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Ringworm? Yuck!


Night Elf
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What do I need to know about ringworm? I volunteer at the Humane Society and the kitten room has been off limits for over a week because there was a threat of ringworm. There wasn't a confirmed case. So when I went in last Tuesday, I volunteered to go in and clean the room. I followed all their procedures including spraying myself and my shoes with their special stuff. I developed a rash on my upper arm and didn't think much about it. It only itches occasionally and I would just put hydrocortizone cream on it. Then tonight I noticed the middle of it had cleared but left the ring around the outside part of the rash. It started off the size of a dime and now is the size of a quarter. I cancelled my volunteer jobs for this week because I don't know what this is and if I should be around the animals. Luckily my doctor has an opening tomorrow so I can go see what she thinks. 

 

Does this spread? Am I contagious? Stories? 

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Ringworm is basically a fungal infection.  Keep it clean so it doesn't spread and I would start with the natural remedies first and see if that helps.  Then I'd move on to washing it with antifungal soap or shampoo. 

 

edited to add. or maybe use the powders that are good for athlete's foot?  

Edited by PrincessMommy
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I bought some anti-fungal cream. I'll try that. I'm curious as to what my doctor will say about it. I watched a you tube video of a doctor talking about it and he said the over the counter anti-fungal creams were just as good as prescription ones.

 

DH is worried because we've been in skin to skin contact. He hasn't touched the rash itself though. I didn't realize how invasive this could be.

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I should add that it's probably fluke that you got it after cleaning up after the cat. My dh had a ringworm patch on his inner thigh for months and I never got it despite many tea parties over that time. My understanding is that it really isn't that contagious.

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You don't need a doctor for ringworm. Use an anti-fungal cream like Lotrimin and keep it covered with a bandaid. It can definitely spread and is contagious. DS and I had quite the case of ringworm a couple months ago. I also treated with tea tree oil. IIRC, I would treat with the oil, let it dry, use the Lotrimin (generously), and cover with a bandaid.

 

Good luck!

 

PS - we also caught it from a kitten! And a friend had a kitten that needed ringworm treatment. Be wary of those cute, sweet little ringworm carriers! Haha!

Edited by SJ.
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Just go to the drug store and buy some lotrimin and try to remember to put it on a couple times a day.  It will typically clear up pretty fast with home treatment.  I've had it plenty of times.  It's not a big deal for humans.  It's much harder to deal with in cats. 

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I agree with those who say get some Lotrimin, use it a couple of times a day (or however often it says), keep it covered and otherwise don't fret about it. The last time I had it was when the shelter I was volunteering with had a huge outbreak. It was so bad we had to give all the cats and kittens oral medication for it (I'll never forget attempting to pill cat after cat after cat . . .   :ohmy:) , drag everything outside in the sun to disinfect, Clorox ALL the hard surfaces inside, etc. It was all sorts of fun (not!). Despite handling wrestling with many cats several times over a week or so to medicate them I only got a couple of spots and Lotrimin took care of them.

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Our family caught ringworm from newly adopted kittens a few years ago. We used over the counter anti-fungal cream and it cleared up within several days. Per the advice of our vet, we also washed all our clothing, bedding, and towels in hot water after one use.

 

The worst part of it was having to give all 5 of our cats baths - not fun! 

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DS picked up a bad a case of ringworm from a farm visit when he was little (3-ish?). It did not respond to any OTC or Rx meds, and was spreading like crazy — it got to be the size of a dinner plate and covered his back and part of his sides. After about 10 days of getting more and more freaked out as it continued to spread, I tried tee tree oil — which stopped it almost instantly. I applied it with a Q-tip and then wrapped cling film around him. I was shocked at how effective it was and how quickly it worked.

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This is not a doctor situation.  The best OTC is Lotrimin, but almost any of them indicated for ringworm will work (Lamisil, any of the clotrimazoles, etc.).  Cover it with a band-aid after applying the cream if you are concerned about spreading it.

 

I am not 100% sure it's ringworm. I want my doctor to look at it and tell me yes or no. I want a formal diagnosis so I can tell the shelter definitively if I have it because that might help them deal with the kittens. The room is off limits because of the exposure they had but there have been no confirmed cases. Well, some kitten in that room must have it if I got it from cleaning that room. I feel they need to know that.

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We had a case from our adopted kitty last year and it was a gigantic pain. All my kids and my niece ended up with patches. We used over the counter fungal cream, a couple of different ones that we rotated. All the spots cleared up eventually.

And bathed the stupid cat everyday for a long while. Man that cat is lucky to still be alive - it wasn't her fault but it was a pain. I didn't try bleach though!

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Ringworm isn't a bacteria, it's a fungus.  If it is a circular red rash that you got after the shelter had a kitten with ringworm, it's ringworm.

 

No kitten had ringworm. Someone who was exposed to ringworm went into the kitten room so for safety's sake, they quarantined the room to see if anything would develop. As of last Tuesday when I went in to clean, there were still no confirmed cases of any kitten having ringworm. That's why I'm having some doubts. I do get rashes that look like this on another part of my body occasionally but never on my arm. I spent the first few days thinking it was just a regular rash. But DH was the one who brought up ringworm last night since I was supposed to go in to the shelter this morning. You're probably right, it is ringworm, but the shelter still needs a confirmation.

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No kitten had ringworm. Someone who was exposed to ringworm went into the kitten room so for safety's sake, they quarantined the room to see if anything would develop. As of last Tuesday when I went in to clean, there were still no confirmed cases of any kitten having ringworm. That's why I'm having some doubts. I do get rashes that look like this on another part of my body occasionally but never on my arm. I spent the first few days thinking it was just a regular rash. But DH was the one who brought up ringworm last night since I was supposed to go in to the shelter this morning. You're probably right, it is ringworm, but the shelter still needs a confirmation.

 

I got nummular eczema last winter and it looks a lot like ringworm and is very itchy, too. It was on my upper arms and lower legs. I only figured out it wasn't ringworm after the anti-fungal cream didn't clear it up.

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I had ringworm once, when I lived in a third world country.  It freaked me out, because I was imagining live worms wiggling around under my skin forming rings.  It really wasn't that at all, and was easy to get rid of.  Like others, I think I used an anti-fungal cream.

 

Good luck!

 

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My doctor couldn't give me a formal diagnosis. She said I"d need to go to the dermatologist for that since they have the equipment to test the skin. However, just by looking at it and hearing I was exposed led her to believe it is ringworm and she's given me a prescription cream. She asked if I wanted an oral med too but I said no. We'll wait and see if it gets worse or spreads. She said she believes tea tree oil will help but she wants me to alternate it with the prescription cream.

 

So, there I am.

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