Ringworm

[elizat]

They are testing his stool for Giardia. Why wouldn't they have tested that before? I mean Oliver has had almost everything a kitten could get to this point. Please don't let this be Giardia. In fact please don't let this be anything serious.

I've been following along but haven't commented much.

If he does have giardia, it's an easy fix. Panacur for 5 days is probably what they'll give you. Make sure that they do a float and a smear test though. Just one is not sufficient.

So I have a product that I use for kittens with bad poop and it also works for adults. And you can use it in addition to the daily probiotic that's linked above.

It's made by proag and it's called Benebac gel. I will link it for you, but it's basically a paste that you put in the cat's mouth or all of my fosters lick it off my finger.

 

[elizat]

PetAg Bene-Bac Plus Pet Gel FOS Prebiotic and Probiotic, Carded, 15 gm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ASS0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Rx3JDbXBXE2JT

This stuff works great.

Eta: if giardia is bad or poo is constantly loose, you can do panacur and flagyl together. It's an easy remedy compared to shampoo and dips.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

daylight saving clicked over this morning
but next week a wintery blast is forcast so hopefully a long pleasent autumn i mean fall for NY and NJ to balance out the seasons
Ring worm gate is going to just be a bad memory soon and life can return to normal

 

[missy]

PetAg Bene-Bac Plus Pet Gel FOS Prebiotic and Probiotic, Carded, 15 gm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ASS0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Rx3JDbXBXE2JT

This stuff works great.

Eta: if giardia is bad or poo is constantly loose, you can do panacur and flagyl together. It's an easy remedy compared to shampoo and dips.

Thanks Eliza. I will check this out. We are giving them so much I am not sure if I should add anything. We are giving them omega 3 oils and DMG immune liquid plus the probiotics now and also Fred is getting fiber in each meal (Benefiber) and I have an Rx coming for Lactulose in case none of the other treatments help him. When is it too much? I appreciate this link and will probably order it just in case.

Now if we could just get the cats clear of this persistent nasty RW. Cmon Fungus. Be GONE. Please.

 

[missy]

daylight saving clicked over this morning
but next week a wintery blast is forcast so hopefully a long pleasent autumn i mean fall for NY and NJ to balance out the seasons
Ring worm gate is going to just be a bad memory soon and life can return to normal

Thank you Daisy. Fresh off the presses. Oliver this AM. Being super cute.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thank you Daisy. Fresh off the presses. Oliver this AM. Being super cute.

im pretty sure that that look says
i still love you mommy

 

[JPie]

Oliver is growing up so fast!

 

[distracts]

Oliver has gotten so big!

I have had stuff going on lately and haven’t had the time or emotional energy to comment but please know that I am checking this thread every day and keeping you and all your tough little cats in my thoughts and crossing my fingers that you’re through the worst of it and the ringworm is about to get really obviously better. With so many weeks of itrafungol, I don’t see how it could not?

 

[meely]

@missy following this thread and I have been thinking of you, I wrote a post yesterday but my phone swallowed it. Keep going you are both amazing parents to your cats, they really got lucky when they found you and Greg.

 

[MamaBee]

PetAg Bene-Bac Plus Pet Gel FOS Prebiotic and Probiotic, Carded, 15 gm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ASS0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Rx3JDbXBXE2JT

This stuff works great.

Eta: if giardia is bad or poo is constantly loose, you can do panacur and flagyl together. It's an easy remedy compared to shampoo and dips.

I agree @missy Bailey had it when we adopted him..along with mange and roundworm. They were easy fixes compared to what you have now.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I've been just out for a walk and i swear i saw Ollie's NZ twin - i called out but he had already scarbered to safety under his house
hoping things are getting better in the garden state missy for you and Greig and the kittie cats
Ollie is going to go home to Brooklyn with a Jersey accent

 

[missy]

Oliver is growing up so fast!

Oliver has gotten so big!

