Ringworm

[distracts]

Honestly I think you should keep Oliver in isolation... I think you are at the point where you need to judge based on how you would handle the worst case scenario and do what is best for you and Greg. But then - Hugo had to be isolated from months 4-9 due to T’s stress making him sick then injured and he is totally fine! He was lonely and it was sad but he and T get along well now and his social development doesn’t seem to have suffered (at least he has way more social skills than T does, lol). I think the research shows that the key social development period is before 14 weeks, so much of what he knows should already be locked in by now I think. I started Hugo doing cat agility when he was young to tire him out. I still have to do it sometimes so he’ll let us sleep through the night!

 

[arkieb1]

@arkieb1 the Malaseb came thank you. Funny though the concentration of Miconazole is 2% same as we have been doing but the Chlorhexidine concentration is 2% and we have been using a 4% chlorhexidine shampoo with the 2% Miconazole shampoo. Do you think we are better off using the 2 separate shampoos we have been using which is 4% Chlorhexidine shampoo with the 2% Miconazole shampoo or using the Malaseb shampoo which has a concentration of 2% for both Miconazole and Chlorhexidine? I have to look at the other ingredients because maybe Malaseb has something else in it to help soothe the cats skin.

I think the MalaseB will be kinder and less drying on the cats skin than the combination you have been using, that is why you can use it more frequently, if needed.

I've had really stubborn fungal infections in my dogs feet/toes picked up from a groomer once and a kennel when we were on holidays another time and I swear by a combination of it and soaking or dabbing the effected areas in the ACV. And both of them are probably going to be less harsh skin wise on the older cats.

 

[PintoBean]

Would you consider adopting out Oliver, as someone suggested above? Ideally to a home where he can roam free as a single cat.

Normally, I would suggest riding this out, but with your health issues, Greg's health issues, the senior cats and their health issues, this might be the best route.

 

[missy]

Would you consider adopting out Oliver, as someone suggested above? Ideally to a home where he can roam free as a single cat.

Normally, I would suggest riding this out, but with your health issues, Greg's health issues, the senior cats and their health issues, this might be the best route.

Greg loves Oliver (I do too but Greg loves him more IMO) and doesn't want to part with him plus we both feel that with us he has the best chance for a good future. He came to us with a host of health issues some of them costly and I am not sure lots of people would have spent the money, energy (drops hourly for weeks) and time on specialists to save his eye. I want to think they would but in my gut I know most people aren't like animal loving PSers. And Oliver has a chance of recurrence throughout his life. We know this. We want to ride it out if we can but yes I agree if we could find someone like us to adopt him I would consider it. Elaine offered to take him for us til we are all healthy but with Elaine he will be running around with her cats who are RW prone as I now see. She deals with this often. We don't want to reinfect little Oliver and frankly I don't trust her to keep him safe.

The dermatologist who saw me this past Friday prescribed Fluconazole for me on a weekly basis for 3 months. He feels that by pulse dosing I will avoid most side effects and perhaps be safer from RW since we have been and will be living with it for some time now. I filled the Rx and started it today. I don't have RW but he wants me to take it prophylactically. Honestly I never heard of that before but googled it and there seems to be some merit. I will let you know. As far as Greg is concerned he isn't worried about getting RW again. He got it from Oliver in the very beginning of all this and he cleared it quickly and he's a guy anyway so he just isn't worried about contracting it again. He is handling Oiiver and playing with him etc without wearing gloves. He washes after but still he isn't concerned for him. Just for me. And he feels Oliver is no longer contagious. I am being more cautious because I know it's hard for me to treat skin issues and clear them. I always seem to have complicated skin developments that have the physicians shaking their heads. LOL.

 

[missy]

I think the MalaseB will be kinder and less drying on the cats skin than the combination you have been using, that is why you can use it more frequently, if needed.

I've had really stubborn fungal infections in my dogs feet/toes picked up from a groomer once and a kennel when we were on holidays another time and I swear by a combination of it and soaking or dabbing the effected areas in the ACV. And both of them are probably going to be less harsh skin wise on the older cats.

Thanks Arkieb. Noted and will start Malaseb tomorrow.

