Author Topic: Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's NOT ringworm!  (Read 6709 times)

Offline Tiggy's Mum

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's NOT ringworm!
« Reply #24 on: November 19, 2011, 17:02:11 PM »
Very pleased to hear it's not ringworm  ;D

Offline AliCat

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's NOT ringworm!
« Reply #23 on: November 19, 2011, 14:18:24 PM »
Poor Bass. Glad to her that she is on the mend.  :Luv:

Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's NOT ringworm!
« Reply #22 on: November 19, 2011, 11:37:27 AM »
Totally agree. Fortunately, the practise itself is a long established, professional one and there's a choice of vets. I will make sure we don't see that particular one again.
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Offline sheilarose

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's NOT ringworm!
« Reply #21 on: November 19, 2011, 11:33:51 AM »
Good. I'm glad she's on the mend.

Sounds like the dodgy vet at my old practise, though - playing guessing games with your wallet.

I would change vet if I were you, next time it might be something serious and you need to know your vet is reliable.


Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's NOT ringworm!
« Reply #20 on: November 19, 2011, 11:22:40 AM »
Well, the good news is that Bass' fur is growing back, albeit very grey!

Just been to the vet again, saw the same one as last time and I mentioned that if it was ringworm then surely we'd both have caught it, as well as her sister. The vet said "well, I only said it might be ringworm!" (She didn't - last week I asked her if she was positive and she said was! >:() Some vets are better than others, obviously!

She thinks it might have been another type of fungal infection - I didn't catch the name (vet has quite a strong accent, I kept asking her to repeat things!), all I know is that it begins with M. But since Bass now looks a lot better, she doesn't need any more treatment, we just have to keep an eye on her in case it comes back.

Not sure if any of that was worth £50 and a week of worry!
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Offline sheilarose

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #19 on: November 13, 2011, 12:04:55 PM »
Sheila you need to use flea treatment where the flea dies before it bites.....Stronghold does this.


Thanks Gill, I'll give Stronghold a try  ;)

Beau doesn't groom where we can see him, he knows I'll put a stop to it so he sneaks off to do it  :sneaky:

Hope the cream helps, not one I'm familiar with but it sounds like the same idea.

Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #18 on: November 13, 2011, 11:31:38 AM »
Thanks all.

I looked at some pics yesterday too, which is why I'm not convinced it's ringworm. However, I'm pretty sure Bass isn't overgrooming, I've never seen her give that area more than a few licks, and she doesn't spend a lot of time grooming anyway.

The vet gave us Surolan, which according to the label is antifungal and antiinflammatory, so even if she doesn't have ringworm I'm hoping this will help.
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #17 on: November 13, 2011, 00:35:50 AM »
Sheila you need to use flea treatment where the flea dies before it bites.....Stronghold does this.

Those pictures  are terrible Sam, some very extreme cases which show how serious ringworm is.

Offline Sam (Fussy_Furball)

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2011, 00:02:12 AM »
Just done a google search of images for ringworm in cats (they usually show the worst cases) and I have to say yours doesn't look like ring worm.  The easiest way to diagnose is under UV light as ringworm glows ... see the the bottom row of pics.

Anyhow here are the pics for your info ...http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0geu8pMCL9OYnUA2jpLBQx.?p=ringworm%20cats&fr2=piv-web
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Offline sheilarose

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #15 on: November 12, 2011, 18:25:00 PM »
I'm sceptical too, this looks and sounds more like chronic overgrooming. I would demand the skin scrape, you need to know if you and Drum are at risk.

I have one who has balded the exact same spot, but to varying degrees, for years. The fur is short and feels spiky because he's constantly breaking off the strands which leaves it feeling like stubble. He does have a mild flea allergy which may have started the habit, but he also suffers from separation anxiety when I'm away, as his flank and belly are always much worse when we get back from holiday.

Sammy also overgroomed before we got him, and his patch looked exactly like Bass's. His was diet related. He can't have cereal or it turns him into a pussychopath and the overgrooming followed this. He had stripped his back legs and flanks almost bare, poor thing.

Daktarin Gold is a very good place to start as it has itch inhibitors as well as the anti-fungal.

I use a generic hydrocortizone ointment on Beau's belly when he's feeling the itch which does stop him in his tracks. I also wipe a little Grannicks bitter apple spray on his flank to break the habit, and for a while all this works until he gets a flea bite or his stress levels go up again.

I will say this, there is one vet at my practice I refuse to see because she does this - guesses and administers expensive "could be" medications rather than testing so you have to keep going back and back. She sent OH home with a £23 bag of prescription food for Pursley because he mentioned she had vomited once or twice recently, when all she had was a hairball. I took it back and complained.

Sadly they're not all brilliant.

Oh and they need to use the correct UV light. Different frequencies show different things.

Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #14 on: November 12, 2011, 15:57:28 PM »
She didn't take a scrape, no. From what I've read though, the UV light doesn't always show ringworm but if it does then it's right (so, it can give a false negative but never a false positive).

I will ask more questions when we go back.
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Offline cazzer

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #13 on: November 12, 2011, 15:54:14 PM »
did she take a skin scrape as I thought that was the only way to positively test for ringworm.     My understanding was that the woods lamp was not accurate.        My persians had ring worm years ago.   I bought a new kitten and she brought it in.     She had a tiny bald spot on her tail.     It certainly didn't cause anything like that [or any rings either] just bald spots.      We had 6 cats and by the time we realised there was a problem they all had it.      Poor things had to be shaved and bathed.    We never got it though.

