as hes probably spreading those spores all over the yard thus making it easy for the dogs to pick it up, but what should I do? Keep the cat in the dark shed 24/24 day for 1-2 months? I really dont know what to do. Ive thought of buying a big cage-like home for the cat and have it the yard ( way easier to clean than the whole shed and yard ) but it feels way too inhumane, I cant do this to him. Not to mention that my best friends says " give him away otherwise you will deal with this for more than a year ", how can I do that? Hes the cuttest and well behaved cat Ive ever met and its not his fault anyway. I dont know where he caught that, he wasnt really getting in touch with any stray cats, my home, yard and shed were clean, Ive got my dogs for over a decade and we never faced ringworm before. I suspect the vet office? I live in a village so its not an organised clinic, just a neighborhood vet office, maybe he caught it from there when I took him for his montly spot on treatment ( he has the lesion on his back-shoulder ). I dont know.

 

[Thales]

You don't need to clean everyday. When my cats had ringworm I would clean 2x a week (swiffer/clean the surfaces, vacuum, wash beddings). It took like 1.5 months to get rid of it, but it could have been sooner because vet wanted to try topical only first, but of course it didn't work. Once they had oral meds it was a smooth recovery. Only 2 of my 5 cats got it, and I didn't quarantine because of lack of space.
And don't listen to your friend. Of course there is a possibilty of reinfection but as long as you're doing what the vet told you to, it should be fine. Check your dogs (and yourself!) for any lesions, but I read that dogs are less prone to ringworm. Take a deep breath, it's going to be okay!

 

[fionasmom]

How to Deal with Ringworm in Cats [Inc. the Housecleaning Regime] - TheCatSite

 

[Heliakos]

You don't need to clean everyday. When my cats had ringworm I would clean 2x a week (swiffer/clean the surfaces, vacuum, wash beddings). It took like 1.5 months to get rid of it, but it could have been sooner because vet wanted to try topical only first, but of course it didn't work. Once they had oral meds it was a smooth recovery. Only 2 of my 5 cats got it, and I didn't quarantine because of lack of space.
And don't listen to your friend. Of course there is a possibilty of reinfection but as long as you're doing what the vet told you to, it should be fine. Check your dogs (and yourself!) for any lesions, but I read that dogs are less prone to ringworm. Take a deep breath, it's going to be okay!

Thank you. We vaccinated the little guy too against ringworm, so hopefully this will help against re-infections

 

[Heliakos]

How to Deal with Ringworm in Cats [Inc. the Housecleaning Regime] - TheCatSite

Thank you, I checked it last night, some useful tips in there.