 

[missy]

Honestly I think you should keep Oliver in isolation... I think you are at the point where you need to judge based on how you would handle the worst case scenario and do what is best for you and Greg. But then - Hugo had to be isolated from months 4-9 due to T’s stress making him sick then injured and he is totally fine! He was lonely and it was sad but he and T get along well now and his social development doesn’t seem to have suffered (at least he has way more social skills than T does, lol). I think the research shows that the key social development period is before 14 weeks, so much of what he knows should already be locked in by now I think. I started Hugo doing cat agility when he was young to tire him out. I still have to do it sometimes so he’ll let us sleep through the night!

Aww poor Hugo and glad the isolation didn't affect his personality negatively. Oliver is super sweet but who knows what this isolation is doing to him. He's been isolated since age 8 weeks practically. Poor sweetheart. We will just have to work hard to socialize him with the others when the time comes.

I wish we could isolate Fred the cat who is probably still contagious but he stops eating and doesn't do well in isolation. If we could isolate him it would be so much easier.

 

[missy]

Missy wow I am so happy there is improvement dear friend, what a relief! I was worried about all of you! I know it is still really hard, I will continue to follow. Yeah the Vetri is awesome for the immune system and is a great appetite stimulant. It sounds like you are on the right track. Sending you, Greg and the fur babies lots of love and healing dust!

Thanks dear Sunstorm. Improvement in appetite but not demeanor. Fred is still listless though occasionally he does purr for us. It is hard to see him like this. He isn't the old Fred. He isn't himself. Praying he gets there and starts fighting RW and frees himself of it and starts feeling better. My sweet Freddy boy.

 

[distracts]

I hear you on complicated skin/health issues. I have the same thing going on. I have taken fluconazole before - I am allergic to the carrier ingredients in monistat and similar so if I get a yeast infection I have to take fluconazole. Last year it recurred after regular treatment so I had to take it every 3 days for 2 months. I experienced no side effects. And I am someone who can’t take Advil or Tylenol because I have too many side effects! So hopefully your experience will be similarly easy. It IS possible that you could get BV if your vaginal bacteria gets out of whack because of the decrease in fungus so just be on the lookout for that. I did not have any problems with that though. (Who knew that this is advice that would ever come in handy???)

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

warning ...another rambling post
(but with love in my heart)
in regards to adopting Ollie out (don't do it)
now i don't have kids and i never grew up with pets - Tinky was my first cat and he was my best friend, we were equals until he got old and i had to be the mommy
and Tibby is only now learning what its like having a human mommy and Borris is a daddy's girl and honestly she takes her turn being the mommy around here

but just say you adopted Ollie out
just say it was somehow fearsable for me to take him
now Borris and Tibby will vouch for me i'll love him and wash his cat blankies and feed him basically on demand and put the heat pump on for him when he's cold
but after 3 weeks Gary is going to let him out of the house (supervised at first) to play outside
now we have a great fully fenced back section with trees he will love but cats see fences and gates as a fun obstical, not a physical boundry
and before you know it he will be spending time across the road in the garden of the elderly cocker spaniel Ruby and goodness where else because he'll dissapair for hours at a time exploring the neighbourhod
when he comes home he's going to come home to the popular supermarket (not the nasty brands) cat food - tinned and dry
im probably going to do terrible things like see if he can tollerate cows milk (just as a treat- Tinky's Wellington vet told us some cats can and some can't.......ours do and hate the cat milk in the boxes)

if he gets sick of course he'll go to the vet but we would never be able to afford to take him to Massey (the agricultural university in the next city where most of NZ's vets train) like my SIL and her hypochondriac alpacas (talk about high maintenance- just be normal and have pet sheep) and in my town we don't even have a full contingent of specialist doctors at the hospital for sick humans let alone specialists at the vets - we only have one practice that specializes in companion animals, but i could find a couple of nutritional specialists to come out and check the pasture is what's right for the heard/flock
...what's my point
you would always be worried that im not looking after him as good as you would
and this would be true of any family no matter how much money they had or where they lived or what they feed their cats etc etc
he could live a pampered life like the Queen's corgies and eat out of silver bowls with meals provided by a cheif but it wouldn't be how you would do it
he could go to the white house (well not right now - i mean hypothetically) and have a security detail and never go outside but you would still be worried about him and it wouldn't be like how you and Greig care and love him
its really so so so unfair that poor little Ollie came with all this extra baggage but he's as innocent as the wee girl who goes to school unvaccinated because her mother doesn't beleave in it - Ollie (and the wee girl spreading measles) is completly innocent
the trouble is so are the the rest of the kids at school and the kitty cats of your family

