Saturday, December 10, 2016

The Ringworm Saga

Week 2 of anti-fungal shampoo and sulfur/lime dipping.

Because she just wasn't getting better, Calia, the renal cat, was also put on Terbinafine pills.  Same ingredient as Lotrimin cream, works in the liver instead of the kidneys.  Also, cheaper than the $50.00 bottle of Itraconazole we used for treating the 1 kitten.  This 21 day treatment cost $9.00.  Just as effective, vet tech friend has used this in rescue kennel situation and it cleared them all up, same as
Itraconazole. Even better, didn't have to go across town in heavy traffic, pay to park, and walk half a mile to pick it up at a special pharmacists.  Got Terbinafine at the local pharmacy.  

Twice a day I put anti-fungus cream on the others, it's not spreading.  The fur all fell out and my vet tech friend says that the fungus is now dead there so hey!  Progress!  I'm also giving them all lysine to boost their immune system.  

So far, pet rabbit hasn't caught it!  

The spot on my face cleared right up.

We all only caught it because I didn't know Calia was festering.  She's always been an itchy cat.  Once they shaved her neck for her 1st blood test, she started REALLY itching and she scratched most of the skin off of her neck.  We all, the vet and us, all of us thought, well, she's itchy.  It wasn't until just over a week ago, Friday night, that I thought, wait a minute, those new spots are small and round.  So I got out my blacklight to check.  So she's been covered in ringworm for weeks. If I had known earlier, I'm sure none of the other cats would have gotten infected.  We had the kitten go 3 months before her ringworm cleared and no one else in the house got touched by it.  And I don't bleach my furniture or scrub the walls or bleach the floors.  I figure by the time you see it on a pet, you've already been exposed.  The kitten got over it when she was old enough for her immune system to kick in--the exact same time it took the fosters we hosted that one time who were in the bathroom for exactly 3 months, same age, floors bleached, walls scrubbed, the works. For kittens, it's an age thing.  Right now, she's the only one without ringworm because she's peak of health, not an old lady like Calia and her littermate.  Seriously, you can tell their ages by the amount of ringworm on their bodies.  The 12 year olds look terrible, the 7 year old, not so bad, the 3 year old, you have to squint in good lighting to see anything and the 8 month old is tip-top.  

So.  I have not caught it on my scalp so I have not lost any hair.  The cats seem to be getting better, although it's really slow.  


2 comments:

Connie - Tails from the Foster Kittens said...

Lysine does not boost the immune system. It is given to kitties who might have the herpes virus because it inhibits replication of the herpes virus by replacing arginine. Lactoferrin does boost the immune system. I'm sorry you are going through this. Fortunately, I have never had to deal with ringworm, and I hope I never have to.

Cinnamonbite said...

I know right? That's why I even had a leftover bag. So many fosters we've had have gone thru that runny eye herpes crap.

BUT now they're saying it's good for the immune system. People are treating their cat's stomatitis with lysine and seeing it go into remission. Plus our vet said to do it because it boosts the immune system. So, new stuff. Might be placebo, but I have nothing to lose.

I'll look for lactoferrin though! Thanks for that!