I have had stuff going on lately and haven’t had the time or emotional energy to comment but please know that I am checking this thread every day and keeping you and all your tough little cats in my thoughts and crossing my fingers that you’re through the worst of it and the ringworm is about to get really obviously better. With so many weeks of itrafungol, I don’t see how it could not?

@JPie and @distracts He really has grown a lot but he is still a baby for sure. A big baby now.
Thanks @distracts We keep telling ourselves that too. Fingers crossed. It's been a long challenging journey that is continuing.
I have to add your beautiful new ring brought me some cheer even though it isn't mine. I am so happy for you. It's stunning and well what can I say. It's my favorite color. Enjoy and wear in good health and happiness distracts.

@missy following this thread and I have been thinking of you, I wrote a post yesterday but my phone swallowed it. Keep going you are both amazing parents to your cats, they really got lucky when they found you and Greg.

Thank you @meely, I appreciate your good wishes and support.

I agree @missy Bailey had it when we adopted him..along with mange and roundworm. They were easy fixes compared to what you have now.

Thanks Joanne. Not even worried a little bit about any additional parasites if he has any. Just don't want him giving anything else to his siblings. And as you wrote RW makes them all seem like nothing. Glad you got through all that with Bailey and thanks for chiming in. (((Hugs))).

I've been just out for a walk and i swear i saw Ollie's NZ twin - i called out but he had already scarbered to safety under his house
hoping things are getting better in the garden state missy for you and Greig and the kittie cats
Ollie is going to go home to Brooklyn with a Jersey accent

@Daisys and Diamonds, well, there are worse things I suppose.

This AM is a whirlwind. Greg has to bring the car in for maintenance to the dealer which is not close by (regularly scheduled maintenance) and don't ask why I didn't reschedule because today is also shampoo morning plus the "regular" cleaning/disinfecting routine etc. so lots to do. We got up 30 minutes early which I know doesn't seem like that much but it means we were out of bed at 3 AM. Where is my yawning emoji.

No updates to report right now. Status quo is holding. Everyone is eating the probiotic (thank you @SandyinAnaheim). Tommy and Fred never eat a lot of food at once and aren't getting the complete dose at once but I am trying my best to ensure they get as much as possible as I know a complete dose is necessary) and everyone is eating and that makes me happy. I keep reminding myself "perfect is the enemy of good". Shampooing only Bobby and Fred today because Tommy is still stress losing hair and we don't think Oliver needs to be shampooed today. Though I am not entirely sure about that. It's just we don't want to stress anyone unnecessarily. Tomorrow is L-S dip day.

Thank you everyone who is reading and commenting and letting me know you are on our side and sending us good wishes. Supporting and helping us get through this. Thank you guys.

Have a good morning. Leaving you with Oliver and his daddy reading the paper online at this crazy early hour. Oliver seems wide awake. Oh wait that's right because he gets to sleep whenever he wants and then he gets to keep us awake throughout the night for his own amusement. I almost forgot.

 

[missy]

@Daisys and Diamonds I forgot to share these photos with you from the other day. I know you love all things Asbury Park so I thought you would enjoy this. Some Asbury Art. It's gorgeous in person. Not sure how well it translates to photos but here you go.











In 2 of these photos are people (Greg in one and I am in the other one). Can you find us?


And just because this is a thread about cats here is another work of art from Asbury. Catsbury.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@Daisys and Diamonds I forgot to share these photos with you from the other day. I know you love all things Asbury Park so I thought you would enjoy this. Some Asbury Art. It's gorgeous in person. Not sure how well it translates to photos but here you go.











In 2 of these photos are people (Greg in one and I am in the other one). Can you find us?


And just because this is a thread about cats here is another work of art from Asbury. Catsbury.

my spiritual homeland
thank you missy
its kind of neat to know its real
i mean i have a couple of friends from my Springsteen board who are Jersey girls snd also some New Yorkers
but you verify it's realness

 

[missy]

my spiritual homeland
thank you missy
its kind of neat to know its real
i mean i have a couple of friends from my Springsteen board who are Jersey girls snd also some New Yorkers
but you verify it's realness

Dear @Daisys and Diamonds it is my pleasure. I hope it doesn't upset you to find out I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan. I mean, I like his music but was never that into him. Truth be told I am not a fan of many stars/musicians though. While I admire many and love their music that is where it stops. Well, when I was a teenager I did have a mad crush on Billy Joel. But I was young haha.

