Treating Ringworm

Although the name suggests otherwise, ringworm is not caused by a worm at all—but a fungus similar to athlete's foot. This highly contagious infection can lead to patchy areas of hair loss in animals, and can spread to other animals—and to humans.

Classic symptoms of ringworm include lesions that typically appear on an animal’s head, ears, paws and forelimbs. These lesions can cause patchy, crusted circular “bald spots” that sometimes look red in the center. In mild cases of ringworm, there may be just a few broken hairs, while bad cases of ringworm can spread over most of an animal’s body. It’s also possible for animals to carry the fungus and not show any symptoms whatsoever. 

Fosters with ringworm will be prescribed an oral medication. Please refer to the ringworm treatment sheet provided to you at pickup for the appropriate dosage and treatment period. The foster team will review dosage instructions with you before you leave. Medication is typically given every other week.

Your foster will need a topical anti-fungal medication applied all lesions twice per day. 

Infected animals should be housed separately in a small, bare room that is easy to clean such as a bathroom or utility room. Ringworm can be transmitted to other pets in your home, as well as humans, and maintaining separation is important to prevent transmission of the fungus.

Clean the room regularly following this protocol:

• Sweep/vacuum the surfaces of the room (including upholstered furniture) to remove hair, dirt, and other organic materials daily.

• Once per week, bleach all surfaces that can be bleached with a mixture of 1:10 (1 part bleach to 10 parts cold water). This includes floors and walls. Allow this to sit for 10 minutes then rinse/wipe thoroughly.

• Run bowls and plastic toys (if safe to do so) through the dishwasher regularly, litter boxes should be emptied and sanitized. 

• Place all bedding and towels through a HOT cycle of the washer and dryer making sure to dry items completely.

• Discard any disposable toys/play items such as cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, water bottles, etc.

• Minimize contact with infected animals and do not allow other people or animals to interact with infected animals.

• If you are fostering puppies with ringworm, do not allow puppies in the yard, or take them to an area of the yard your dogs cannot get to.

• Wear gloves and protective clothing while interacting with infected animals.

• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after interacting with infected animals.

Your foster will need to come in weekly so we can take samples of their lesions to check their progress. These appointments are done on Thursday or Sunday only and you must come in on the same day each week. This allows us to start cultures on regular intervals and gets us the most accurate testing results. 

All animals will need 2 negative cultures in a row to be released from treatment. It typically takes 4-6 weeks for most animals to receive 2 negative cultures.