Ringworms are not worms!

Ringworm is more common than you think. It is a type of fungi just like athlete’s foot for humans. Sometimes you might notice a bald patch on your pet’s ear or its tail and wonder what this is. It sometimes disappears on its own. But more often the bald patch spreads further and your cat keeps licking it making this worst. There could be several possibilities for this, it can be allergy, or it can be ringworm. In order to confirm its ringworm your vet will take a sample and send for culture test. Ringworm is very difficult to get rid of on its own. It can be caused by stress, new environment or new family members in the household. It is also highly contagious and can spread by spores passed from one infected animal or human to another and then to your pets by touch. Humans can also catch ringworm and you can tell by the small rings it forms on your skin.

To first determine whether the bald patch on your pet is ringworm, the fastest way is to shine a blue (UV) light on it and if it glows then it’s definitely ringworm! But if it doesn’t glow there is still a chance it can be ringworm. The only sure way to know is if your vet took a sample for culture test.

If the bald patch doesn’t spread, you can just use cream twice a day on the bald patch and see if that works. The type of cream you should use should be an antifungal cream or lotion that contains Clotrimazole, Miconazole or Terbinafine. Canesten cream is readily available at your local chemist and contains clotrimazole. I always have a tube of Canesten at home! But if it does get worse you must take your pet to the vet’s for prescribed medication and advice. In the meantime, ensure you don’t spread the possible ringworm to other pets or humans by always washing your hands after touching the infected area. There are also laundry detergents and cleaners which includes antifungal chemicals to clean your home of the ringworm spores. Make sure you do that after your pet recovers from it to avoid the return.