I didn't even realize there were forums for things like this. Anyway, thank you for enjoying what I am sharing.
I do love living in Brooklyn and at the Jersey Shore and have an appreciation for the beauty all around us. And the iconic landmarks too. Stone Pony and Brooklyn Bridge included.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@JPie and @distracts He really has grown a lot but he is still a baby for sure. A big baby now.
Thanks @distracts We keep telling ourselves that too. Fingers crossed. It's been a long challenging journey that is continuing.
I have to add your beautiful new ring brought me some cheer even though it isn't mine. I am so happy for you. It's stunning and well what can I say. It's my favorite color. Enjoy and wear in good health and happiness distracts.




Thank you @meely, I appreciate your good wishes and support.



Thanks Joanne. Not even worried a little bit about any additional parasites if he has any. Just don't want him giving anything else to his siblings. And as you wrote RW makes them all seem like nothing. Glad you got through all that with Bailey and thanks for chiming in. (((Hugs))).



@Daisys and Diamonds, well, there are worse things I suppose.

This AM is a whirlwind. Greg has to bring the car in for maintenance to the dealer which is not close by (regularly scheduled maintenance) and don't ask why I didn't reschedule because today is also shampoo morning plus the "regular" cleaning/disinfecting routine etc. so lots to do. We got up 30 minutes early which I know doesn't seem like that much but it means we were out of bed at 3 AM. Where is my yawning emoji.

No updates to report right now. Status quo is holding. Everyone is eating the probiotic (thank you @SandyinAnaheim). Tommy and Fred never eat a lot of food at once and aren't getting the complete dose at once but I am trying my best to ensure they get as much as possible as I know a complete dose is necessary) and everyone is eating and that makes me happy. I keep reminding myself "perfect is the enemy of good". Shampooing only Bobby and Fred today because Tommy is still stress losing hair and we don't think Oliver needs to be shampooed today. Though I am not entirely sure about that. It's just we don't want to stress anyone unnecessarily. Tomorrow is L-S dip day.

Thank you everyone who is reading and commenting and letting me know you are on our side and sending us good wishes. Supporting and helping us get through this. Thank you guys.

Have a good morning. Leaving you with Oliver and his daddy reading the paper online at this crazy early hour. Oliver seems wide awake. Oh wait that's right because he gets to sleep whenever he wants and then he gets to keep us awake throughout the night for his own amusement. I almost forgot.

i don't know how you guys do it
i guess love just somehow gives you just enough energy to just get by
the earliest i ever got up was 4.45 starring work at 7pm after a 45min train commute
i needed the extra time for internet checking up on happenings in the Bruce community - so much happens when im asleep !

but 3am is just too cruel
i would need a nap about lunchtime if i were you
as it was i used to nap on the train going home - usually a guard would remember to wake me up but a couple of times i ended up in town at rush hour
i hope your kitty cats are getting their beauty sleep with mommy and daddy getting up.so early
even though im a happy morning person i don't like getting up before the birds

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Dear @Daisys and Diamonds it is my pleasure. I hope it doesn't upset you to find out I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan. I mean, I like his music but was never that into him. Truth be told I am not a fan of many stars/musicians though. While I admire many and love their music that is where it stops. Well, when I was a teenager I did have a mad crush on Billy Joel. But I was young haha.