but things are going to get better and no worse case sinareos (opps excuse spelling)
the beach fuzz is growing, things are on the up
Greig will pick up
give him a hot chocolate laced with rum at bedtime
mist lavender linnen spray on his pillowcase
have another day of minimum cleaning and get in the car and get out into the beautiful garden state
and even if Ollie is contained to his playpen its better than life at the shelter
hugs to everbody

 

[MamaBee]

warning ...another rambling post
(but with love in my heart)
in regards to adopting Ollie out (don't do it)
now i don't have kids and i never grew up with pets - Tinky was my first cat and he was my best friend, we were equals until he got old and i had to be the mommy
and Tibby is only now learning what its like having a human mommy and Borris is a daddy's girl and honestly she takes her turn being the mommy around here

but just say you adopted Ollie out
just say it was somehow fearsable for me to take him
now Borris and Tibby will vouch for me i'll love him and wash his cat blankies and feed him basically on demand and put the heat pump on for him when he's cold
but after 3 weeks Gary is going to let him out of the house (supervised at first) to play outside
now we have a great fully fenced back section with trees he will love but cats see fences and gates as a fun obstical, not a physical boundry
and before you know it he will be spending time across the road in the garden of the elderly cocker spaniel Ruby and goodness where else because he'll dissapair for hours at a time exploring the neighbourhod
when he comes home he's going to come home to the popular supermarket (not the nasty brands) cat food - tinned and dry
im probably going to do terrible things like see if he can tollerate cows milk (just as a treat- Tinky's Wellington vet told us some cats can and some can't.......ours do and hate the cat milk in the boxes)

if he gets sick of course he'll go to the vet but we would never be able to afford to take him to Massey (the agricultural university in the next city where most of NZ's vets train) like my SIL and her hypochondriac alpacas (talk about high maintenance- just be normal and have pet sheep) and in my town we don't even have a full contingent of specialist doctors at the hospital for sick humans let alone specialists at the vets - we only have one practice that specializes in companion animals, but i could find a couple of nutritional specialists to come out and check the pasture is what's right for the heard/flock
...what's my point
you would always be worried that im not looking after him as good as you would
and this would be true of any family no matter how much money they had or where they lived or what they feed their cats etc etc
he could live a pampered life like the Queen's corgies and eat out of silver bowls with meals provided by a cheif but it wouldn't be how you would do it
he could go to the white house (well not right now - i mean hypothetically) and have a security detail and never go outside but you would still be worried about him and it wouldn't be like how you and Greig care and love him
its really so so so unfair that poor little Ollie came with all this extra baggage but he's as innocent as the wee girl who goes to school unvaccinated because her mother doesn't beleave in it - Ollie (and the wee girl spreading measles) is completly innocent
the trouble is so are the the rest of the kids at school and the kitty cats of your family

but things are going to get better and no worse case sinareos (opps excuse spelling)
the beach fuzz is growing, things are on the up
Greig will pick up
give him a hot chocolate laced with rum at bedtime
mist lavender linnen spray on his pillowcase
have another day of minimum cleaning and get in the car and get out into the beautiful garden state
and even if Ollie is contained to his playpen its better than life at the shelter
hugs to everbody

You are very wise @Daisys and Diamonds...I love reading your thoughts...You’re a special person...and your hubby and kitties are lucky to have you..

