Ringworm
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 21:56:10 -0500 Subject: FEL-L: Garlic & Ringworm
Does anyone have a fast effective cure for ringworm? I have tried various treatments from the vet. The best I've found is 7% iodine, but it stains the cats hair until it grows out, not to mention me, my clothing & the cats surroundings. Donia
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 20:14:14 -0400 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Garlic & Ringworm
You could use clear iodine. It's the same thing but colorless... get it from any drugstore. Or, you could use a high quality tea tree oil diluted 1 drop to 10 drops water... It's killer medicine for fungus... get it from any health food store.
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 06:41:14 -0500 Subject: FEL-L: Re: Ringworm
Tinactin or just about any topical used for 'jock itch' such as Cruex,etc. The problem with cats is that they will lick the area and ingest the medication. There also is a systemic medication your vet can prescribe - you can put it in their feed if they are not handleable.
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 11:01:54 EDT Subject: Re: FEL-L: Garlic & Ringworm
Again, I vote with John. Tea Tree oil is killer on fungus. Gentian Violet is the only other thing I use but it stains worse than idione. I have had white hereford cattle walking around looking like they have gotten socked in the eye, big purple circles, when being treated with it for pink eye. One of my Saanean Goats had ring worm and I used it on her she was a mass of purple spots on white. It took forever before she was white again. (She looked better with the spots)
Washing the area with a weak colorox solution you can use the same dilution as John recommended for Tea Tree oil pat dry this debrids that scabby stuff then, apply the Tea Tree oil, if you can handle your cat. My cats hate the smell of Tea Tree oil except the bobcat. Bobcats are from a diffrent planet than the other felids:) Besure when you buy it that is pure 100% Tea Tree not some mix. Always dilute when using it on cats !
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 17:54:43 -0700 Subject: FEL-L: Carpet
I have 7 cats with a fungal thing ( ringworm ) . I bought a steam cleaner to keep things clean as possible but I don't know what to put in it. Is there a generic ( cheap) form of Chlorhexaderm ? I hate to use bleach on carpet .. although I have considered bleach and iodine as the carpet is wine colored so they might cancel out each others effects ;-)
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 18:04:19 -0400 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
Grapefruit seed extract from the local health food store should do the trick, but a more potent solution would be tea tree oil (also from the health food store) in a cold spray of 1 part oil to 10 parts water. Neither product has any side effects. Please don't use chlorinated products around cats as there can be serious side effects under some conditions. You might also figure out how that particular fungus got in the house in the first place.
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 21:53:18 -0500 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
Have you tried using the tea tree oil that was dicussed on here? It really does work on cats. Also, if you are careful using bleach on the carpet, you can get by with it not messing up the colors. Wherever you got the carpet should be able to tell you with strength to use. It doesn't take much bleach to kill the fungus. Went through the dreaded ringworm thing in both myh cats and dogs last summer. Not fun.
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 00:10:44 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
Try some plain old Lysol solution for cleaning carpets. I know it will kill even staff and other types of bacterias. Glenda
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 02:25:12 -0500 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
My vet uses 1 part bleach to 30 parts water. I have used this ratio in my steam cleaner with no problems on my carpet or furniture. There was very little odor. I recommend repeating it every week or so until all animals are clear of RW.
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 10:29:21 EDT Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
I'm always a little worried using lysol around cats. Colorox will change the color of the iodine and still ruin the carpet. If you have this problem and need to shampoo the carpet and or furniture. I would use a commercial shampoo for human hair that kills fungus, chlorexaderm can be found in this form. If you go to a beauty supply place you can find this in bulk. Use it the same as you would carpet shampoo. I would also add Tea tree oil to the shampoo. Wash the carpet and leave it on. Repeat in two weeks. Do NOT use any shampoo that has pine tar in it, as pine products can be deadly to cats. I use a good smelling hair shampoo on my carpet it works great and have for years and it is safe. Sherry :)
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 16:39:28 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
Thanks for all the replys!!!! John I am at a loss as to how I would go about figuring out how it got in the house. Some of the kittens had been Outside before I got them but it was over a month before this fungal thing started. I don't have the culture info yet and this is the first time for me so I don't even know what it will say. What would be some possible sources that I can eliminante. My dogs go outside ( of course) and come back in and play with the cats but they don't seem to have it. The Vet said they are seeing a lot of it this year. So I assumed it just blew in from outside. Tell me some likely sources and I'll get 'em gone :-)
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 19:09:00 -0500 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
This stuff can come into your house in a lot of ways. Do you live near where there are cattle. They are great sources of it. You can carry it in on your shoes. Outsided cats are also great ways to get it. It is highly contagious, to us humans too. If you can stop it's spread it will run it's own course. Problem with that is if there is one lesion and that rubs against another spot on the animal, you have to wait until that one runs it's course too. We brought it into the house from the cattle. Any over the counter medication for athletes foot works OK, since it too is a fungus. My favorite, however, is the tea tree oil. It just seemed to work a lot faster. Good luck with it. It is no fun. Don't forget all the other stuff the cats touch, like furniture with cloth covers. It hides there too.