I didn't even realize there were forums for things like this. Anyway, thank you for enjoying what I am sharing.
I do love living in Brooklyn and at the Jersey Shore and have an appreciation for the beauty all around us. And the iconic landmarks too. Stone Pony and Brooklyn Bridge included.

its really hard to get tickets so at least i don't know anyone fighting for a place in the pit quee with you
the best thing about bring a Bruce Springsteen fan is making friends from all over the world and also of course learning about America and loving NJ
the world is such a huge place but internet communities make it smaller and friendlier
i must say its alot more polite around here than your average Bruce board (there are more than one )
when the Euros and the Americans argue over which fans Bruce loves more (we argue about everything ) i become an honorary American
my American history and geography and current events / general knowledge is pretty good - i can pass the citizenship test thanks to Bruce

i read this thing once, see when Bruce writes a song he taps so deeply into his hometown that he hits groundwater and that groundwater connects all our hometowns
doesn't matter if we are from Freehold or Brooklyn or well the bottom of the world it resonates so deeply

our political forum saddly just got shut down because well politics is so polarizing right now

sometimes i check the news on NJ.com just to check your all still there
i used to listen to a NJ radio station (i can't remember what it was called) till i discovered he doesn't get that much more air play than he does in NZ but it was fun to hear the adds and the local weather

i honestly had no idea there were jewlery forums on the net but Google lead me here when i would type in my questions

it must be amazing living in Brookly
i used to like Billy Joel back in the day (i always liked the old guys )
NYC really is the centre of the world, your so lucky to be a part of it
once im working again i can start saving (and get a bunch of rings resized and get Mr Tibby off to the vet) so i can see Bruce on his home turf
it would be so much fun to hang out but i must warn you i find it hillerouse (will love in my heart) how American people pronounce Japanese car makers and how you drop your Hs when you say herb

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

how are things in the garden state today ?
our polar blast is in the air so i reacon your in for a bit more nice weather
how are the kitties doing today ?
lime dip day

 

[missy]

how are things in the garden state today ?
our polar blast is in the air so i reacon your in for a bit more nice weather
how are the kitties doing today ?
lime dip day

Good morning Daisy and all the lovely PSers that are here. You are correct. It is L-S dip Tuesday and I am nervous for our cats. They have been through so much and just hoping they get through the rest of this ordeal so they can be well and happy again. We shampooed only Bobby and Fred yesterday as they need it the most. Tommy doesn't need any more stress and knock wood seems OK re RW though ofc we cannot know for sure. But the vet doesn't see any spots on Tommy nor Oliver. They are all 4 getting L-S dips today though as better safe than sorry.

They are not eating the probiotic as well as they were in the beginning. Figures as I just bought $200 more of it and it arrived yesterday. LOL what can you do. Anyway I am going to just continue trying to get them to eat it. And Fred's RX Lactulose came yesterday too (Pet Meds as Chewy was out of it) but he isn't interested in eating that. I don't want to force it down his throat so will keep trying to get him to eat it in his food and see if that helps with his constipation. That and the probiotic and the fiber I am adding hopefully will do the trick for sweet Fred.

once im working again i can start saving (and get a bunch of rings resized and get Mr Tibby off to the vet) so i can see Bruce on his home turf
it would be so much fun to hang out but i must warn you i find it hillerouse (will love in my heart) how American people pronounce Japanese car makers and how you drop your Hs when you say herb

I would love that Daisy.

And true this.

doesn't matter if we are from Freehold or Brooklyn or well the bottom of the world it resonates so deeply

We are all connected by the human experience. And through our love of furbabies too.

Enjoy a lovely day and thank you for all your well wishes. (((Hugs))).


Fred hanging out with us last night on the love seat. Purring the whole time.




He is such a good boy (or should I say old man but in my heart he is still my little boy).

 

[marcy]

Hi Missy, just checking in to see how RW gate is going. Love the sweet pictures of Ollie and Fred. Hoping the kitties start getting better. Big hugs to you.

Marcy

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

They are not eating the probiotic as well as they were in the beginning. Figures as I just bought $200 more of it and it arrived yesterday. LOL what can you do. Anyway I am going to just continue trying to get them to eat it.

