Ringworm!

[Guest lynne893]

F'ing crap. Our dogs tested positive for ringworm. I say dog"s" because the vet comingled the sample. But both had lesions.

 

I'm 6 mo pregnant so this is just what we need in our lives.

 

Freaking out of course. Had dogs in kennel 2 weeks ago-- need to call the kennel to notify. And they were supposed to go in kennel again next week so that we could take our ten year anniversary vacation celebration to Hawaii, so that looks like it's going down the tubes. Unless we can find some crazy person to come to our house to watch them at home (and expose themselves! ha!).

 

I'm about to go Google crazy to make sure I'm not / baby's not in danger. I do have a weird rash all over my arms, but I've also had bronchitis for the last two-three weeks, and I tend to get weird rashes when my immune system is off.

 

Also, we stayed in a rental property last weekend to escape fireworks (dogs are traumatized by them), so now I need to notify the rental property owner, and I'm sure there goes my $400 security deposit.

 

F.

 

Any advice????

 

Thank you for being there...

[silverfish]

How did the vet test them? Did he do the skin scrape and hair sample, or just the blacklight?

 

I ask because I was convinced that Sid had it last year and my vet told me that he'd be very surprised because dogs almost never got ringworm - cats, yes, but not dogs. It's not impossible of course. I got them to do the scrape and lab test it anyway and it came back negative. I watched the person do the scrape and she did do it properly, from several sites and went deep enough to get blood and included hair and scabs from the edges of the lesions but nope. No ringworm, even though to me it looked classic.

 

If you don't have cats as well, is it possible that your dogs picked up debris from the kennel? If it was just the blacklight test, try bathing them and testing again. Of course, if it was the proper skin scrape then you do have dogs with ringworm.

 

If they do genuinely have ringworm, then I do know that there are two antifungals you shouldn't use: terbinafine and griseofulvin (and they may not be the only ones). But there are alternatives, so tell the vet and get them to prescribe something safe - perhaps you could check also with your doctor?

 

Edited July 9, 2014 by silverfish

[tbhounds]

Did your vet actually run a fungal culture?? Those results take about 3 weeks to return. It would be highly unlikely that your hounds have ringworm--did your vet send you home with shampoo???

[cleptogrey]

don't nix your trip, try asking your adoption group for some references for a dog sitter. also, tbhounds response sounds correct. do some more research and maybe a consult w/ a different vet. and do check w/ your own physician about your rash! go for your last vacation as a couple, life will never be the same after the baby is born.(different, better, but take advantage of your planned excursion).

[GeorgeofNE]

Why would you need to notify a rental landlord? Believe me, I'm sure much more horrific things run through a rental property that no one ever tells anyone about!

 

An in-house pet sitter would probably cost less than boarding two dogs (at least it would here) so if that's an option you'd do, I'd look into that! Dogs are happier, and you don't have to go pick them up when you come home!

[Guest lynne893]

Yes. The vet ran a culture 10 days ago and called my husband at 10pm last night to notify us.

[Guest lynne893]

 

If they do genuinely have ringworm, then I do know that there are two antifungals you shouldn't use: terbinafine and griseofulvin (and they may not be the only ones). But there are alternatives, so tell the vet and get them to prescribe something safe - perhaps you could check also with your doctor?

 

 

Thank you for the advice about antifungals. I will definitely check w my doctor about safety of these meds while pregnant.

 

I've been sick off and on for a month now and have already been on a z-pac antibiotic (class B, same as Tylenol in terms of safety in pregnancy), two steroid inhalers and random OTC meds.... I'm sad to be exposing my baby to so many different medications, but what can I do...

[Guest lynne893]

Thank you all for advice. I'm going to call my midwives today, see if they see need to treat me yet (I do have a weird rash on my body, but not the classic "ring" type lesion or rash-- and it could be the kind of weird rash I get from time to time when my immunity is off or heat rash...).

 

I'm also reaching out to rescue group to see what they say about finding a crazy pet sitter to come to us.

 

Will post back to update asap. MEanwhile, I appreciate any additional advice.

[3DogNite]

Medical Grade Essential Oils, used topically will eventually get rid of the ringworm,, it does take time tho ----

Lavender, Melaleuca, melrose - any of these can work at ridding the fungus. apply directly to the lesion as long as it isn't too close to any private parts or your eyes. check with your mid-wife before using on yourself,,,,, i'm not a dr.

[tbhounds]

Yes. The vet ran a culture 10 days ago and called my husband at 10pm last night to notify us.

Odd-never saw a culture return with results that quickly.

[Guest lynne893]

Odd-never saw a culture return with results that quickly.

He had told us it was a two-phase result, the first finding in 10 days, the next in another two weeks?

 

Husband got the treatment from him today including the lime sulfur dip. We're doing everything we can. Notified friends who were around the dogs, notified the rental house we stayed at, notified the kennel where they were boarding before we found the infection

 

And thanks to a kind soul here who suggested I ask our adoption group if they could recommend a house sitter willing to come and stay with the dogs and take this on, we did find someone, amazingly enough.

[Guest lynne893]

Back with an update. I was on a business trip when all this went down, and returned home to a very clean house and dogs (thank you DH!). One of our dogs seems almost 100% better, the other seems OK, but I do see some SLIGHT hair loss in little patches on her haunches. You know when you're looking for those things everything starts to stand out to you, so who knows if it's ringworm related or just random. But they've both been treated w the shampoo, lime sulfur dip and topical treatment.

 

As I said, we DID find a petsitter w extensive grey experience through our rescue (THANK YOU CLEPTOGREY!) -- freaking amazingly. And my rash has not spread or gotten worse.

 

QUESTION for you: how crazy should we go with cleaning the house? DH has been vacuuming like mad, wiping surfaces down w 10% bleach solution, laundering fabrics like their beds, sofa cushions, etc.

 

SHOULD I also launder all of my clothing in the drawers at bottom level near the floor, down close to where the dog bed is in the bedroom? I confess I'm a lousy housekeeper and often times I leave my drawers adjar after I'm rummaging through them in my rush to get out the door in the morning. I'm sure there's dust and dog hair mixed in with my clothing in there.

 

Should we go to that level of cleaning or am I being ridiculous? If I weren't pregnant and if I hadn't been sick for past month (probably mostly if I hadn't googled so much on this ) maybe I wouldn't be paranoid, but I am... I just want to eradicate this problem ASAP and move on w our lives.

 

Thank you. Appreciate all of you for being there through this and other dramas in greyhound life.

[silverfish]

If there's dust and dog hair in the drawers, then yes, I'd launder them.

 

Kudos to DH! And I'm so glad you found a pet sitter willing to come and stay to care for them!

[Guest lynne893]

Ok! Appreciate it. Will do!

 

With baby on the way, it's also a good opportunity to do a thorough go-through and decide what can go to Goodwill and what stays. We have too much stuff in our life. And frankly, I doubt I'll ever fit into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes again

[Batmom]

I wouldn't bother with all that.

 

The main risks for transmission are going to be the dogs themselves and bedding that they're currently using; damp towels in the case of people. The main risks to people are those who are immune-suppressed (people undergoing chemotherapy, diabetics). It can be harder to kill if you happen to get it on your scalp. On your body, it's usually small potatoes -- easy to kill with topical cream, often goes away with no treatment at all.