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 19:20:08 -0400 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
I don't have my reference books before me, but I believe the "ringworm" fungus spores lie dormant in soil almost everywhere (as many fungi do). Under the right temperature, humidity, and time parameters, the spores go into the adult form as tiny threads, grow buds which then release a swarm of spores which find exactly the right conditions in mammal skin to put forth their threads (the screaming itchy part) and generate more spores. This is what makes the damn stuff so hard to get rid of. So you have to kill the spores in any space, as well as the threads in the skin of infected critters (including people).
So, weather conditions which promote budding in soil starts the whole cycle and anything can carry either soil, spores, or growing skin fungi into a living space... To really get it under control you need to cut off direct traffic from outside, kill the infections, kill the spores in the inside space, then wait till the weather goes much cooler and drier and all the outside spore go dormant to wait for a better day.
The reason I cautioned about using anything with a chlorine molecule or other conventional household disinfectants is that cats are weird and are extremely vulnerable to many compounds we take for granted with humans or other animals. They are so easy to kill or damage!!!
There are some excellent oral anti-fungus medications, which, with a few pills, can eradicate skin fungi completely, but to my knowledge, have not been tested for cats... Maybe a good vet would know. However, Tea Tree Oil works just as well, if not better in most cases... Even my Dermatologist recommends it for some of the stuff I've picked up in tropical jungles. It's safe for cats when diluted 1 to 10, and applied every few days on the infected areas. This will take care of any secondary bacterial infections and promote healing as well... We have used it for years on the deep cat bites we get now and then. Just one application of 100% oil in the wound and we've *never* had an infection... Dilute 1 to 100 for carpet and surface spray use.
I hope this will help you come to grips with ringworm... It's bad enough for people but it's horrible for animals.
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 20:20:16 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
Thanks I live in cow heaven..... open range! the law is I have to keep them off my property not the other way around. I am putting up a fence but it's a slow process a mile around the property and 4 strands of wire and posts......... I don't mind cows horses antelope etc. eating the grasses but they taste test my baby trees and veggies and spit them out and they die the trees not the cows
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 21:55:04 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
Black spots most around the ears and mouth eyes and rear feet. Thinning hair at the sites. Turns to dry flaky scabs with treatment of iodine I have switched to clotrimazole 1% They also get Fulvcin 60mg per day and shampoo Chlorhexaderm.... shaved hair at sites. I am waiting on a culture but I don't know what information ones gets from it. It's called an "Open Range Law" in AZ. it gets better if your dog harrasses the cows even on your own property they can shoot the dog...or so the Sherrif says. Ranchers hate dogs.
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 02:26:17 -0500 Subject: FEL-L: Ringworm & tea tree oil
I just got some tt oil & tried it on myself. I had one itchy spot that looked like a baby rw. Put a dot of tt oil on it. Stopped itching instantly. Gotta mix up a batch for my kittys. Thanks everyone, for the info about this great stuff.
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 07:54:04 -0400 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
> A few months ago at our zoo, we had two 6-month old tiger cubs returned to us. They had been on loan to another zoo where they contracted ringworm. They were being treated when they came back (and we continued the treatment) with an oral human drug. I've forgotten the name of it, but will ask today at work.
Sara, as a follow up, in a 1995 reference, Griesofulvin (Fulvicin) is the oral drug of choice for for cats and is licensed. Ketoconazole and Fluconazole are also effective but had not been licensed for animals at this date. Fulvicin and Ketoconazole should not be given to pregnant queens. In all cases of oral meds, use should be under the supervision of a Vet.
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 23:04:09 -0500 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
If a kitten's immune system is compromised( a cold or something worse), they will frequently break with the dreaded ring worm. Treat the sneezing, if you think it more than normal, & continue with the ringworm medications.