@missy it might or might not be the probiotic, but just to be safe, you can always cut the portion down to half a dose each to see if that helps temporarily. I've often found that not all animals always eat the same amount each day, just kind of depends on how they feel. Sometimes when one's not eating all their food, the others won't either. Go figure.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

sending kitty cat hugs to NJ today to everyone
As Gary says about his illness (he has some autoimmune disease we can never remenber its name) its just a matter of going through a process
and you and Greg and the kitties will get there Missie
kea kaha

 

[missy]

@missy it might or might not be the probiotic, but just to be safe, you can always cut the portion down to half a dose each to see if that helps temporarily. I've often found that not all animals always eat the same amount each day, just kind of depends on how they feel. Sometimes when one's not eating all their food, the others won't either. Go figure.

Thanks Sandy, I do not think it is the probiotic. I think it is the Itrafungol. They are weighed every week at the Veterinarian office before their L-S dips but they never share the weight with us unless we ask. My fault entirely as I should insist on knowing their weight each week but I am exhausted and forget much of the time to get that info. Anyway, yesterday we asked for them to please write down all their weights and all of them lost weight. With the exception of Fred who remained stable from last week to this week but is down a few lbs overall.

Tommy is down to 8.6 lbs (from 12 a year ago), Bobby our big eater is down to 13 lbs from 16 lbs at the start of the summer. Fred is 9lbs (from 12 or so a year ago but he was stable from last week to this week while the other 3 lost weight) and Oliver even lost .2 lbs from 5.6 to 5.4. That was a shock to me that Oliver lost weight. Though at this moment I am now most concerned about Tommy and his "borderline" hyperthyroidism which we need to treat but want to wait til RW is over so I can bring him to my sister in Long Island. I do not trust the local vet. I want my cats to see my sister as soon as we can bring them back to NYC.

The Veterinarian had nothing to say about their weight loss so I called my sister who agreed with us that it is probably the Itrafungol. I would like to continue it at least through this week making it 10 weeks of Itrafungol. However one week in the beginning was an off week of no Itrafungol since I only began giving it every after week 2. So it was week one Itrafungol, week 2 no Itrafungol and then Itrafungol pretty much from then on for another 8 weeks once we get through to Friday making it 10 weeks of RW treatment. And furthermore my sister feels while we can do another 2 L-S dips she thinks we should stop all treatment as they are experiencing side effects from the stress and the Itrafungol.

I would hate to have come so far and just stop just in case they relapse. Another option is stop the Itrafungol and continue with L-S dips to 12 weeks which is just another 2 weeks of L-S dips. Or we can just keep on with the program and re-evaluate at week 12. Which truthfully is what I am leaning towards.

I hate giving them the Itrafungol as it is nasty tasting and I do think it is (obviously) affecting their appetite negatively. But if RW comes back (or isn't gone) then it will be much worse for everyone. That is why (as long as they are eating something and it is enough to sustain them for now) I am leaning towards continuing both Itrafungol and the L-S dips. I feel if we can make it to week 12 we have a better chance of getting or keeping the cats RW free. My sister says 12 weeks is an arbitrary number but for some reason I have 12 weeks in my head. I know it depends on the individual cat and their progress but being in a multi cat household I would like to keep treating all of them just in case Fred or Bobby is contagious. Does that make sense?

I have to re read some articles/research and see where I got the 12 weeks idea in my head and we will as always watch the cats and their appetite. As long as they are eating I am reluctant to stop anything at this time. But as always I re-evaluate each day and will take it one day at a time.

I also think the Itrafungol is causing is personality change. Bobby used to be so much more aggressive and active and a bit psycho (only in the most loving way I say this) and now he is very docile. I don't like this personality change. Tommy for the most part is Tommy still. Though Tommy is more hesitant now as I don't cuddle and hug him like I used to only because I do not want to get RW and reinfect the cats. Fred as you know is listless but he is not getting the Itrafungol. And Fred is still constipated. I am putting Lactulose in his food but so far he isn't eating enough of it. I do not want to force it down his throat as he doesn't do well when we force feed him meds. And who knows if Oliver's personality is affected. We didn't get to know Oliver well enough to know his personality before RW Gate started.

