Heartbroken and dont know what to do

[BacisMom]

I recently took my yorkie to the vet for his first visit since we got him. We have had him a lil over a week.

The vet is pretty sure he has ringworm. And this would make him unfit for sale. I payed 2200 for my little guy but when i heard this news, i was devastated.

I know my options but I seriously don't know what to do. I am afraid this is going to foreshadow his health for here on out. And when I payed 2200 for him i was expecting good health, or at the very least fit for sale. (he isnt even a teacup).

I did get him from a pet store. I will NEVER do this again. But I am wondering if any of you have had any experience with this problem or any advice. I have a cat as well at home and I am afraid that one or all of us will get it at different times and keep giving it to eachother. So far I am in the clear and it has been over two weeks since I first took him out and started playing with him.

Please help. I don't know what to do

[Jaspermom]

First of all, WELCOME to YT!!

I am not sure what you are asking. Are you asking can you get rid of the ringworm, or are you asking if you should return the pup?

As far as the ringworm is concerned, I don't know much about that, but I have seen posts here from time to time. Do a search on ringworm, and I am sure you will see some info on it.

If you are asking if you should return your pup, only your heart can give you that answer.

Best of luck to you.

[Annadoodle]

Originally Posted by Jaspermom

First of all, WELCOME to YT!!

I am not sure what you are asking. Are you asking can you get rid of the ringworm, or are you asking if you should return the pup?

As far as the ringworm is concerned, I don't know much about that, but I have seen posts here from time to time. Do a search on ringworm, and I am sure you will see some info on it.

If you are asking if you should return your pup, only your heart can give you that answer.

Best of luck to you.

I wish I knew more about this.....I know your attatched to your new puppy.
Here is something I found on Ringworm....it seems treatable....
Symptoms:
Signs of ringworm are typically circular patches of broken hair in ring-like whorles. These areas usually heal at their centers, growing darker than normal hair. Surrounding this darkened area is a band of inflamed, reddened skin within which the hair is also broken off short. The most common areas for ringworm to occur are the face, ear tips, tail and paws. When these areas are examined with an ultraviolet light source the broken hair shafts often fluoresce. In the few cases where the lesions are itchy, the skin is crusty, bumpy and infected with bacteria.

How Your Pet Catches Ringworm:
Ringworm fungus does not penetrate normal skin. The fungus spores are passed into a scratch or scrape on the same or different animal. The usual source is a carrier pet that shows no signs of the disease. Not all pets in a household that are exposed to ringworm develop the disease. Some pets never become infected while others do become infected but develop no overt signs of the disease. Some of these animals go on to become silent carriers that spread the disease to others. Another common method of transmission is contaminated grooming supplies and electric hair clippers. Almost all dogs and cats that become infected with ringworm eventually cure themselves even if left untreated. Some cases, however, are persistent and do need medical treatment. I treat all cases.

Diagnosis:
Some cases of ringworm are so classical that diagnosis is quite easy and does not require growing the fungus in the laboratory. I have found that about eighty percent of the cases I treat glow under an ultraviolet light source (wood’s lamp). I have also seen a number of cases, which were compound-infections of ringworm and bacteria or ringworm and mange mites. When I suspect ringworm but the hair shafts do not fluoresce, I pluck some hairs from the spot for further examination. I place them into potassium hydroxide solution to clear them and I look for fungus growing within the hair shafts. If this test is negative and I still suspect ringworm I place some affected hairs in a special fungal isolation jell (sabouraud’s agar) to see if it will grow. The fungus is slow to grow and I wait three to four weeks before I am certain this test is negative.

Treatment of Ringworms:
First, infected pets should be separated from those that show no evidence of the disease. I like to clip the area of the infection and then vigorously scrub it frequently with “tame” iodine (povone iodine, Povidine, Betadine) scrub. Do not use tincture of iodine. Iodine scrub kills fungus (fungicidal) and also removes much of the infected skin flakes that spread the disease.
Vacuum your house and scrub down kennels to remove fungal spores. Throw away the vacuum cleaner bag once you are done. Be sure to wear gloves when you treat or handle infected pets so you don’t become infected or spread it to other pets. We used to treat isolated lesions with benzyl benzoate cream. However, we now know this compound is ineffective. I now use ketaconazole cream. We then treated most of these pets with grisiofulvin (Fulvicin P/G, 10mg/lb/day) tablets, which work, but must be given for extended periods of time (4-8 weeks). Some veterinarians use higher doses. Side effects of the drug are common in cats. I still treat some of my cases with grisiofulvin. It must never be given to pregnant animals or people, cats with immunodeficiency disease or feline leukemia. Griziofulvin stops the fungus from growing (bacteriostatic) but does not kill it. So cures rely on the cat’s own immune system recognizing and destroying the fungus.

In persistent cases I now use one of the imidazoles drugs, itraconazole (Sporanox 0.75-1.5mg/lb/day for twenty days). This drug is considerably safer than grisiofulvin. It is quite expensive in the United States.

An alternative drug that I have no experience with is terbinafine (Lamisil 15mg/lb/day for two weeks). Another imidazoles, fluconazole (Diflucan dogs:4-6mg/lb/day, cats:15-20mg/cat/day) is as effective as itraconazole.

