Ringworm

ViolaLass

Looks like cat 1 has ringworm (judging by my Googling) which I have been treating with an anti-fungal shampoo from the vet.

However, she's struggling to shake it off completely and I've read that I could also use Lamisil cream (which is a human medication) to help.

Has anyone done this? If so, how much did you use?

(I know I could just take her back to the vet but my vet seems reluctant to say anything too conclusive without running expensive tests, which I don't want to pay for if I can avoid it).

moggymutt

I believe in tests, rather know EXACTLY what I'm dealing with. I'd only use a 'human' medication if vet okayed it.
I'm sure there is an oral treatment for ringworm in cats.

krlyr

I agree with the above.

I dealt with ringworm when my pet chinchillas caught it. It was a nightmare to treat, with them developing new patches just as one cleared up, and I ended up catching it too.

I did use athlete's foot powder in their sand baths as a way to help control it, but only after checking with the vet.

The vet was hesitant to use the oral treatment, as it can be quite nasty on the liver or kidneys I believe, at least in chinchillas. We tried a few things, the most effective being Malaseb shampoo. With chinchillas having such dense coat, we had to be a bit creative - they got topical applications with a paintbrush a couple of times a day, and a full bath every 2-3 days (they needed thorough drying out afterwards to prevent a warm, damp environment making the ringworm worse, but couldn't be overheated by using a hairdryer directly on them - had to towel-dry as much as I could, and then pass a hairdryer over the cage at a distance)

It eventually cleared up, probably took a month or so - they kept passing it back and forth (bear that in mind if you have more than one cat). During treatment, I kept them in a smaller cage and used newspaper to line it, which I removed and burnt daily. They were kept in a quiet corner of the house with minimal handling, and we avoided letting them near wood or soft furnishing, that can hold the spores. The area around them was frequently cleaned with Hibiscrub several times a day, and clothes changed/arms washed after going near them.

Despite all the above precautions, as said, I managed to catch it myself - had a very itchy patch on my face, of all places, and then later got a patch on my stomach. So I really wouldn't mess around trying home treatments, I would get a definitive diagnosis and proceed from there. If you're not happy going to your current vet, I would advise seeking a new vet.

Scrapaholic

Looked at this post to see if anyone commented on ringworm being infectious . When my grandson was 2 , he got ringworm on his scalp . None of the cats had it so no one knew where it came from. He had to go to hospital and was kept in . It left a large scarred round area after the infection , it was really nasty . Hair has grown in the middle of the area and around the edges but the scar is still there and always will be . He'll be 12 this year and he doesn't like us to look at that area . Could have been worse I expect but I don't think people realise how unpleasant it can be and leave permanent disfigurement .

paddypaws101

Colloidal silver and Leucillin are both safe for animals and an effective topical treatment for RW. I believe that Intrafungal is used as an oral treatment but has to be given for several weeks.
http://www.leucillin.co.uk/