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 08:40:03 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
I'm glad it came up about immune systems I remember a while back we talked about Garlic as a booster. But It was never said for sure if any research had been done or if whatever is in the onion is in the garlic. I would assume that aged garlic would be vastly different than a raw onion. Anyone know of research on this?
I hate to say it but I have recently heard stories of some TT oil being applied to 6-8 week old ( 2-5 pound) kittens. I should have been clearer, my Big Cats DON'T have the ringworm my domestics do....sorry John. Anyway this person put full strength TT oil on the DOMESTIC kittens and it killed them ( I got this second hand by the way).
I know it was 10 times the dose. It sounded very safe from all the replies I got until I heard this last story now I have the dreaded tinge of doubt.............
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 09:32:27 -0400 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
> Garlic as a booster. But It was never said for sure if any research had been done
Garlic doesn't do much of anything for the immune system and in cats can cause complications. Onion will slowly kill cats.
> I know it was 10 times the dose. It sounded very safe from all the replies I got
It is safer than any other disinfectant when properly used... The kittens probably died from either nutritional deficiencies or liver toxicosis from over application of the TT oil. Kittens will also die if held under water too long. You should read up on a little science instead of jumping to a conclusion over every bit of hearsay that comes your way. At the very least, please get some books on cat diseases, nutrition, and their care. Regardless of anything else, the responsibility for the care of your cats is your's alone. If you want to spend a hundred bucks to this end, I'll be happy to give you a few good titles.
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 10:17:17 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
I didn't jump anywhere I asked you to clarify if 10:1 was safe for a 5 pound kitten just to be sure you weren't talking about a 500 pound cat that's all. This is my first encounter with fungi so.... I'm learning .... I understand 10:1 TT oil is correct for topical use and weight is not a factor.
I would love to have you recommend books I can order them from the library and if I want them for reference then I'll buy 'em.... recommend away.... please!
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 14:41:54 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Carpet
> Sara, as a follow up, in a 1995 reference, Griesofulvin (Fulvicin) is
Sorry it took so long to get back to you on the drug we used to treat ringworm. It was Itraconizole - 200 mg per day. Remember this was being used on 100 lb. tigers, so I don't know about the safety or dosage on a much smaller cat. Also it was a very expensive drug. As you already said, any oral treatment should be under the supervision of a vet.
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 12:18:56 EST Subject: FEL-L: Lynx/Ringworm Question
Our 7 month old Lynx had/has ringworm. She had the usual bald patches (2) on the rear of her paws. We treated them with micatin, and bathed her in dermazole (sp?). The spots went away, but she has small bumps on her back and neck. We are still bathing her in the dermazole, but she still has the bumps. They feel like small clumps of hair, but I have been told that they are a form of ringworm. They come and go, but on average there are always about 20 small ones throughout her back, neck, tail and legs. I'm not sure what to do next, and I want to make sure that my other cats do not get this. I go as far as changing clothes when I go from one to another. Any advise would be great.
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 12:20:06 -0700 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Lynx/Ringworm Question
Revival has a great selection of products for fighting RW. You have to do premises as well as the animal. 800-786-5566 They also have a section in the catalog for How to get rid of RW. There are pills you can give as well (vet). I just went though this fun little fungi her e... I clean all the carpets regularly gave the pills shampooed etc.
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 11:33:10 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Lynx/Ringworm Question
Is she the only cat? could it be from scraping with other cats? Could it be flea bites--this is a known area for fleas to congregate and bite?
If it is in fact ringworm.....Sunshine is a wonderful added cure. I have successfully treated my affected kittens with the chemicals and (topical and shampoos) plus one hour of sunshine a day. The ringworm was totally gone without reoccurrence in 3 days with the sunshine therapy.
someone also mentioned earlier cholloidal silver--works great in eyes for virus/bacterial.
I used Miconazole shampoo (obtained from vet) Miconazole nitrate 2% and Fung-A-Way topical fungicide (obtained from feed store) safe for use in dogs cats and horses.
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 18:47:06 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Lynx/Ringworm Question
A few years ago my domestic cats got some fungus. three kittens lost their hair.
I took them and their mother to a Vet specializing in dermatology. (Jean Greek, Kansas City area).
She did a culture and figured out the particular fungus that was causing the infection. She thought know the particular fungus was important. She suggested a sulfur-lime-based dip, LymDyp, and a drug taken orally called Fulvicin (Griseofulvin). Everything was fine after a few weeks.
Shortly after I moved and got all new furniture, so I didn't have to deal with the spore issue.