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

You are very wise @Daisys and Diamonds...I love reading your thoughts...You’re a special person...and your hubby and kitties are lucky to have you..

thank you Mamabeam
that's really kind of you to say and your cheering me up

but if Borris was a human the school would have sent the government around to investigate child neglect today
Gary said she had a scab a few days ago but i couldn't feel it
i just found a large patch of fur regrowing on her side - her skin looks lovelly and healthy but she must have had an absess from fighting - and i completly missed it
its the little girl cat next door - she's friendly but fiesty
Borris doesn't fight much - but she watches
all the houses around us are on piles and have wooden base boards the cats can get under - at least when its wet there are plenty of places to go to stay dry
ive seen Borris looking through the gaps as a rumble was going on, on more than one ocassion and sometimes she comes home with a scratched nose
i don't encourage the neighbour's cat now but she sits on a fence post and gives Borris the look
No way would missy trust me with little Ollie now
Borris is grey and her skin is grey stripes
i feel terribly mean not to have noticed it
Tinky was a fighter, being male he was very territorial, the only time we had trouble with his wounds was if it was somewhere hard for him to wash so his ears had a few trips to the vet
Ive never seen big Tibby make an angry sound or gesture
maybe he's the only male around, he's definatly a lover not a fighter but in saying that he's solid and i would not want to meet him in a dark alley

 

[missy]

warning ...another rambling post
(but with love in my heart)
in regards to adopting Ollie out (don't do it)
now i don't have kids and i never grew up with pets - Tinky was my first cat and he was my best friend, we were equals until he got old and i had to be the mommy
and Tibby is only now learning what its like having a human mommy and Borris is a daddy's girl and honestly she takes her turn being the mommy around here

but just say you adopted Ollie out
just say it was somehow fearsable for me to take him
now Borris and Tibby will vouch for me i'll love him and wash his cat blankies and feed him basically on demand and put the heat pump on for him when he's cold
but after 3 weeks Gary is going to let him out of the house (supervised at first) to play outside
now we have a great fully fenced back section with trees he will love but cats see fences and gates as a fun obstical, not a physical boundry
and before you know it he will be spending time across the road in the garden of the elderly cocker spaniel Ruby and goodness where else because he'll dissapair for hours at a time exploring the neighbourhod
when he comes home he's going to come home to the popular supermarket (not the nasty brands) cat food - tinned and dry
im probably going to do terrible things like see if he can tollerate cows milk (just as a treat- Tinky's Wellington vet told us some cats can and some can't.......ours do and hate the cat milk in the boxes)

if he gets sick of course he'll go to the vet but we would never be able to afford to take him to Massey (the agricultural university in the next city where most of NZ's vets train) like my SIL and her hypochondriac alpacas (talk about high maintenance- just be normal and have pet sheep) and in my town we don't even have a full contingent of specialist doctors at the hospital for sick humans let alone specialists at the vets - we only have one practice that specializes in companion animals, but i could find a couple of nutritional specialists to come out and check the pasture is what's right for the heard/flock
...what's my point
you would always be worried that im not looking after him as good as you would
and this would be true of any family no matter how much money they had or where they lived or what they feed their cats etc etc
he could live a pampered life like the Queen's corgies and eat out of silver bowls with meals provided by a cheif but it wouldn't be how you would do it
he could go to the white house (well not right now - i mean hypothetically) and have a security detail and never go outside but you would still be worried about him and it wouldn't be like how you and Greig care and love him
its really so so so unfair that poor little Ollie came with all this extra baggage but he's as innocent as the wee girl who goes to school unvaccinated because her mother doesn't beleave in it - Ollie (and the wee girl spreading measles) is completly innocent
the trouble is so are the the rest of the kids at school and the kitty cats of your family

but things are going to get better and no worse case sinareos (opps excuse spelling)
the beach fuzz is growing, things are on the up
Greig will pick up
give him a hot chocolate laced with rum at bedtime
mist lavender linnen spray on his pillowcase
have another day of minimum cleaning and get in the car and get out into the beautiful garden state
and even if Ollie is contained to his playpen its better than life at the shelter
hugs to everbody

@Daisys and Diamonds you are a dear. Thank you for your wise words. We will keep on taking it one day, one hour at a time.

