Suspected Ringworm

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blumarine916

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I know it sucks, but just keep swimming!
I’m not bathing him anymore, but I’m still giving him the oral meds.
That Intrafungol medicine..is it liquid? How do give it to your cat? Doesn’t he struggle?
Last time I tried giving liquid meds it was a mess on a floor and lots of foaming on my cat’s mouth.

Yesterday I noticed a tiiiiny spot just above her lip 😰 I’m hoping it’s another lesion. Oh god..
 

Srwheeler

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That Intrafungol medicine..is it liquid? How do give it to your cat? Doesn’t he struggle?
Last time I tried giving liquid meds it was a mess on a floor and lots of foaming on my cat’s mouth.

Yesterday I noticed a tiiiiny spot just above her lip 😰 I’m hoping it’s another lesion. Oh god..
Luckily the cat that had ringworm is a kitten. And he does struggle, but I can handle it better. Have you tried wrapping your cat in a burrito? It’s a sticky liquid. Depending on their weight the vet tells you how much to give your cat. They just say to treat your cat aggressively with all options. Baths, oral, topical. We stopped doing topical because mine was having a bad skin reaction to it. Baths and topical could be enough for yours. I went to the vet every time I thought there was a new lesion on my cat. Expensive, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t treating him wrong. Like I said, get a black light. It’s a bit of piece of mind. It helped me a lot to see the green specs slowly get smaller. And you can use it to see if it’s spreading to other areas.
 
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blumarine916

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Update

Week 5 of treatment. I think it’s improving. The patch has some fur growing and no longer rough and raw. But the topical cream has made the fur discolored around the area.
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Sorry for the lopsided pic. I’m not sure why it rotates like that after I post 😅

Meanwhile, I will still continue with the topical & bath treatment. I’m also still vacuuming and mopping with bleach daily. The daily cleaning has become a habit that if I don’t do it I feel uneasy.
 

Srwheeler

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I started my last week of oral medication for Odin. Just as a precaution. I’m not cleaning regularly or bathing him anymore. Vet says he’s cleared but one more week to be sure :)
 

moxiewild

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Whoa, whoa, whoa, you need to get a culture done, STAT.

Your vet works for YOU. You need to insist a culture be done and nothing less.

Wood’s lamp only picks up ~50% of cases and only certain strains. And if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it can be of little value that produces false negatives and false positives. Neon green is not the only color you need to look for.

Further, topical-only treatment is virtually ineffective according to studies. You need oral meds.

For environmental treatment, shampoo, etc, you MUST have the right ingredients. Not just antifungals, but the correct antifungals for ringworm - and if the ringworm is not responding, you then need more extensive testing to identify the exact subtype of ringworm that probably requires slightly different antifungals than typical ringworm.

Lime sulfur dip is more effective than (proper) ringworm shampoos. Use a handheld garden sprayer to apply rather than dipping your pet in solution. Use a small cloth, sponge, cotton balls, or q-tips for the face.

The Solo brand on Amazon works really well for this.

All cats in the house should be dipped at least once, with the infected cat being dipped about 2x/week until it is resolved, or as advised by your vet (but I would seek out a different vet given what they have told you so far).

But you need a culture!!! This can be a LOT of different things! Don’t go crazy over ringworm treatment/cleaning if you don’t have to! Getting a culture needs to be a priority for you above everything else right now!
 
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blumarine916

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Whoa, whoa, whoa, you need to get a culture done, STAT.

Your vet works for YOU. You need to insist a culture be done and nothing less.

Wood’s lamp only picks up ~50% of cases and only certain strains. And if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it can be of little value that produces false negatives and false positives. Neon green is not the only color you need to look for.

Further, topical-only treatment is virtually ineffective according to studies. You need oral meds.

For environmental treatment, shampoo, etc, you MUST have the right ingredients. Not just antifungals, but the correct antifungals for ringworm - and if the ringworm is not responding, you then need more extensive testing to identify the exact subtype of ringworm that probably requires slightly different antifungals than typical ringworm.

Lime sulfur dip is more effective than (proper) ringworm shampoos. Use a handheld garden sprayer to apply rather than dipping your pet in solution. Use a small cloth, sponge, cotton balls, or q-tips for the face.

The Solo brand on Amazon works really well for this.

All cats in the house should be dipped at least once, with the infected cat being dipped about 2x/week until it is resolved, or as advised by your vet (but I would seek out a different vet given what they have told you so far).

But you need a culture!!! This can be a LOT of different things! Don’t go crazy over ringworm treatment/cleaning if you don’t have to! Getting a culture needs to be a priority for you above everything else right now!
Thanks for the suggestion but I’m not from the US so the treatment is not the same. I’ve already gone to 2 vets and neither of them even mentioned about dips. The shampoo is Malaseb and even that was also after I asked if there was anything additional to be done.

Most people here are too poor to afford vet care even use cooking oil for fungal infections, claiming it would “drown the spores” and cure the infection. 😅
 

moxiewild

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Thanks for the suggestion but I’m not from the US so the treatment is not the same. I’ve already gone to 2 vets and neither of them even mentioned about dips. The shampoo is Malaseb and even that was also after I asked if there was anything additional to be done.

Most people here are too poor to afford vet care even use cooking oil for fungal infections, claiming it would “drown the spores” and cure the infection. 😅
Treatment is the same scientifically speaking and in terms of efficacy.

Lime-sulfur does not require a prescription in any country that I’m aware, since it is very safe.

You should try specifically requesting oral treatment from your vet.

Diagnostics and treatment for ringworm for a single cat usually costs under $100 (obviously US, not sure where you’re from to convert, sorry!). If it is not ringworm, your ultimate cost could very likely be even less.

Are low cost clinics available to you? Can your vet do a payment plan?

If this is ringworm and you don’t get it under control while your cats case is mild, then it could spread to another one of your cats, you, and/or become far worse - in which case it will be even more difficult and expensive to treat.

If it’s not ringworm, your life will most certainly be easier and treating your kitty will likely be even less expensive! But a fungal culture is required either way!
 
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blumarine916

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Just keeping plugging along! You got this 💪🏻
Since it’s been 5 weeks, do you think it’s safe to let her roam freely? I didn’t really isolate her..it’s more like a partial isolation during the day when I’m not home but I let her out once I’m home. My other cat seems fine. Neither me or my bf has any lesions although he already has on and off athlete’s foot for years.
 

Srwheeler

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Since it’s been 5 weeks, do you think it’s safe to let her roam freely? I didn’t really isolate her..it’s more like a partial isolation during the day when I’m not home but I let her out once I’m home. My other cat seems fine. Neither me or my bf has any lesions although he already has on and off athlete’s foot for years.
That’s entirely up to you. I asked my vet and asked around on here. Vet told me to keep cleaning and be careful. But I went with my own instincts and put my house back together and let him roam freely. But his hair has also grown completely back and he’s not glowing under a black light anymore.
 
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