Ringworm treatment in cat.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for some more great questions! I'm going to do some research for you to be sure that I get you the most up to date information. So, I may not have a reply for you right away.

You'll get another email sent to you once I have some info for you!


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Dr. Marie replied:

OK, thanks for your patience. Fortunately I don't see a whole lot of ringworm in my practice. I have about a case per year. So, I wanted to get you the most up to date information I could find rather than just what is in my head!

The treatment of choice for ringworm in cats is still Griseofulvin. Did he have any improvement with this medication? Some cats need a LONG course of this medication in order to be cured. The recommendation is to treat until healed and then 2 weeks longer...and this can take several months some times.

I researched Dakin's solution. Interesting. The idea is to use a diluted solution of bleach in order to kill the ringworm. I did some research on Veterinary Information Network (where vets and specialists discuss cases) and the veterinary dermatologists do not seem to be in favor of using this.

There are a number of treatments that can be used effectively (which tells you that there is no single treatment that works best). If the griseofulvin alone is not effective then you can talk to your vet about combining it with a shampoo containing chlorhexadine. However, my gut instinct is that if you are already using miconazole cream plus griseofulvin and it is not clearing up then I have my doubts that the chlorhexadine shampoo will work.

The next two treatments that the experts recommend are indeed ketoconazole or itraconazole. These drugs usually do work well for ringworm. But, using them comes with some risks. Both of these drugs can have side effects including loss of appetite, vomiting and serious liver problems. Of the two of these drugs, the itraconazole is the safer. If I remember right, it can be quite pricey though.

One other thing you can talk to your vet about using perhaps before you try the itraconazole is lime sulfur shampoo. This shampoo smells absolutely horrid and may stain a cat's fur if the fur is white. But, it does tend to work well against ringworm.

Regarding the congestion, you did mention before that your cat is probably a carrier for mycoplasma felis. This is likely why you are seeing so many respiratory symptoms. While it won't hurt to see an internist, I am not convinced that they will be able to fix this problem.

Has Indigo been tested for feline leukemia and FIV? Any time I have a patient with multiple sicknesses I start wondering if there is an immune system problem. Either of these viruses could be the culprit.

I hope this answers your question and I hope that little Indigo is feeling better soon!

Dr. Marie