Right about now, goldfish are look quite nice as pets. They might not be as cuddly, but....

I no more than start to get the ear mites under control and....(sigh)....one dog develops mange. In the process of carefully checking all the cats, I discover ....(groan).... Dante (Maine Coon mix) has ringworm. Nobody else seems to have it -- yet.

It's not surprising that he is the one to get it first. He came with irritable bowel disease and diabetes, and is 17-20 years old. He's known as Mr. Immortal, because he almost died of a URI when I got Maggie. So, I know his immune system is not perfect. Thankfully he's patient when medicated. What I don't want is for him to spread it to Maggie (who probably has immune issues). I think my other cats are basically healthy enough to fight it off.

So, here's my questions:

So, here's my questions:

1) Has anyone treated ringworm holistically? And what did you use?
We had ring room in our house. I also caught it very early and though only my one cat had it, turns out they both did. They were treated with oral medication the vet gave me. The other way to treat is topical, but you have to shave your cats, and that tends to spread it as well.

2) If I need to decontaminate the living room, what do I do with the carpet and the sofa? I can't use a 1:10 bleach mix, or can I on fabric?
I used the clorox wipes that come in a round cylinder. I actually didn't really do the full cleaning, just the main spaces I knew the cats hung out. Since it was caught super early and they were on treatment right away.

3) Has anyone ever had a cat with mange? I've read it's not common. - sorry, no

4) In a fully-coated Persian like Isabel, how do I determine if she has either ringworm or mange?
Ringworm- pet her. If you feel any bumps, like scabby type bumps, that is ring worm. That is how I found it on my Willow. For Petunia, who has a much thicker coat, I first noticed it on her ears. Google some photos and you will have an idea of what that looks like. But really, it was the crusty small bump I felt petting her, and then Petunia got those as well.

Linda Sparky and Lani came with Ringworm and yes I treated it holistically. Luckily my old dog that was dying of cancer did not get it. My routine was probably extreme to many but it worked. I will try to see if I can figure out what I used, it has been 4 1/2 yrs ago so am not sure.

Okay

1. Go online to Revival Animal Health and order some Health Guard Laundry Additive and disinfectant. It should have the instructions in it on how much to use. I used this to clean my carpets, spray on my couch, added it to my laundry and on anything that could not be bleaced. It is safe, it did not harm or ruin anything. It is supposed to last for 30 days if I remember right. So I redid everything just before the 30 days was up. I added it to every load of laundry I did. If you want to read more about it do a search: Laundry additive for feline ringworm, it should pull up several sites to look at.

2. After I cleaned the rooms I did not want them in I closed them off. Mine had the run of the house except the bedrooms. I took the bedspreads, all decorative stuff, basically stripped things down after cleaning and put them away. I covered the furniture and washed the covers in the additive every week.

3. I vaccumed and wiped down everywhere at least 1-2 times a week, cloroxing the tiles, tubs, counters ect. Spraying the heat vents also.

4. I did the baths with the medicated shampoo My Vet shaved the areas and had me get a black light and check for new spots 2-3 x a day. My girls had it on the ears, mouth and nose so we had to be careful what we put on it. This is the part that got rid of it and I don't how you can get it. My Vet had me go to a dr she uses and he makes a purified Castor Oil, it is different than what you get in the store, I don't know if I can get you some or not, but if you want I will check. He puts it in a capsule, I pricked the end of it and just rubbed a tiny bit on the spots with a Q tip. The oil made a huge difference. I don't know what he did to purify and dilute it to make it safe so I can't advise you on that.

Now Mange Have never had and hope and pray I never do. The word "Ringworm" is enough to give me nightmares, Mange makes me want to run away.

Thanks for the info. This is the first time I've had to deal with ringworm, so I have a steep learning curve. I personally would rather remain ignorant, but....

I like both the clorox wipes and the laundry stuff. Both sound fairly easy to do.

As for treating the cats -- yes, plural since now clearly Robbie has it -- I really can't use the oral medicine on Dante since his health is fragile. The purified castor oil sounds good, since right now, I'm only looking at 3 small spots on Dante and 1 on Robbie. I may have to try the plain castor oil until I can track down the purified. I did see on the internet that some people have used apple cider vinegar, which I may try today. (I've got a bad cold and I really don't want to run into town looking for castor oil.)

