Deprive the cat. What to do?

What is this disease?

Ringworm (dermatophytosis) is an infectious disease caused by microscopic fungi of the genera: microsporum и Trichophyton. Depending on the type of pathogen, either microsporia or trichophytosis can develop. The clinical picture is the same in both cases. It is important to understand that this disease is spread by spores that remain viable for up to two years. They are transmitted by contact of a sick animal with a healthy one, as well as in the territory where a sick animal lives. Infection can occur everywhere.

Weakened animals, kittens and older cats are most susceptible to the disease.

Symptoms of infection

Only a veterinarian after a diagnosis can say with certainty that the animal suffers from one of the forms of dermatophytosis. For a timely visit to the doctor, you need to know what clinical signs you should pay attention to.

• Hair loss – the formation of small bald spots the size of a 10-kopeck coin, most often in the head and on the forelimbs, sometimes the tip of the tail is affected;
• The skin in places of hair loss may be covered with scales and peel off. As a rule, skin lesions are not accompanied by itching.

Treatment

The diagnosis of dermatophytosis is not made on the basis of clinical signs alone. For diagnosis, a combination of several methods is used: Wood’s lamp examination, microscopy of hair collected from affected areas, and dermatophyte cultivation (sowing on a nutrient medium).

When the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment of dermatophytosis in animals consists of oral antifungal agents, external treatment (to reduce environmental contamination by spores), and area treatment to prevent re-infection. Treatment of dermatophytosis in a cattery or with crowded keeping of cats in an apartment can require a lot of money and time.

Environmental treatment is very important for both treatment and prevention of re-infection; the veterinarian will definitely tell you in detail how to do this, but the basic principles are as follows: regular cleaning of carpets and all soft surfaces with a vacuum cleaner, wet cleaning with disinfectants, repeated washing of clothes, bed linen, and pet bedding.

Pet owners do not always get dermatophytosis from their pets, but children and people with reduced immunity are at increased risk. Compliance with generally accepted hygiene rules works well in this situation.

preventive measures

• Do not allow your pet to come into contact with stray animals;
• If you picked up a kitten on the street, it makes sense to keep it isolated until a visit to the veterinary clinic and follow the rules of personal hygiene;
• Regularly show your pet to the veterinarian for preventive treatment, contact the clinic at the first symptoms of the disease;
• Do not try to diagnose and treat a cat on your own, especially on the advice of friends and acquaintances.

The article is not a call to action!

For a more detailed study of the problem, we recommend contacting a specialist.

Ask the vet

23 2017 June

Updated: July 6, 2018