"even if Ollie is contained to his playpen its better than life at the shelter"
Yes that is what Elaine told us too when I was crying about poor sweet Ollie being confined to the playpen for 22 hours a day. "

Today is bath day. Fred is not looking well. I am unsure about how Bobby and Tommy are doing. It's hard to really examine their entire bodies and when we give them meds we are holding them in towels wrapped around them. Everyone ate a little bit this morning at least with some coaxing. Everyone (besides Oliver) is tentative. We are hoping the L-S treatments, the shampoos, the Itrafungol meds (for everyone but Fred) and all the cleaning we are doing will allow our furbabies to start making a dramatic improvement and until we know otherwise we will just keep on doing all we can to help them get better.

Thank you Daisy. You always make me smile and bring a fresh outlook and upbeat attitude to every thread. You are a breath of fresh air. (((Hugs))) to you and your sweet furbabies.


@Mamabean you too. You always have something cheerful and wise to share and a bright outlook on life. I so appreciate you and your sweet and kind disposition. Sending you hugs.


Little Ollie is teething. So cute.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

that's something i coukd do to help (well apart from the washing and drying - although im not good with folding and putting away)
but if i lived down the Jersey shore when im not down the stone pony i could be playing with little Ollie
ill even bring my own towel
he looks the sweetest little guy

our favourite toy here is a real rabbit tail (we call it Stu ) on a string
and it goes through the wash ok !
id be the best cat play mate
i never growl
even when Borris is naughty
i do the new age parent thing
"don't do that darling"
our cats know no boundaries

 

[missy]

Dear @Daisys and Diamonds just for you



and when you visit Ollie (and the rest of our furry crew) no need to bring your own towels. We have enough for everyone and then some.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Dear @Daisys and Diamonds just for you



and when you visit Ollie (and the rest of our furry crew) no need to bring your own towels. We have enough for everyone and then some.

i hope today is going ok for you guys today missy

 

[missy]

i hope today is going ok for you guys today missy

Thank you @Daisys and Diamonds, yesterday was stressful as it was shampoo day for the cats. Tommy is losing overall hair from stress we think. In clumps. I am debating what to do with Tommy and the shampoo and lime sulfur dips and Itrafungol. There are no bald areas just thinning at his throat (original area of RW infection) and it seems to be growing back but he is losing hair everywhere especially after shampooing. I have Feliway plugged in every room for a few days now but I see no decrease in their stress level. I don't know if the hair loss is from widespread RW (which would be very upsetting as he has been getting Itrafungol for over 6 weeks now plus L-S dips) or just stress or as the vet tech said "blowing his coat".

All the cats are stressed and it is a vicious cycle. We have to give them their meds and L-S dips and shampoos but it stresses them and hinders their healing I think. Stress depresses the immune system. I should know. But we have to treat them so what to do? We are remaining calm and talk to them soothingly but they are still stressed. Who wouldn't be with us shoving liquid medication down their throats for over 45 days now. I am losing count. And vacuuming and mopping etc daily for all those days. The household is disrupted and until we know we have this RW under control I am not sure how we can change things making it less stressful for the cats.

And to make matter worse last night Greg put Oliver in another playpen in the downstairs small bathroom because he cannot take the disruption every night. Oliver started making lots of noise around 2AM and continuing the rest of the night starting about a week ago now. And Greg cannot sleep with all the noise (I am used to not sleeping so it doesn't bother me the same way) and it is affecting everything. So off Oliver went to the small downstairs bathroom last night and now he didn't eat this AM when we brought him back to our bedroom. I say AM lightly because we got out of bed at 3:30 AM (and I was wide awake since 1AM so ready to get out of bed) and brought him up to our bedroom. He is running and playing now but hasn't eaten so I know he did not like being isolated from us overnight.

Anyway sorry to answer your question with a less than positive response but just being real. We are not doing well. Humans and cats. And today is L-S dip Tuesday and I just have no energy left. And neither does Greg. He said this AM he wants to stop the Itrafungol because it is super hard for the cats.Tommy is always running away from us and hiding when we try to get him to administer it every AM and while we eventually do get him it's exhausting and stressful.

OK just going to take it minute by minute and soon I must start cleaning the house. And then gather the cats to bring them to the veterinarian's office for L-S dips. Thanks for asking Daisy and hope you have a good day.

Here's a photo where you can sort of see the thinning at his throat. He is just overall bedraggled and losing hair all over. Poor Tommy.