Black light? Another fun toy on my shopping list. (I've wanted one for a while so I can go outside at night and look for scorpions, but could never quite justify it. Now I can!!!)

We are reconsidering the mange on the dog. It looks closer to mange than ringworm, but I'm wondering if it is ringworm and he's just obsessively been licking it. (I know, vet trip. )

Bless your heart Linda...if it is not one thing it is another. Good Luck and let us know the outcome....Hears hoping that it is not to hard to get under control

I was wondering, if ringworm is a fungus, can't you use Lotriman or something like that on it?

Linda I read that Castor Oil plain can be dangerous, if nothing else a lasative. You might want to check it out before buying it and maybe see what it can be diluted with to remain effective. We tryed the vinegar on one spot but Lani had it under her eye, couldn't take a chance. I will see if I can get the oil if you want, it is not expesive, but I may have to wait a day or so, he is up the Mountain by the ski resorts and it is supposed to snow, I don't do Parleys Canyon in bad weather In all honestly I think the baths, the shaving and the oil is what got rid of it, and kept it from spreading. The cleaning also kept it from spreading and not coming back. I wouldn't do the meds either. I was told I either had to do the baths or the meds, so I chose the baths.

With 9 fuzzbutts, it's always one thing or another!!! Usually it's been one at a time and not mass epidemics.

Yes, ringworm is actually a fungus and Lotriman could be used. The problem is cats lick themselves. I've looked on the internet and I'm still not sure it would be safe. Some sites say yes, others no, a few maybe. The active ingredient is the same as some vet preparations, namely Clotrimazole, but often it's the other inactive ingredients that cause problems with cats.

Ah, the dangers of castor oil. It looks like some sites confuse the castor plant and the poison ricin with the oil, which according to the ASPC site, doesn't contain poisons. Then again, maybe that's what is being purified out? (I'll call my vet tomorrow and see what she says and get back to you, Dianne. Thanks for the offer.) The laxative part doesn't concern me too much as both cats are adults and it seemed many of those problems were in kittens. Then again, maybe I'll skip the castor oil and try the vinegar or goldenseal or ...(my favorite) motor oil!

I'm just not keen on baths. I feel fairly confindent that my cats share this feeling too.

Linda I think I forgot to mention that with the upholstery I didn't wipe it down, I sprayed it with the laundry additive, much easier and I did it on a weekly basis, although it is supposed to protect for 30 days, the carpet I did at 30 days. And of course for the carpet I just used the carpet cleaner. I mixed the additive in a gallon bottle and filled the sprayer or carpet cleaner.

I am sure you have learned by now that the ringworm feeds on the hair folicles and that is how it spreads, that is the reason to shave around the area. I am lucky, many vets shave the whole cat, we just did the spots.

I hear you on the baths, mine haven't had a bath in the 4 yrs since but it did kill any new stuff so it didn't spread, and I think it made the difference in giving all the other stuff and the body a chance to clear it. I really hope the dog has ringworm and not mange, it is easier to deal with from what I have heard.

I wouldn't use the anitfungals, it would not be much different that giving them the meds because they lick and I don't think that stuff was ever intended for internal use. And Motor Oil

Linda...when I was a kid, I got ringworm from the neighbors cat. My grandma took a brown paper bag, took a piece of it and burned it in an ashtray. The oily residue that was left in the bottom she rubbed on the spot. Within a couple of days, it was healing up nicely. It never spread to more than a couple spots on my leg. It might be worth a try...it's cheap!

Dianne -- so you didn't like the motor oil cure?! I couldn't believe it when I read it, but a number of people swear it works.

Cat -- brown paper bag residue? That is a new one. Now if all the bags around the house weren't plastic,....

So far, Dante and Robbie are the only ones. (Plus whatever the mangy dog has! YES, I can legally call him mangy!!! ) I may break down and bathe Dante since he has several spots. My vet said the apple cider vinegar may work -- it has for some people -- but she's no guaranteeing it. I can live with that, since I can't take a day off until next week. With Robbie, who may only have one spot, I'll just use goldenseal. The spot is there, crusty, but with bloody scabs, so it may just be him injurying himself scratching or him and Tolstoy fighting, or actually rignworm. The goldenseal will help in any case. (Goldenseal is too expensive to bathe a cat in!)