This has to be ringworm right?

[Smokey1987]

Hey everyone. I'm an American living in Colombia and need some feline help, urgently.

Please forgive my intense demeanor. I'm writing this out of frustration due to not being able to get a clear response from recommended vets that are only interested in selling me tons of &^@ I don't need.

Smokey has been with me for a year. He's been vaccinated, dewormed, and castrated.

We just got 2-month-old Nala in March. She had a cold/flu when we first got her. I immediately called the rescue operation where I adopted her and was told there were other kittens sneezing in the kennel so we established that she was likely sick with a respiratory infection. That's when the quarantine started and I was only able to give Nala an antibiotic shot twice before Vets were lockdown.

That Vet sold me some vitamin drops to give to Nala to raise her immune system.

She slowly got better.
Smokey ended up getting sick, too. He had TONS of discharge oozing out of his eyes and sneezing/coughing.

They're both back to normal as far as behavior, eye discharge, and respitory symptoms.

I thought I was in the clear.

NOT SO FAST!
Even worse, my wife developed skin patches that CLEARLY look like ringworm; red, scaly, and a ring around relatively clear skin.

Ok. This is an emergency cause Nala is a kitten and had what one could guess was a respiratory infection, right? I haven't been able to get her into a vet's office so she should/could have all sorts of nasty kitten stuff, right?

Well, today, I broke quarantine to go to another vet who looked at both cats and determined it can't be ringworm because neither cat has patches or missing hair.

Something happens when a vet tells you their diagnosis...you listen and you don't dare bring up all of the ^*% you might have read online.

But I insisted, "my wife has ringworm."
"That could be from anywhere."

"what about doing a skin sample?"
"that's not necessary since there isn't even an outbreak."

She sold me some deworming capsules I had just put on her neck myself. She sold me some cream. And some....supplement that costs 40 bucks that I'm supposed to give both cats orally and sent me on my way.

Being the stubborn google-doctor i am, I started combing Smokey more and saw his nose. It's totally peeling and dry!


HOW MANY SYMPTOMS OF RINGWORM DO I HAVE TO HAVE AROUND ME?

I have no kind of symptoms.
Our 4-year-old has what my wife swears is the first patch on her face!
And my wife is trying to reassure me that her patches are going away.

But if it is ringworm, I have to set my house on fire now cause it's likely all over the place.

I still have to work from home under pressure in between all of this.......

:-( HELP PLEASE!


I'm attaching pictures of Smokey's nose and my wife's patches since they're the only real noticeable symptoms of this "non-ringworm."
Nala has a bit of red on her chin and her ears are a bit red but that could just be her skin, right?

I love my pets and I will do anything for them but I am so discouraged to go to another vet here in Colombia since it seems they just want to sell and not work....

 

[Smokey1987]

looking at the pictures, it seems smokey still has discharge but it's nowhere near the amount he had before.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I really can't help much at all, but you need to know what meds the vet gave you and what they are for. It is likely they are treating Smokey for ringworm anyway. There are other possible skin issues, but they might be treatable with anti-fungal meds if that is what you were given. And, just so you know, cats with weakened immune systems can be more prone to issues like ringworm (thinking about what you said about both of their respiratory issues).

Here is an article (see link below) on ringworm and what all needs to be done to try to eradicate it and treat it. I would try all of this first and go from there. You could also get all of the cats' records from the vet(s) - testing, vaccinations, etc. and if see if there are any other vets that would be willing to take a look at them just as a backup.

I would also think you might benefit from doing some research on what you have available to you in terms of building up the cats' immune systems.

I hope other members will come along soon and offer you their input. Keep checking back to look for more posts. And, keep us posted.

Ringworm in Cats – Learn the Signs and How to Treat It | VetBabble
Skin Conditions In Cats
Ringworm In Cats: How To Win The Fight
Ringworm Infestation In Cats: The Housecleaning Regime

 

[profcat]

It looks like ringworm to me (not the discharge, but the patches missing and on your wife). Ringworm is a pain in the arse but it is self-limiting, meaning it goes away on it's own after time. It's a fungus NOT a worm. I had it horribly on my hands/wrists from bathing some kittens with it a few years ago.

Use athlete's foot cream on your wife's spots (ketoconazole). And they can be loosely covered with a bandage (not tight! let the air in as much as possible) so she doesn't spread it around. Amazon also sells anti-fungal body wash and powders. Inexpensive and they helped tremendously. As for the cats, I would spot treat it but not worry too much. Keep bedding and surfaces as clean as possible. We did not do sulfur dips bc our vet said they'd be traumatizing for the cats and us, and they smell AWFUL. They make pet wipes with ketoconazole and we used those daily on our cats instead. Again, ringworm is self-limiting and will go away after some months if you keep everyone and everything clean. I had one annoying spot on my ankle that stuck around extra long, but at that point I never spread it back to the cats, so all was fine.

Good luck!

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! I'm sorry to hear you are having difficulty regarding the veterinary care in another country. I thought this TCS Article about Ringworm in Cats might be helpful especially the part about keeping the house and your environment absolutely clean:
Ringworm In Cats: How To Win The Fight
I'm not at all implying you are messy just trying to stress the need to reduce or minimize the ringworm spores.
Best of luck, please keep us posted on your progress and fingers crossed for your wife.