Sorry if my thoughts are muddled. Another sleep deprived night and I am a zombie. This AM I gave the cats their food (after much coaxing and cajoling and at this point getting them to eat is more stressful than giving them their meds) and their meds and am having my coffee and just read your post.Thanks for weighing (haha) in and for any advice or thoughts you have to share. I will take your advice re the probiotic and give them half at a time and spread it over the day to see if I can get them to eat a whole packet. So weird as the first day they gobbled it up. Thanks Sandy.

 

[missy]

Hi Missy, just checking in to see how RW gate is going. Love the sweet pictures of Ollie and Fred. Hoping the kitties start getting better. Big hugs to you.

Marcy

Thank you so much @marcy. I really appreciate all your good wishes and kind comfort and your big bear (haha) hugs. Sending (((hugs))) your way too.

 

[missy]

sending kitty cat hugs to NJ today to everyone
As Gary says about his illness (he has some autoimmune disease we can never remenber its name) its just a matter of going through a process
and you and Greg and the kitties will get there Missie
kea kaha

Thanks sweet @Daisys and Diamonds, much appreciated. I am sorry Gary has an AI disease and hope he is feeling well. How is his daughter doing?
Thanks for all your support and good wishes. Sending hugs from me and the kitties to you and your furry crew.

 

[missy]

Kitty update pics. Everyone is very yellow after L-S dips yesterday.









And the Veterinarian office decorated for Halloween. Ooooh spooky.



Let's hope RW Gate has a very not scary ending. Happy ending pretty please.

 

[missy]

LOL and aww. I am feeling lots of mixed emotions with this Meme



and LOL



Who knew there were RW memes and gifs?

 

[AV_]

as long as they are eating something and it is enough to sustain them for now) I am leaning towards continuing

I know what it takes to get me on hunger strike.

Since Itraf. remains in the system for over a week after the last dose [recalling instructions, TBC] you would need perhaps twice as long to determine if there is any relapse. Their immunity takes over at the end of treatment.

 

[arkieb1]

Apart from the fact they are all miserable from the washing and treatment, do they seem to be getting better ie less RW patches?

 

[missy]

Apart from the fact they are all miserable from the washing and treatment, do they seem to be getting better ie less RW patches?

Hi Arkieb, they do seem to be improving fingers and toes and everything crossed. The veterinarian says she does not see any new areas of RW and believes they are all on the mend though she feels we should wait to culture them (and until then we don't know anything definitively) as Fred is the one lagging behind. Though he is regrowing hair it is very slow and it is coming in brown. But from what Elaine (rescue person) tells me the cats who have white hair take the longer to have it come in the correct color and instead comes in brownish for a long while. I don't understand why but it does give me some comfort to know that this hopefully doesn't mean it is RW again.

The vet keeps saying fur instead of hair and it is distracting to me lol. It's hair not fur. At least that is what I call their hair. Hair.
The veterinarian also wants to continue L-S dips for now and isn't giving me any direction re the Itrafungol. As my sister says the veterinarian probably just doesn't know and neither does Debbie (my sister). There is no black and white at this point in time.

So hoping that the RW is on the mend and that no one relapses. It's a bit scary knowing that a relapse is definitely possible and also not knowing if they are RW free or how close they are to being RW free. Good chance Fred is not yet RW free and as for Bobby I see bald areas on his face that were not there 2 weeks ago but the vet says she doesn't see that. I hope she is right.

For now I am taking the good news and holding onto it and we will keep on giving them Itrafungol (as long as they are eating enough to sustain them) and L-S dips til we are more certain or have a definitive diagnosis (ie negative cultures for all of them) that they are cured. Wish we could let up on the cleaning but to have come this far and possibly jeopardize their health because I am tired would be crazy so Greg and I are going to continue our cleaning and disinfecting routine every morning.

Thanks for asking.