Hope it isn't ring worm as its a real butter to get rid of.      Good luck!
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #12 on: November 12, 2011, 15:06:40 PM »
I reckon she doesnt know what it is and is guessing!

Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #11 on: November 12, 2011, 15:05:16 PM »
Teresa and Tiggy's Mum: that's interesting. Having now read up on it, I'm not convinced it's ringworm either.

The vet looked at Bass' leg under a UV light and afterwards said "it could be ringworm" and then went on about how to treat it. I have to say that I was surprised too, cos I knew how contageous it was, so I asked her if she was positive and she said she was. She said nothing about keeping Drum away from her (bit late now, if it IS ringworm!).

I thought ringworm caused marks - rings - hence its name. Bass has absolutely no marks, no lesions, nothing.

We have to take her back in a week, I'm hoping we'll see a different vet.
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2011, 14:59:34 PM »
Agree with Teresa, it doesnt look like ringworm but if the ultra violet test showed it , must be right.

Kocka had ringworm and think it was one small patch on body but may have been head but cant remember and was given drops to put on it.

As said its very contagious and can pass to humans, I was lucky and didnt get it

Offline Teresa Pawcats

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Re: Bass has a bald patch!
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2011, 12:57:29 PM »
I have just looked at picture and am not convinced.Usually ringworm appears on face and paws.
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Offline Tiggy's Mum

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2011, 12:34:43 PM »
 :omg: was the vet 100% sure? Did they do a test under a special light to look at the spores? Have they said anything about having to separate them? Ringworm is highly contagious and I can't believe that Drum (or you and your OH!) haven't caught it  :Crazy: It might be worth adding ringworm into the title as I know a few rescues on here have encountered it so they may be sable to offer advice, tips etc

When I was a young teenager me and my family went on holiday to Fuerteventura, there was a Mum and kittens who had set up home on our patio area who we started feeding. We had to move apartments (as my Mum & Dad moaned about the noise from the bar  :evillaugh: ) but Mum cat came and found us and bought all her kittens to our new patio! Anyway they had what looked like dry patches on their ears, my Mum bought some olive oil to moisturise them but when we got home we realised it must have been ringworm as both me and my Mum had caught it! My Mum had one on her forehead  :-: They weren't even living in our house so we caught it just from stroking them. We had to apply a cream to the patch and I was scrupulous about covering my patch and not sharing towels, not letting Tiggy on my bed etc and thankfully she didn't catch it.

Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's ringworm!
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2011, 11:21:12 AM »
Oh dear, took her to the vets this morning and poor Bass has ringworm. :shocked:

We have some drops to put on the area twice a day, and I'm hoping they work cos I can't face having to bathe her!

Goodness knows how she got it, fortunately her sister Drum seems fine so far.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2011, 11:22:00 AM by jezebel »
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Offline Tiggy's Mum

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Re: Bass has a bald patch!
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2011, 22:21:53 PM »
They had their vaccs in early October - I suppose the patch couldn't have been that bad then otherwise I'd have mentioned it to the vet.

That's a good idea about phoning them to ask, thanks.

Yep, and surely the vet would have spotted it and mentioned something? The photo makes it look quite extensive but if the vet didn't notice/mention it then it can't be that obvious. Defo worth a phonecall though  :)

Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch!
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2011, 22:19:00 PM »
They had their vaccs in early October - I suppose the patch couldn't have been that bad then otherwise I'd have mentioned it to the vet.

That's a good idea about phoning them to ask, thanks.
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Offline Tiggy's Mum

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Re: Bass has a bald patch!
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2011, 22:09:30 PM »
When are they next due their vaccinations? If it's not long then I would mention it to the vet then. If it's a long way off then maybe you could ring them and explain that she gets very upset by vets visits and describe the issue to see if they think she needs seeing. From how you describe it it doesn't seem to cause her any issues or discomfort though, very odd  :-: I would have thought she had been nibbling at it or overgrooming.

Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch!
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2011, 22:03:51 PM »
Yes, her and her sister are regularly Frontlined and wormed. And I daren't change their diet, they're Felix addicts!

I think the patch has been there since we got her (just over a year ago) but recently it seems to have grown a lot.
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Offline Tiggy's Mum

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Re: Bass has a bald patch!
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2011, 21:23:56 PM »
Has she been treated for fleas recently? Not saying she has fleas but I know those cats that have a flea allergy can be overly sensitive and cause skin problems. I take it you haven't changed their diet at all recently?




Offline jezebel

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Re: Bass has a bald patch - it's NOT ringworm!
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2011, 20:37:16 PM »
Bass has had a greying/balding patch on the inside of her hind leg for a while now. I've looked at it a few times before (she really doesn't like being picked up or examined so it's quite difficult) and it seemed to be just a patch of grey hair. However, recently it's become far more noticeable, and what fur there is is sparse and prickly.

It doesn't seem to bother her and she doesn't wash it more than anywhere else. There's no rash and the skin seems healthy enough. I'd take her to the vet if I thought it was serious but if not, I'd rather not stress her unnecessarily.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

I should say that the photo below makes it look worse than it is - I think it was the flash! (Sorry for the rubbish quality, I was holding up a leg with one hand and taking the photo with the other!)

« Last Edit: November 19, 2011, 11:09:18 AM by jezebel »
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