Ringworm...

[ferrety]

Dixie has been losing hair in patches since the end of May. We took her to the vet and got an allergy diagnosis. A bit later we thought we had pinpointed it to some Hartz Flea & Tick Drops (YES. Now I know how bad those things are and we WILL NOT use them ever again). So after waiting for four weeks for the balding to hit its worst so it could get better....it is worse, but NOT showing signs of improvement.

So yesterday, I took her to the vet and he believes now that it is a generalized ringworm infection. I know that they are rare in dogs and it comes from infected dirt (which you cannot treat). Well, both of our previous Boxers ended up with a ringworm right after we moved into this house and tore out the deck in the back yard. SO...i am sure he is right. HOWEVER....

He has me bathing her in medicated shampoo one per week, taking antibiotics to prevent infection in the rawer areas of her skin and wait. he is running a fungal test to be sure that it is a ringworm before starting internal treatment (It is VERY widespread...her coat looks "moth eaten"). So...this means waiting another 10 days for results and THEN running bloodwork to ensure her liver is in good condition before starting treatment that could potentially damage her liver.

My questions are:
1) Is there something else I can do in the intrim to try to fend this off? She is just beginning to get noticably itchy.

2) Is waiting for the test necessary when all physical appearance now says "ringworm" and when she glowed like crazy under a blacklight?

3) Are expensive bloodtests necessary before starting treatment? Is there some alternative way to treat this that doesn't require the use of ingested medicine in the event that there is a problem?

DO I REALLY HAVE TO WAIT!? :( I feel so terrible it has gone this long. We have been watching her closely and she has a history of losing hair when she gets stressed or when she got into a neighbor's garden and was allergic to the pesticide...etc. There was really just no way to know this before now and I don't want to prolong treatment even one more day!

Anxious!
Christa

 

[VTbxrFan]

When Dallas had ringworm, my vet treated it with a high dose of Program (the oral flea preventative -- but they take several pill all at one time to treat ringworm). She said it is less likely to cause side effects than the traditional oral anti-fungal meds, which you do have to be careful with. Dallas had a pretty mild case, so I don't know if it also works for a generalized case, but it might be worth asking your doctor. Dallas did not need bloodwork to start on Program, but I do think it's necessary if you are using a traditional oral anti-fungal. My vet did wait for the test results before starting treatment, though.

Has Dixie been under stress or had other health problems that might have triggered the ringworm? Dogs are exposed to it very frequently -- my understanding is that they usually only breakout if stress or health problems have compromised their immune systems. (Dallas got it right after I rescued him, so it was the stress of a new home.) Be aware that it can also be contagious to people -- children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are most at risk.

 

[AMANDACAUSTIN]

When Odin was a young puppy he got two big spots of ringworm and we treated it externally. The vet gave us some topical cream to apply 3 times a day, it took about 6 weeks for hair to start growing again but there were no side effects. I have also read that ringworm can be treated with any antifungal medicine, like athletes foot creams. But it sounds like you have a pretty bad case on your hands, so more radical treatment might be needed. Odin had two very localized spots and we caught them pretty early.

I hope everything goes ok for you, I will keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Alisha Mobley]

I'd try ACV...Okay, so I use this stuff for EVERYTHING but it works! My husband and daughter get athletes foot often...my husband has it right now and I FINALLY got him to spray some ACV on his feet instead of buying any meds. The first night he sprayed it on there was Wed. night. I called him at work yesterday to see if he can tell any difference and he said it hadn't been itchy and he could tell it was getting better when he got up that morning.

ACV makes the skin too acidity for a fungus to live on...not only that but it kills bacteria. It may burn a bit at first on any raw areas but from my experience w/ dogs and pain...they take it MUCH better than us humans. My husband said it burned for a few seconds on one spot of his foot but then it stopped.

 

[mpd4tac1]

hope i am not too late, but both of kids got ringworm last year (from our neighbors cat we found out!!) anyhow, after treating them with pills for 2months, our vet found that a new 1 dose pill had just come on the market.......yes 1 DOSE!!!!!! i do not remember the name. it was a new medication, was highly effective, little to no side effects, and innexpensive. if your doctor can't find the name..i can contact our and get it

 

[ferrety]

WOW! It is too late for me already, but just WOW!!!

My question is, was this for treatment of generalized ringworm too? Dixie's body was covered. The largest single spot was between her shoulder blades and was a lazy, blunt triangle that measured approx 4 inches by 6 inches. Although that is the bigest single spot, by the time we (and the vet could determine why her hair had just "spontaeously fell out", she became moth eaten and has far more than that area missing.

The vet was telling me again last night how we just seem to be dealing with the rarest of the rare. They are having trouble getting enough of the medication for her. She is on 750 mg of Griseofulvin TWICE daily. He was saying how rare it is to have to treat a dog for ringworm, how much more rare it is to ever see a generalized case. He says that when you make it a 65 pound dog to boot, then you very quickly require 3 bottles of a medication that you MAYBE use one bottle of in any given year. Thank heavens their supplier is good. We haven't had to miss a dose yet!

Anyway, Dixie has been on the med for 2 weeks almost and she probably has 30% of her hair back and baby hairs starting all over.

My son got one too, but it was no big deal...a little anti-fungal cream and it was gone in a week. I grew up in the country and with 13 cats at any given time, so ringworms don't bother me because they are generally so easy to treat. I will have to admit, I have NEVER encountered one like this!

 

[Bosco'sMom]

Hey Christa! I just stumbled upon your post.

Is the ringworm better now? Remember when Bosco had it right after we got him? He had probably 3-4 of them. Probably not as bad as yours but I was just going to let you know what the vet gave us. Just as someone else suggested she gave us "Program" and also antibiotics and a liquid to put on it called "Conofite lotion, 1%". His cleared up pretty quickly.
Let me know how it's going.

 

[ferrety]

HEY THERE!

Yes. I remember when Bosco got ringworm. I would say that roughly 80% of the dogs that have been in my back yard have gotten it. :( FORTUNATELY, it is normally just like you said....not a big deal. A little cream, a little antibiotic... Dixie just doesn't do business that way. We went in today for another fungal culture and more Griseofulvin. Most of her hair is back now so she looks really good! I am just hoping that she doesn't grow fungus in that petri dish! I ought to be trading her in for a mortgage payment already....this has already cost me at least that much!

Just a comment...GENERALIZED ringworm = BAD
Good thing is that it just doesn't seem to effect people. Only dogs under stress or with weakened immune systems should every have a problem (ie. Mom with new pups, little pups, JUST adopted rescue, etc.)

I hope everything is going really well for you and yours! You have to post new pics soon. I was searching to see if there were any new Bosco pics recently and was disappointed to find none!

You take care!

 

[Bosco'sMom]

Yes, I remember when Bosco had it I kept expecting one to pop up on me but it never did. Jake didn't even get them from him. I was soooo glad!

I know I need to post some new pics but haven't taken any lately. Need to get the camera out. How 'bout some pics of Dixie? It's good to hear she's doing better.