 

[missy]

@arkieb1 we used the Malaseb shampoo yesterday and it indeed smells less harsh than the combo 2% Miconazole shampoo with Chorhexidine 4% shampoo. Thanks again for chiming in with your recommendation.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

oh dear
poor everyone
you must all be worn out
this has been the summer from hell
im kind of glad i never brought the plug in Feliway when we moved but its a real bugger (not technically a swar word in NZ) its not working for your guys
i don't know the ins and outs but maybe stopping the Itrafungol would reduce stress all round
i don't know
this RW bussiness is so so unfair

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@arkieb1 we used the Malaseb shampoo yesterday and it indeed smells less harsh than the combo 2% Miconazole shampoo with Chorhexidine 4% shampoo. Thanks again for chiming in with your recommendation.

maybe you are turning the corner and will send this blasted RW packing

 

[AV_]

@missy How long can you keep each treatment going anyway? (what I am thinking about: some drugs or procedures have limits irrespective of whether they did the job or not)

I might not be making sense...

 

[missy]

@missy How long can you keep each treatment going anyway? (what I am thinking about: some drugs or procedures have limits irrespective of whether they did the job or not)

I might not be making sense...

No that makes sense. From what I understand (when chatting with vet derm on the phone last month) we continue Itrafungol as long as no negative side effects til they are RW free. But perhaps I misunderstood.

maybe you are turning the corner and will send this blasted RW packing

The shampooing seems to stress them out the most...and we can only do it once a week before the L-S dip. The local vet didn't even want us to shampoo. There is no one protocol for this fungus it seems. Treatment and success varies.

 

[AV_]

There is no one protocol for this fungus it seems

You are recounting more side effects that I can count. What comes to mind:

I remember that one protocol recommended week long interruptions in the oral medication - perhaps just because of the stress etc.

Then, if there exists a vaccine, there must exist immunity from exposure (this needs checking) bringing down concerns of re-infection.

I could be taking the stress situation too seriously; from here, it looks the part.

 

[arkieb1]

If the washing gets too much for any of them (particularly the older cats), again my suggestion is try dipping legs only into the ACV and then dab a generous amount on the effected areas and pat them to get excess off but allow to dry on. It will be far less stressful on them than a full wash, and will do the same job as all the chemicals you are using naturally and is again much kinder on the skin than all the other things, although they might not like the smell of it. If they lick it, it will not hurt them.

You are doing everything right, hopefully you turn the corner and they all start improving soon.

 

[missy]

You are recounting more side effects that I can count. What comes to mind:

I remember that one protocol recommended week long interruptions in the oral medication - perhaps just because of the stress etc.

Then, if there exists a vaccine, there must exist immunity from exposure (this needs checking) bringing down concerns of re-infection.

I could be taking the stress situation too seriously; from here, it looks the part.

The vet derm I spoke with on the phone a couple of weeks into RW gate said she agreed with not pulse dosing the Itrafungol as she finds the animals have a greater chance of relapse when Itrafungol is pulse dosed. However of course it is stressful to give them the oral meds so many weeks straight. I am looking to help them in the long run but that means they are a bit more stressed and uncomfortable in the short run.

I know with RW there is a good chance of relapse if every thing is not done exactly according to plan. Cleaning and disinfecting to make sure there are no spores (because no one can say for sure they are no longer contagious to each other and to us) in the environment that will reinfect the cats and giving the meds to the cats as prescribed. That is the tricky part as there is no one black and white protocol. It varies. For two reasons I decided to go with daily vs pulse. We have a multi cat household and we are dosing at 5 mg/kg so I feel doing it on an every day basis gives our cats the best chance at a recovery. Ideal dose amount would be 10 mg/kg (IMO) though the manufacturer of Itrafungol says 5mg/kg the studies I read showed it more effective at 10 mg/kg. However because of the weight of our cats that would mean we would have to dose them twice a day to give them the 10 mg/kg and you can imagine how much more stressed out they would be if we were dosing them at twice a day with the horrible tasting Itrafungol.

