u/Sagrawoo

Best ringworm topical for fur regrowth?

Hi, we are struggling with chronic ringworm. I’ve done all the environmental protocol constantly. I finally found a very effective black light and my own culture tests because honestly the vets have been massively disappointing (they misdiagnose/don’t believe me when it’s back).

The only thing that keeps it contained is oral meds, but my cat already has gastro and appetite issues separately and I have noticed the ringworm (rw) meds make his appetite and diarrhea worse.

I am at a loss and feel I need to choose between constant contagion (RW) or at this point, his life, because he’s dropping weight and appetite. He’s already on steroid (which I know makes ringworm worse) and appetite stimulant plus anti nausea to keep him eating.

When I put him on Terbinafine or Itrafungol his appetite goes away - even with the heroic measures above, so it feels like a death sentence.

I’d love to find a topical so I can take him off the drugs but is that a pipe dream? Especially looking for something for his face and ears. (The oral meds clear it up but I still find it with the black light lingering literally in his ears or up his nose and then it reinfects / spreads when off the meds.)

(For background I’m not stopping meds preemptively — he’s been on different courses months long and has had the required negative tests only for it to come back).

The topicals I’ve tried seem to irritate his ears and nose and lead to balding there.

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u/Sagrawoo — 1 day ago
▲ 270 r/FIVcats

Chronic diarrhea & end of life decisions

Hello, I’m looking for advice from the FIV community.

About 2.5 years ago I adopted two senior FIV cats who had lived in a shelter for years. (Not in cages, rooms like a warehouse with multiple cats each).

I know usually FIV is not a death sentence but it seems I adopted them somewhat at end of life relative to what they’ve been through (even though one was 8 and one was 11).

They had diarrhea for years which was extremely messy. I was finally able to clear one cat using Kitty Biome after exhausting most vet options. (I will sing its praises the rest of my life). He then died three months later of brain or nasal cancer. 😭

My remaining cat, no intervention has helped. He’s had every test and scans - to no avail. We have tried every medication (holistic and not) you can think of, every diet.

He’s at the point where he’s a fussy eater on top of it, I have to come up with different enticing things for him to eat, for him to eat at all. So limited diets are no longer an option.

Despite all of this I can’t imagine giving up now because he still purrs; still sleeps, is not hiding, begs to eat (even though he doesn’t actually eat that much anymore).

I can tell his digestion is painful. It’s audible and messy and he sits with his butt in the air raised off surfaces.

He has trouble staying clean but I’ve read grooming elderly cats is so stressful as to be counter productive.

He’s steadily losing weight. (Down to 7 lbs from 10 lbs). Despite steroids he’s been on now for years. The steroids make his skin issues chronic.

Describing all of this now I see many of you may say it’s time and maybe I don’t have the external perspective to ascertain this. I know some of you will understand that I don’t want to give up pre maturely while he still may have a relatively good quality of life, especially since he lived on the street and then a shelter before arriving to my forever home.

Please send any similar stories and what you learned in retrospect. I really appreciate it. 🧡

u/Sagrawoo — 6 days ago