 

[Smokey1987]

Thanks so much guys! You have literally made my week


I'm playing with the "reactions", Purraise hahaa that's great!

 

[neely]

Thanks so much guys! You have literally made my week

Glad we could be helpful - we aim to please!

 

[moxiewild]

Lol. Don’t set your house on fire.

I just cleared an entire house with 16 immunocompromised animals (and one immunocompromised human!) of ringworm, giardia, bacterial bronchitis, herpes/calicivirus, and a highly resistant species of roundworm at the same time.

You will be fine! Ringworm is only a nuisance, and much easier to treat in humans than animals.

For animals, the only cure with evidence to support it is lime-sulfur dips and oral medication (preferably both) and environmental treatment. Other topical treatments (in cats) have very limited - if any - efficacy according to research.

The dip can be made less traumatic with a quiet garden sprayer vs dunking. This is what we use on cats, dogs, and wild animals (who are especially easy to stress!) at work - Amazon.com : Solo 418-2L 2-Liter One-Hand Pressure Sprayer, Ergonomic Gardening, Fertilizing, Cleaning & General Use Spraying : Lawn And Garden Sprayers : Garden & Outdoor

I’d recommend one - two dips a week and spot treating active lesions on off days. Use a cotton ball and qtip for the face during full body dips, and also for the spot treating. But talk to your vet about it first!

How much time went by between bringing Nala home and your wife’s first lesion (or Smokey’s... whoever came first) appeared?

It is extremely typical to not do testing unless a lesion is present on the animal, especially if they pass a wood’s lamp test. Did they do a wood’s lamp/black light test?

Also, don’t forget, the vet works for you. If a vet keeps insisting that something I want done isn’t necessary, I tell them I want it done.

But your vet isn’t wrong. Ringworm spores are everywhere, and we can easily give it to animals just as they can us.

Cats can also be what we refer to as “dust mops” though too. It more or less means essentially asymptotic carriers, which very well could have been the case for Nala.

Just breathe! Don’t become obsessive over it, it can be easy to get carried away!

 

[Smokey1987]

Obsessive, me?! (Im likely the most obsessive pet owner on the planet!)

Thanks so much. I used to get care packages from home with tons of stuff on amazon but since the coronavirus, i cant get them over.

We got Nala on the 15th exactly. And my wife noticed her first patch 2 weeks later.

now, that i'm putting this topical cream on her ears and chin,something is definitely wrong with her ears. they are starting to lose hair and look VERY raw! I'll take pictures of her ears and the cream and supplement as soon as I can.

I have another apppointment with the vet this coming wednesday.

Trying not to obsess but it's hard with a 4 year old, both of us working from home 6 days a week, and yea...back in the states, my girlfriend was a vet and she told me horror stories of ringowm and how long it takes to get away from it.

Medicating both cats is stressing them out....(just breathe!)

 

[Smokey1987]

i cant edit the post.

i meant the 15th of march is when we brought nala home and wifey saw first patch on my bday, april 4th

 

[neely]

i cant edit the post.

Sorry but the site rules state you need to have 20 posts before you can edit.

 

[Smokey1987]

I guess I should get to posting! I joined the site to share and post about cats anyway. I never meant to only post about my cats' health.I love cats (much more than dogs but shhhh) and I've had tons of pets. Cats are the best!

 

[Smokey1987]

I feel so bad for her. We did notice red around her ears and chin while she had that cold/flu/respiratory infection, but ever since I started putting this cream on her ears and washing it before and after with water, it has gotten a lot worse. I think it might look worse than it is...

Should I maybe use less water afterwards and let the cream work? It's a pasty cream so I think there's residue after I apply it . I'm attaching a picture of the cream itself but it's in Spanish, so...

Smokey's nose is less peeled and less red. But it also looks raw.

I'm also giving both cats this supplement too, it's a liquid that I give them orally.

This weekend we'll start cleaning like crazy.

Seeing her ears like that really makes me feel for her. Her behavior has simmered down some. She spends more time looking out the window and getting sun. I hope that's good for her. she used to be quite the little Tasmanian devil, always bullying Smokey.

I'll just keep applying that cream and giving her the supplement. They both like Taste of The Wild and always have quite the appetite.

I have to look through this thread to see what kind of cream or medicine you all suggested, and then see if I can get my hands on it .

Thanks everyone!

 

[Smokey1987]

 

[neely]

Poor Smokey. Sometimes it can be frustrating when you're living in another country whose veterinary care/medical treatment is different than what you are accustomed to but I'm hoping some of our members will weigh in with more advice.
I'm bumping your thread up so that others who have dealt with this type of skin condition can offer their opinion(s).

 

[Smokey1987]

Yea smokey's story is sad. He's a champ in my book with how he has accepted Nala, despite her ... Kennel stuff.

Smokey first looked at her with the greatest wonder.he even looked at me a couple of times with questions.

But he has taken Nala in. He's everything over ever asked for in a pet. He's the noblest pet I've ever had...more so than buddy, a German pedigree German Shepard who's pedigree was used for police dogs.

Smokey's my baby boy