# Ringworm: Do I have launder everything? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340 "2007-04-09T16:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/1 "2007-04-09T16:58:19Z")
Okay, so Lenny’s got a vet appointment because he’s got a lesion that totally, totally looks like ringworm. Remember folks that’s a fungus not a “worm”. Basically, Lenny (housecat) has athlete’s foot. (Well, _probably_, I don’t have the official diagnosis yet) So… If it’s ringworm, am I going to have to wash _everything_ in my place to make sure Squiggy and I don’t get it? A friend of mine picked up a nasty case of athlete’s foot from a martial arts tournament (hard to avoid bare feet there) from walking across the floor, and :: shudder :: Lenny has been napping on my _bed_. :eek: Both Lenny and Squiggy are 100% indoor cats, so best guess is that somehow _I’m_ the one who tracked in this zoonotic nuisance. Damn spores! I’ve got no signs of any kind of infections, Squiggy has no symptoms either. Worst case scenario, if Lenny has ringworm: Do I need to wash everything and have my rug professionally cleaned? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/2 "2007-04-09T17:33:29Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Okay, so Lenny’s got a vet appointment because he’s got a lesion that totally, totally looks like ringworm. [/QUOTE] IME, most animals with lesions that the owner thinks “just gotta be X”, usually turn out to be anything but “X”. This is particularly true with ringworm. If it turns out to be ringworm, there is still the question of what specific organism is to blame. Some are more contagious than others. I would get the problem diagnosed and go from there. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/3 "2007-04-09T18:13:32Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] IME, most animals with lesions that the owner thinks “just gotta be X”, usually turn out to be anything but “X”. This is particularly true with ringworm. [/QUOTE] Yes, I understand thoroughly. There are tons of different causes of various lesions. My completely uneducated guess is just based on the appearance: one perfectly round and symmetrical bald spot (smaller than a dime), hair breakage/brittleness and crusting around the bald spot. No redness, no discoloration of the skin, no inflamation, no nodules or prurulence that would hint at some other kind of infection. It’s pretty much dry and odorless. No presence of fleas, or other bites, no trauma to the site of any kind. And no other general health symptoms (no runny nose, or drippy eyes or anything). Lenny pretty much ignores it, so at least it’s not super-itchy. I’ve checked him over quite thoroughly and can find no other spots anywhere on him, so it appears to be localized for now. I’m just wondering what the worst case scenario would be if it _is_ ringworm. I’m easily icked out by things like athlete’s foot. If it’s some other kind of infection that’s not all spores or parasites, I’d be a lot less icked out. Dermatophytes give me the willies. Mainly, I want to be sure I don’t track anyting to my fiancee’s mother’s house. She has a cat there that’s about a thousand years old and doesn’t have the best immune system. Lenny’s appointment isn’t until the weekend, so I want to assume it’s something easily spread so I don’t pass it on to the old, decrepit kitty. So if it’s the most contagious kind of dermatophyte, would the older kitty be at risk from me tracking in around? Would I need to wash all my clothes before I visit? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/4 "2007-04-09T18:19:48Z")
P.S. I’m looking forward to his vet appointment because they’ve never shone a blacklight on him before. That’ll be cool if he has fluorescing stuff in his fur. (Well, I’m sure that’ll be a _bad_ sign, but cool to see.) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/5 "2007-04-10T15:16:45Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] I’m just wondering what the worst case scenario would be if it _is_ ringworm. [/QUOTE] Heh. Believe me, you never wanna ask _me_ for a worst case scenario. I saw a cat once with an incredibly hot case of ringworm. Every family member was covered with lesions. Topical therapy did nothing, and Griseofulvin made the cat very sick. I suggested another oral antifungal, but at that point the owner’s finances and patience were used up. The cat was euthanized. A few days later, I had a lesion on my arm, however that resolved quickly. A more common situation for your cat would be sedation and a total shave down, followed by chlorine bleach (at the appropriate dilution) as a dip. There are many antifungal topicals and oral products. Itraconazole is great, but expensive. Although you are seeing a single discrete lesion, often the nail beds are affected. There is a vaccine made by Fort Dodge that may have a place in treatment of difficult cases. More info: [http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body\_ringworm.html](http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ringworm.html) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/6 "2007-04-10T15:35:26Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] P.S. I’m looking forward to his vet appointment because they’ve never shone a blacklight on him before. That’ll be cool if he has fluorescing stuff in his fur. (Well, I’m sure that’ll be a _bad_ sign, but cool to see.) [/QUOTE] Only about half of all dermatophyte cases fluoresce. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/7 "2007-04-10T17:47:58Z")
