ringworm help PLEASE!!!!!!!!

[Julianne Adams]

i have 8 wk old pups that have ringworm...my vet said to use tinactin but it doesnt really seem to be doing anything...i have treated this for 3 weeks now(since 1st pup showed signs-now all pups haev it) and havent seen any results...i also bathe them once a week with antibacterial soap and bleach out their pen daily...any help anyone????

many thanks

[Traci]

Ask your vet for miconazole shampoo and the topical as well. As a last resort, talk to your vet about using a lime sulfur dip, but I wouldn't recommend this in young pups, unless your vet has specifically instructed you.

Be prepared that ringworm can persist past 4 weeks of treatment, and will be especially hard to eradicate in a multi-pet environment.

[Julianne Adams]

is that like iodine shampoo? its been brought to my attention but they are still so young....should the ringworm spots be bright pink as they are being treated? some already have hair growing in them but are still bright and a little bumpy...thanks

[davet]

you might just try a q-tip dipped in Chlorax and then the excess squeezed out...do this on just one spot and see if there are results...if it cleqrs the one spot then tell you vet...he might suggest some type of Chlorox dip..but do no more than one lesion for now.

[k9Karen]

Yes, they can be bright pink while being treated. The fact that hair is growing back is a good sign. Don't give up, just realize that fungal infections, like ringworm, are extremely resistant to treatment. Usually at least 4 weeks of treatment is necessary, and sometimes longer. Ask your vet if using hydrocortisone cream along with the tinactin would be helpful. That could help reduce the redness and itching. (A note - NEVER use cortizone cream alone on a fungal infection; it will encourage the growth of the fungus and makes things much worse.) Please do not use the hydrocortisone cream without first consulting your vet.

[davet]

K9, i had once read that ringworm is selflimiting, like fungal rins in the yard, they grow to a certain limitation and then they die out...i suspect that is a fallacy and i sure would never rely on it cause i suspect the whole animal or human body would be one h8uge mess before it self limited...

[k9Karen]

K9, i had once read that ringworm is selflimiting, like fungal rins in the yard, they grow to a certain limitation and then they die out...i suspect that is a fallacy and i sure would never rely on it cause i suspect the whole animal or human body would be one h8uge mess before it self limited...

I think that can be true in some animals or people - it depends on the status of the immune system and the tenacity of the fungus and how involved the infection is (one "worm" vs. many). The fungus actually kills the cells and "moves on" - hence the ring. The active infection is at the outside of the ring. In an ideal world, the area in the center would repair itself, but, unfortunately, as the healthy cells return, the ringworm will just see "new food" and could return also. In puppies, with their immature immune systems, I would think the fungus would win hands down. It's so contagious, I don't think I'd want to chance it with any animal or myself. I've only had one, and it started as a tiny, itchy bump. By the time it was completely dead after several weeks of treatment, it was the size of a quarter - not a pretty sight!

[davet]

thanks, i agree...had a secretery who, every two or three months would get ring worm and she used all the over counter stuff and found out that just one treatment of chlorox worked fine....don;t know why she was so sensitive but i sure could tell when i missed a diagnosis, unless she was infecting herself at home...even used the chlorox dip on cats and sdogs--worked fine but i could not Rx it cause of the risk...