Ringworm

What is ringworm?

Ringworm is the common name for a skin infection caused by a fungus; it is not actually a worm! Most often, it presents as an area of fur loss that can be flakey or red. Ringworm can also have other characteristics - but circular, hairless lesions are the most common indicators. It is possible for you and anyone in your home to get ringworm from your foster animal(s). People who are very young, elderly, or immune-compromised are most susceptible. Ringworm is also contagious to other animals, especially if the animal is immune-compromised. Mitigate any spores spreading by practicing great hygiene, washing your hands and being aware of contaminated items / bedding during and after handling infected animals. Taking extra precaution will minimize the chance of spread!

Can I get ringworm?

Unfortunately, yes. If you suspect that you have gotten ringworm and are experiencing symptoms, contact your physician. While in many cases, ringworm can be treated with an over-the-counter anti-fungal cream, consulting with your physician first is the best course of action should you experience symptoms. 

What about my resident animals?

Keep your fosters in an isolated room away from any resident pets. Remember, ringworm can live in carpets, rugs, or any other fabrics. Isolating your ringworm animals in a room that is easy to completely sanitize, such as a bathroom, makes containment much easier. The disinfectant required to sanitize ringworm can easily bleach carpet, so tile and other easily sanitized surfaces are much better spaces to keep ringworm foster animals contained.

Ringworm can easily be killed by cleaning first, then using a diluted bleach solution to disinfect. Step by step instructions and cleaner (if necessary) will be provided to ensure that your foster areas are completely cleaned and sanitized. Washing your hands and changing your clothes/ shoes in between petting your ringworm animal and other animals can reduce the chance of spreading the fungus as well.

Is recontamination a concern?

The extremely contagious nature of ringworm means that it can easily recontaminate the original patient if you are not careful. Be sure to treat all lesions appropriately on the animal’s body. 

After each treatment, the animal should be provided with cleaned and sanitized bedding. Any surface touched prior to treatment should be fully sanitized before the animal touches that surface again. By taking every precaution when treating ringworm, you are minimizing the chance of recontamination and are helping the animal to fight ringworm faster.

How do you diagnose and treat ringworm?

Should an animal arrive in a Brother Wolf facility or foster home and be suspected of having ringworm, the following diagnostics will be conducted.

1. 1. The area in question will be examined under a woods lamp to see if there is fluorescence. The area will look bright apple green. Care should be taken to let your eyes adjust to the dark for several minutes. The wood lamp should be allowed 1 minute to warm up before evaluating the lesion. 

   2. A culture of the area will be obtained by using a toothbrush and brushing the cat ten to fifteen times from nose to tail, and then five times on the actual lesions. For a dog, brush only five times on the lesion. Hold the culture sideways and take the toothbrush and press the bristles ten times into the medium. Throw the toothbrush away. Replace the lid and cover with tape, including the name of the animal and date. The culture should be stored upside down in an incubation environment.

   3. If ringworm is in question, a skin scrape or looking at pulled hairs from the lesion of the area will be immediately examined under a microscope. Hairs that are from a positive lesion will be swollen and frayed. 

   4. The culture will be examined after ten days to determine how many colonies have grown. To examine the culture, assess it visually to determine if the growth is ringworm. Colonies look like white, fuzzy growth. If it is positive, take a drop of methylene blue and place it on the slide. Lightly press scotch tape over the growth and place it over the dye and look at it under the microscope. Confirm the ringworm.

(Less than four colonies is considered a negative culture, but the animal should receive a lime sulfur dip. 5+ is a positive result and treatment should begin.)

1. 5. If there is a question about the diagnosis after these protocols are followed, a veterinarian will be contacted.

How does this work in foster?

While tricky to manage, ringworm will resolve faster in animals who are in foster homes (and away from the stress of the foster center). Brother Wolf will provide all supplies needed to dip your foster pet. 

1. All animals will be treated twice weekly with lime sulfur treatment. Be sure to check the expiration date of the lime sulfur before using - if crystals are seen in the bottom of the bottle, the product has gone bad. "Dip" is administered via spray bottle, and will be explained at length during pickup of supplies. 

"Scruffing" the cat can be helpful to restrain the cat while treating them if they get wiggly. This will not hurt them. Brother Wolf staff can show you this technique!

2. Intraconozole or another intrafungal medication may be prescribed. Animals are treated until their hair is regrowing and a negative culture is obtained. 

3. All treatment provided to an animal will be documented on each animal's medical record - when dropping off your foster pet, be sure to submit your dip tracking sheet for their medical records.