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Ringworm Identification in Pets: Treatment, Prevention and Home Remedies
Article source: http://www.rescuecats.org/. Used with author's
permission.
"Ringworm" is the common name for the skin infection caused by a
special group of fungi; it is not caused by a worm at all. The
fungi feed upon the dead cells of skin and hair causing, in
people, a classic round, red lesion with a ring of scale around
the edges and normal recovering skin in the center. Because the
ring of irritated, itchy skin looked like a worm, the infection
was erroneously named. The fungi responsible are called
"dermatophytes," meaning "plants that live on the skin" thus the
more correct term for ringworm is "dermatophytosis." The
characteristic "ring" appearance is primarily a human
phenomenon. In animals, ringworm frequently looks like a dry,
grey, scaly patch but can also mimic any other skin lesion and
have any appearance.
WHERE WOULD MY PET PICK UP THIS INFECTION?
The spores of dermatophyte fungi are extremely hardy in the
environment; they can live for years. All it takes is skin
contact with a spore to cause infection. Infected animals are
continuously dropping spore-covered hairs as infected hairs
break off into the environment. Some animals are carriers, who
never show signs of skin irritation themselves but can infect
others readily. There are several species of dermatophyte fungi.
Different species of fungi come from different kinds of animals
or even from soil thus determining the ringworm species can help
determine the source of the fungal infection.
TREATMENT
Commitment is the key to success especially if you have more
than one pet. Infected animals are constantly shedding spores
into the environment (your house) thus disinfection is just as
important as treatment of the affected pet.
ORAL MEDICATION FOR INFECTED PETS
There are primarily two medications being used to treat
ringworm: Griseofulvin and Itraconazole (brand name "Sporonox").
Veterinary dermatologists disagree as to which is better. Both
medications are relatively expensive, must be given with food,
and have significant potential to cause birth defects in
pregnant pets.
Treatment with either medication typically is continued for 1-2
months and should not be discontinued until the pet cultures
negative. Stopping when the pet simply looks well visually
frequently leads to recurrence of the disease.
GRISEOFULVIN (brand name Fulvicin) This medication must be given
with a fatty meal in order for an effective dose to be absorbed
by the pet. Persian cats and young kittens are felt to be
sensitive to its side effects which usually are limited to
nausea but can include liver disease and serious white blood
cell changes. Cats infected with the Feline Immunodeficiency
Virus commonly develop life-threatening blood cell changes and
should never be exposed to this medication. Despite the side
effects, which can be severe for some individuals, Griseofulvin
is still the traditional medication for the treatment of
ringworm and is usually somewhat less expensive than
Itraconazole.
ITRACONAZOLE This medication is highly effective in the
treatment of ringworm but is available in capsules far too large
to be useful to most small animals. This means that a special
company must reformulated the medication into a more useful
size. Nausea is a potential side effect for this medication but
probably the main reason it is passed by in favor of
griseofulvin is expense. Itraconazole is also effective in
treating many life-threatening fungal infections whereas
Griseofulvin only treats ringworm.
By increasing the amount of Itraconazole in the environment, we
may be creating resistance in more dangerous fungi which could
become a problem over the years. On the average, cats treated
with Itraconazole and nothing else were able to achieve cure two
weeks sooner than cats treated with Griseofulvin.
DOES PROGRAM CURE RINGWORM? In the late fall of 2000, the
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published
a study of over 200 cases indicating that Lufenuron (the active
ingredient of Program) could be an effective treatment for
Ringworm. This began as an observation that animals using
Program or Sentinel for flea control did not get ringworm.
Questions about this work have come up from the public since the
release of this work. The fact is that the study is still under
scrutiny by members of the American College of Veterinary
Dermatology and "the jury is still out." It is clear that the
doses purported to be helpful with Ringworm should not be
harmful. At this time the use of lufenuron for Ringworm is
reasonable if other more conventional treatments are
concurrently used.
Other Ringworm Treatments:
#1-Clip hair around the ringworm patch. Once a day dip a cotton
swab into tincture of goldenseal and paint the entire affected
area. Limit the treated area to a dime-size spot in cats and
small animals and up to a quarter-size spot in larger dogs. If
there is more than one spot, alternate daily treatments from one
spot to the other.
#2-Tea Tree Oil. Apply oil on a Q-tip or cotton ball to the
affected area, twice the diameter of the lesion.
#3-Bleach. One part bleach to nine parts water (premixed),
applied to the affected area twice the diameter of the lesion.
DO NOT use near the eyes!
RescueCats, Inc. has gathered this information from various
sources and does not recommend or endorse any one method of
treatment. All treatments used are at your own risk.
About the author:
RescueCats, Inc. is an all volunteer, no-kill animal rescue
agency in Fayetteville, Georgia. Visit http://www.rescuecats.org
for more useful tips and articles about cats and kittens.
RescueCats Inc.
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