So worst case scenario if it’s ringworm… I should just burn my house down. [QUOTE=vetbridge] Although you are seeing a single discrete lesion, often the nail beds are affected. [/QUOTE] Question: What if he doesn’t have nails? In cases of ringworm (speaking generally because his appointment is not until Saturday and for all I know the lesion is from an alien space probe), does it affect cat paws more because of digging around? Is it common for indoor-only pets to get it? > [@](#): > > Only about half of all dermatophyte cases fluoresce. Awww… I wanted to see my kitty glow in the dark. Although shaving him would be fun too. Bathing him… not so much (he pees in the water). ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/8 "2007-04-10T18:42:02Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] So worst case scenario if it’s ringworm… I should just burn my house down. [/QUOTE] Basically. There have been cases in the literature of viable dermatophyte spores recovered during disinterment of a corpse. [QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Question: What if he doesn’t have nails? [/QUOTE] The periungual area is still sometimes involved in cats that have been declawed. [QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] does it affect cat paws more because of digging around? [/QUOTE] I guess that’s the assumption. [QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Is it common for indoor-only pets to get it? [/QUOTE] Nope. Another reason I would bet that this is some other dermatopathology. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/9 "2007-04-10T21:15:49Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Nope. Another reason I would bet that this is some other dermatopathology. [/QUOTE] Ah, that makes sense. I figured if it does turn out to be ringworm he somehow got it from my fiancee’s pooch. Otherwise it’s some perfectly shaped side effect from his hyperthyroidism (I understand some kitties get lesions from that too), but that’s not as exciting. As long as Squiggy doesn’t get anything from Lenny and I don’t have to burn my house down, I’ll be happy, even if I don’t get to see the critter glow in the dark. Furball’s a walking money-pit. I swear I’ve shelled out enough on him to pay to put my vet’s kids through college. I have become the Master of pilling all cats! ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/10 "2007-04-10T21:24:30Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Otherwise it’s some perfectly shaped side effect from his hyperthyroidism [/QUOTE] Oh, so now ya tell me. He’s on Methimazole, right? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/11 "2007-04-10T22:46:42Z")
Where on his body is his bald spot? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/12 "2007-04-10T22:47:36Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Oh, so now ya tell me. He’s on Methimazole, right? [/QUOTE] Tapazole. And doing very well. He went from zany spaz who wouldn’t sit still and who dropped enough weight to look like a coat wrack wrapped in a stole… back to his usual portly and good-natured self. There was that brief time when he first went on his meds that his something-or-other level was 5 when it should be 13, and he always looked sedated, but since they adjusted his dosage he’s back to the way he was before his thryoid went on the fritz. (His appointment Saturday is another T4 follow-up). This means he’s definitely not going to glow, doesn’t it? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/13 "2007-04-10T22:55:52Z")
[QUOTE=Pullet] Where on his body is his bald spot? [/QUOTE] His thigh. It seems pretty stable and he leaves it alone, so given his upcoming appointment, I haven’t rushed him to the vet in a panic. Aside from the coolness of a fluorescing cat, I just really don’t want it to be ringworm due to fears of exposing other pets and needing to burn my house down. It doesn’t fit the description of anything else on the _Big List of Cat Lesions and Skin Ulcers_ I found in a vet book. It has the textbook appearance of ringworm (though read that ringworm never actually looks the way it’s supposed). Ringworm would be high on my list of Do Not Want Lenny to Have It. The Big List of Lesions did not describe the ones caused by hyperthyroidism, so that was my first guess. Ringworm was my oh-please-no-not-that guess. I’ll defnitley post a follow up after the doc has seen him, in any case. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/14 "2007-04-10T23:08:57Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Tapazole. And doing very well. [/QUOTE] Tapazole = Methimazole (tapazole is a brand name). In my experience, all cats do well initially on Tapazole. Some will do well for years, but IME the majority will develop side effects, including cutaneous eruptions. Thyroidectomy or I-131 injection are the way to go, if finances permit. