I adopted a kitten that has ringworms... bring home or not?

Question

I adopted a kitten and they told me today she has ringworms... I can take her home tomorrow with 1-week oral treatment and a tube of topical cream.

I have a 1 yr old dog Shih Tzu and he is on heartguard. I was told this can prevent ringworms....

I can pick the kitten up today or ask for her to stay there untill the (1 week ) treatment is done.... but i read that the spores are still contageous even after treatment... so whats the point?

i plan on secluding her in one carpet-less room for at least week

so what do you suggest I do?

Answer 1

You can bring your kitten home. Ringworm is a fungus and it is highly contagious, but if you intend to isolate her in a room for one week, that is time enough to get rid of the ringworm. Just buy a tube of Desenex, the cream that you use for athlete's foot (or if there is a generic at your over the counter drug store you want miconazole nitrate), and rub a little in to each little round lesion. Really rub it in, too, as the kitten will lick it. It won't hurt her, but you want the medicine to get in to the lesion. Do this twice a day. It should clear in a week.

Keep her away from your dog until the lesions are no longer active, which you will be able to tell by looking at them. Quarantine any bedding she uses from the general laundry, and wash it separately (just put it in t he sink with detergent and some chlorine bleach); wash your hands after you have handled her or use hand sanitizer. Be thorough and consistent.

Heartguard will not prevent ringworm. Heartworms are WORMS; ringworm is caused by a fungus. There is no correlation between the two. Just keep your dog out of contact with the kitten. It's okay if he sniffs at the door of the room she is in, but don't let them come in contact.

Ringworm is not uncommon in kittens and it is very contagious. But if you keep it from spreading to any other animal in the environment, it is pretty simple to cure. Desenex, which is an anti-fungal, cures it. I do have experience with this.

Answer 2

It depends -

Where is the cat now - if she is with her littermates, she will be fine left for a week, otherwise she would all alone for a week - kitten, away from her brothers and sister, left relatively alone in a room- even if you spend lots of time with her-

If she is currently alone, and you can keep your dog away from the kitten, take proper ringworm precautions (people can get ring worm too- ), then go for it. As for your dog, heartguard does not prevent ringworm - your dog could still get it.

After the kitten completes the treatment, try looking at giving the cat a bath in something that kills ringworm Spores - get a vets recommendation.

*edited to add - Heartguard doesn't protect against RingWorm - I thought that it had. So I changed my answer

Answer 3

Take her home but segregate her from your dog. Ringworms is a fungus, not a parasitic worm. Heart guard will do nothing to it. treat the kitten, but I recommend handling her with gloves until the ringworm is gone. It can also be transmitted to human beings and is rather painful (got it from a kitten when I was young). Keep a bottle of 10% bleach near the sink. wash your hands and any skin that comes in contact with the cat with this solution. It will not damage your skin but it will kill the fungus. Be careful not to get it on clothing as it will discolor them. You can also wash the cat in the same solution and it will kill the spores. Be sure that the lesions are healed before you do this or you will cause your cat some serious pain. (you think rubbing salt in a wound hurts). If possible, I would recommend allowing them to complete her treatment before bringing her home. It will be less of a problem for you and you decrease the risk of infecting your dog and everyone else around you.

Answer 4

Keep her there until she's healthy. We adopted a kitten and she had all sorts of things wrong with her. We already had a cat who had never been sick a day in his life, we brought her home and they both have been through ear mites and other catchable stuff. Even after they keep her for a week, she should still be secluded in your home. Double and triple check her ears. Take her to your vet for a check up too! Good luck!

Answer 5

It may or may not be as contagious as they say. One of ours got a spot on his side (we never knew from where) last summer and he ONLY got the one spot, leaned against me and I got one on my leg, but ONLY the one spot on me.

He never gave it to any of the other four cats in the house, or the other person either, and we treated it with miconazole which was a 4% solution from Walgreens (the generic name is miconazole, the brand specific name is Monistat 3). It was double the strength from what the vet's cream was (that was only 2%). Fred's side spot cleared up in a month, mine took two months. If there were spores, none of the other cats had it take hold, and they all shared sleeping spaces.

A quick call to your vet to ask about the coverage of Heartguard should give you more info on the ability of the stuff to protect your dog.

Answer 6

Ringworm, not ringworms. You could ask your veterinarian if it is safe to bathe her in an anti-fungal shampoo. Vets usually sell them. This should help reduce the chances of spreading it.

Answer 7

I would ask your vet what he feels is the safest thing for you to do. If your pup will not be affected, then bring her home and treat her with the medication he is giving her. But keep them seperated until the vet has cleared everything up.
If you would feel better waiting, and letting her get treated at the vets, then just let them know.
I think I would want her home with me to protect her from anything else, but I would make sure my pup would be protected. So just ask the vet. :-) Good luck. Patti

Answer 8

Talk to your vet. I would leave her until she was treated. Not only can your other pets catch ringworms but you can too. Anyone who has contact with this cat can catch them.

Answer 9

I wouldn't. Have the owner continue to medicate the cat until until it is cleared. You don't want those active spores in your home. They will get into your heating cooling system and be there forever. Unless you hire a company to do your duct cleaning

Answer 10

if the rescue place you got her from is too overcrowded and too busy, then you'd probably have no choice but to keep her in a carpetless room like you said before. make sure the door's always shut and keep treating her, what's the point of getting a kitten and not take it homw with you so it cant get use to your home?