Anyway a long winded explanation to illustrate my rationale for dosing them daily. If they start showing side effects from the daily dosing we would pull back to perhaps every other week now. Since they have many days of Itrfungol dosing (with the exception of Fred the wild card in all this) I would be more comfortable if we had to start every other week now. But knock wood they can handle the daily dosing still until they no longer need it.

Regarding the vaccine we do not have it in the USA. I was chatting with a dear friend overseas and she loves the vaccine as it helped her cats beat RW and it prevents reinfection. But we cannot get it here as frustrating as that is and I believe it would be illegal to bring it in to the country. Though for my babies I would do whatever I could to help them. But it isn't looking like this is a viable option for the USA cats.

Today is L-S dip seven for Fred, Tommy and Bobby and dip eight for little Ollie. I am always a bit nervous during L-S dip day as I worry for the cats and hope they are doing OK.

 

[missy]

If the washing gets too much for any of them (particularly the older cats), again my suggestion is try dipping legs only into the ACV and then dab a generous amount on the effected areas and pat them to get excess off but allow to dry on. It will be far less stressful on them than a full wash, and will do the same job as all the chemicals you are using naturally and is again much kinder on the skin than all the other things, although they might not like the smell of it. If they lick it, it will not hurt them.

You are doing everything right, hopefully you turn the corner and they all start improving soon.

Thanks Arkie. What ACV do you recommend? I have the Braggs ACV with the Mother. Is that OK to use on the cats?


@Daisys and Diamonds thank you for your continued warm support and well wishes. (((Hugs))).

 

[cmd2014]

What a nightmare. I am so sorry you are all going through this.

 

[PintoBean]

Print "want ads" to leave at local rescue groups and vet offices to pay someone to come and medicate your cats. That way, THAT person is the bad guy, not mom and dad.

 

[Matata]

What ACV do you recommend?

Every veterinary site I looked at said ACV is not effective for ringworm. It can be dangerous for elderly cats or those with kidney disease. Please don't try remedies suggested by well-meaning people who are not trained in veterinary medicine unless you have first cleared it with your vet.

 

[arkieb1]

Every veterinary site I looked at said ACV is not effective for ringworm. It can be dangerous for elderly cats or those with kidney disease. Please don't try remedies suggested by well-meaning people who are not trained in veterinary medicine unless you have first cleared it with your vet.

I've had 3 vets suggest it to me along with the MalaseB..... So I guess it depends on the vets. But I agree you can check with your vets if each cat has any condition that it might harm them. I have used it on both cats and dogs (mainly my dogs) and personally have not found it any more or less toxic than the chemicals that have already been used.

https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/694241/cardiorespiratory-toxicity-due-miconazole

If you are concerned asked the vet and dilute it down with a bit of water. I use the cloudy ones that when you shake have particles you can see in them and I don't make them drink it, I put their legs in it pat off the excess and leave to dry and dab onto any problem areas.

https://www.catological.com/apple-cider-vinegar-cats/

 

[missy]

Print "want ads" to leave at local rescue groups and vet offices to pay someone to come and medicate your cats. That way, THAT person is the bad guy, not mom and dad.

Thanks PB. Not to say we are great at giving our cats meds but the truth is we are better than anyone else at this point. We have 7 weeks of experience now and we have gotten pretty decent at it. That is not to say it is pleasant and our cats have always been very skittish cats (Tommy, Bobby and Fred had very difficult beginnings before we adopted them) and somehow they still trust us even after all we have put them through so we are going to continue being the ones to administer the meds. Before this I did not think we would be able to administer the Itrafungol meds down their throats yet (once we catch them lol) we are able to do it and afterwards while they are a bit miffed they still rub up against us and purr (less than usual though) for us.

Having said that Oliver is now acting out and going crazy. When we got him home yesterday (all of them were stressed) he was stressed and when Greg went to hold and comfort him Ollie scratched him and was screaming. It was upsetting hearing Oliver scream like that. He got Greg pretty good with a few deep scratches. But Greg remained calm and put him in the playpen and then we went back about 20 minutes later and he had calmed down. We let Oliver out of the playpen and he had run of the bedroom all night and he slept on the bed with us. This AM though he went crazy again when we tried to give him his Itrafungol. We calmed him down and gave it but this is a new side to little Oliver and I am concerned the Lime-Sulfur Dips are wearing on him. Not sure what to do and we have to observe him and see how it goes.