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/15 "2007-04-11T02:22:28Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] A more common situation for your cat would be sedation and a total shave down, followed by chlorine bleach (at the appropriate dilution) as a dip. [/QUOTE] Man, that would be one pissed off cat when the happy juice wears off. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/16 "2007-04-11T02:27:33Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Thyroidectomy or I-131 injection are the way to go, if finances permit. [/QUOTE] What’s an I-131 injection? Surgery is out of the question for Lenny. Not for finacial reasons, but because I have promised the beast that never again would he have anything really invasive done. It’s too traumatic for him emotionally. The poor bastard had one of the nastiest cases of colonitis my vet has ever seen, so bad that they sent it to a vetinary school in a neighboring town. So yup, he was scoped. After one too many emergency ER visits, Lenny had the penectomy to put an end to his FUS. And ever since he has been really, disgustingly healthy. He stopped having coloniitis flare ups even. I guess his immune system is just tougher when it has to deal with less. So the thyroid issue has been after years of superb health. So I figure at his age (14 or 15 now) it would be better for him not to have to go through the trauma of surgery again. I wouldn’t mind some kind of thyroid-killing injection, if it’s not crazy traumatic. Even if it’s expensive. But I will not have Lenny thinking he’s going of to be tortured again. He’s a good little dude and doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. Bummer about the side effects of Tapazole. Um, and how much does the I-131 injection cost, in general? (I know it will vary depending on region.) Tapazole worked only so long on my old housemate, so I’ve been figuring eventually I’d need to do something more radical. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/17 "2007-04-11T13:08:20Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] What’s an I-131 injection? Um, and how much does the I-131 injection cost, in general? [/QUOTE] I-131 is a radioactive form of iodine which, when injected, kills the thyroid (presumed) adenoma. Works like a charm. Cost is btwn 1 and 2 grand in my region. There is even a “chain” that offers the treatment: [http://www.radiocat.com/section1.html](http://www.radiocat.com/section1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/18 "2007-04-11T18:52:15Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] I-131 is a radioactive form of iodine which, when injected, kills the thyroid (presumed) adenoma. Works like a charm. Cost is btwn 1 and 2 grand in my region. [/QUOTE] “Nuke 'em from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure!” It looks as if the going rate around these parts is $1,500. Lenny is in otherwise excellent health. He still keeps up with Squiggy, who’s half his age, so it’s probably a good investment. He’s in great shape, great spirits and is the same happy beast he’s bee for the past ten years, so, as long as he’s a good candidate, sounds like a good plan to me. :: sigh :: Gonna have to tighen my belt for that one. I’ll see if the pharmaceutical will be okay for a while longer while I sort out financing the furry, little money-pit. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/19 "2007-04-16T18:44:37Z")
**Follow-up:** So… that wasn’t helpful. My vet wasn’t in, so it was another that drew Lenny’s blood for his thyroid test. He poked at the lesion and said it looked like healthy scar tissue, and made a note for my regular vet to call if she thought a biopsy was warranted. So he wrote down a description of it that was even more vague than what I described here on the SDMB… so she’s supposed to know what it is based on: “Elliptical lesion, less than 1 cm diameter”? :mad: Lenny could get a better “examination” here on the boards where at least my description is more detailed. When she called to let me know that Lenny’s thyroid medication dosage was still way too high (as of today, it’s only going to be 1/4 of a 5mg tablet), she had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned the lesion. Normally Lenny’s clinic is awesome, but they’ve got new staff and I’m not liking the place so much lately. So still no idea about whether or not it’s ringworm. (It’s not any worse, but looks a little tiny bit better). But his tapazole dose is getting halved. I still don’t know if I need to burn my house down. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340/20 "2007-04-16T18:48:29Z")
Well, thanks for the update. Realistically, if it _were_ ringworm, by this point you and your other pet(s) would be symptomatic by now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringworm-do-i-have-launder-everything/399340.md?page=2)