We were able to administer the Itrafungol to Tommy and Bobby without incident this AM though as always Tommy runs under the sofas and we play a cat and mouse game and it can take some time but eventually we catch him and as soon as we do he becomes docile and allows us to give him the meds. Who would have guessed that Oliver would become the difficult one vs Bobby, Tommy and Fred. Fred sadly remains listless and lethargic but at least he is still eating. I really don't know what is going on with Fred. We did bloodwork and urine analysis and there are no clues as to why he is so lethargic. We are not torturing him with the Itrafungol and the L-S dips are but once a week as is the shampooing and 5 days of the week we barely do anything to him but light topicals. It is worrisome but right now we are doing all we can and just going to see what develops.


RW update:
So they all had their L-S dips yesterday and the vet looked them over.
She said Oliver has no active lesions but Fred has an area on his hind leg that is not growing hair. All the rest of Fred's balding areas are growing hair albeit slowly. Bobby has some crusts on his back but his hair is regrowing as far as they can tell. Tommy's hair is overall thinning but no lesions that we can see. And Fred is regrowing hair except on his hind leg which is concerning as he isn't getting the oral anti fungal but we just have to watch that area and keep applying topicals there. Though I read that spot applying topicals could put the RW into a subclinical condition but not cure it so some veterinarians don't recommend spot topicals for that reason. However we are going with our veterinarians recommendation.

What a nightmare. I am so sorry you are all going through this.

Thanks @cmd2014 yes that is a word that applies. We have been through a lot in our time on this earth but this (for me) takes the award for most challenging and that is with us going through melanoma, broken leg and other various stressful situations. This wins to date. Let's hope nothing ever takes that award away either because I don't think we would survive something worse than this. But I guess you never know what you are capable of until the challenge arises. Just hoping all our efforts pay off and that we aren't torturing them for naught.

Every veterinary site I looked at said ACV is not effective for ringworm. It can be dangerous for elderly cats or those with kidney disease. Please don't try remedies suggested by well-meaning people who are not trained in veterinary medicine unless you have first cleared it with your vet.

Thanks @Matata. No worries. I clear everything with my sister (who is a veterinarian) and/or local vet and a vet derm who is kind enough to chat with me on the phone despite us not being clients of hers. Not to mention our very own @ecf8503 for whom I am supremely grateful. She has generously shared articles with me and helped me with her own experiences.

Thanks @arkieb1 I appreciate all your help in the thread and because of you we are now shampooing with Malaseb. I don't hold anyone here responsible for anything as I know you are all helping out of the kindness of your hearts and anything I do is on me not on you guys. I was floundering and lost and this thread helped me clear my head and devise a plan and I am grateful for everyone who posted here and shared with me their experiences.

We might do a culture on Oliver next week at his next L-S dip but the cultures take 3-4 weeks to show if it is clear or RW positive so what a hassle that is. We received the PCR tests my sister ordered for us but I don't feel comfortable doing that test as it involves a good skin scraping and it can show false positives so not sure it is worth going through that test. If only I could get the local vet onboard but I don't think she will go for it because initially she said they don't "believe" in that test. But that test gets results within 1-3 days so much more efficient. Otherwise we have at least another 2 months of this because we need 2 negative cultures per cat before we can say we are RW free. And right now Bobby and Fred still have lesions and not sure about Tommy as he is overall hair thinning and his throat hair is thin too and that was the site of his original RW infection.

Oliver right now as we are having coffee in bed.
Can you see how yellow his white hair is from the L-S dip?





Please everyone if you could send healing vibes Fred's (and the other cats) way. He remains the wild card in all this because of his age, immune system and the fact he cannot tolerate the oral antifungals. We upped the L-S dip to 8 oz per gallon (vs the 4 oz we were doing previously) and hope that helps him fight the RW infection. But everything I read says Orals are generally necessary as topicals can only do so much. Hoping so hard that our Fred gets better and that we aren't torturing him like this for no reason.

Sweet Fred.