Prevention: ringworm fungus hair loss cat dog skin infection
A vaccine to prevent or lessen the severity of ringworm is marketed by Wyeth’s Fort Dodge division but I have no experience with this vaccine. Its major use is in catteries and sanctuaries that have continuing problems with this fungus. Also, an Israeli veterinarian noticed that cats in catteries in Israel that received a flea-control medication, lufenuron (Program, 50mg/lb every two weeks) had less ringworm. Results of treating ringworm with lufenuron in the United States have not been as dramatic. ringworm fungus hair loss cat dog skin infection

Kittens least likely to have this disease are from individual litters born in a residential setting. That is, the more cats at a home or facility, the more likely ringworm is present. The same advice goes for puppies. Do not share grooming aids, clippers, bedding, cages, etc. between pets. Catteries can cleanse themselves of this problem by doing fungal cultures of each cat in the cattery. This includes those that do not show any symptoms. All positive cats should be treated with itraconazole and one can administer Wyeth’s vaccine as well. Long-haired cats seem to suffer more from this disease. I do not know if this is due to their excessive hair or my observation that longhaired cats tend to be frailer in heath than domestic shorthair cats. ringworm fungus hair loss cat dog skin infection.

A good antifungal disinfecting solution is a one in twenty solution of household bleach and water

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by BacisMom

I recently took my yorkie to the vet for his first visit since we got him. We have had him a lil over a week.

The vet is pretty sure he has ringworm. And this would make him unfit for sale. I payed 2200 for my little guy but when i heard this news, i was devastated.

I know my options but I seriously don't know what to do. I am afraid this is going to foreshadow his health for here on out. And when I payed 2200 for him i was expecting good health, or at the very least fit for sale. (he isnt even a teacup).

I did get him from a pet store. I will NEVER do this again. But I am wondering if any of you have had any experience with this problem or any advice. I have a cat as well at home and I am afraid that one or all of us will get it at different times and keep giving it to eachother. So far I am in the clear and it has been over two weeks since I first took him out and started playing with him.

Please help. I don't know what to do

ok please don't get rid of the puppy because it has ringworm. ringworm isn't a worm at all. Its a treatable condition. Just don't touch the spots anymore. if you can put a teeshirt on him or something. Ringworm doesn't make the puppy any less health, but you can get the vet to write you a letter saying he was unfit for sale and then you can get the pet store to pay for the treatments. Since you got the puppy from a pet store this is to be expected because the puppy probably came from a puppy mill or very large breeder. Dogs from puppy mills usually end up with kennel cough, mange, ringworms, other worms, or skin conditions when you first get them because they are surrounded by so many other puppies and living in poor conditions (i'm saying this for Most pet shop puppies, but not all). Also, about you paying $2200 for him, that's probably only becuase you got him from a pet store. They will charge that much for a puppy reguardless of health or size because they know people will pay it.

As for the ringworm. Its very treatable. While at home to keep the puppy from scratching it you can put cortizone cream on him. He is going to need a couple ringworm dips at the vets office. These are to be done once a week until the ringworm is cleared up. You can get the pet store to pay for these. Its going to be a little bit of a pain to clear up, but it can be done. ringworm usually take 10 days for it to show up on people after they have touched the ringworm spot on the puppy. if you do notice a spot on your or a family member just cover it up with a bandaid. I've worked with dogs for 10 years and i've come across many with ringworm, and i've never gotten it yet. (knock on wood). just be careful about touching the ringworm spots, keep them covered if you can, and be sure to get those ringworm dips at the vets office.

hope this helps and that you don't feel like the puppy is not worth keeping.

[josie girl]

I rescued a cat and when I brought him home I discovered that he had ringworm. It is very treatable and it is contagious however as long as your pets are not sleeping together they probably wont get it. It isnt that easy to pass it from one pet to another or pet to person. Nobody in my family got it and neither did my other pets.

[red98vett]

Ringworm IS treatable as the others have said....and I think you know buying from a Pet Store isn't the way to go with yorkies - they buy their puppies from puppy Mills - so if all your yorkie has is ringworm I'd say you are very lucky ! and as far as asking this :

And when I payed 2200 for him i was expecting good health, or at the very least fit for sale. (he isnt even a teacup).

Do you mean his sale at the pet store or for YOU to sell him ? I wasn't sure what you were saying.....

ps...the Word Teacup is a sale tool word - usually when you see that word - you are paying a much higher price for a yorkie.

I'm sorry the pet store sold you a puppy with Ringworm but you should have a contract with them - I doubt it's a good one but you MAY be able to recoup some money if you go back to where you bought him - but I seriously doubt it.

But with your Ringworm problem - that CAN be treated with medication. Good luck

[kalina82]

unfit for sale means that the puppy shouldn't have been sold as is. Vets use this term when refering to a puppy that was sick or had some type of health problem when it was sold. The vet can write up a letter and the owner can take it back to the pet store and request that they pay for the treatment

[carolina yorkie]

Unfortunately, I have had a lot of experience with ringworm, with strays that I have brought in to rehome. I have dealt with it in both a cat and a dog, and requested sporonox for both of them. The vets say that it is sooo expensive, but really when you look at the big picture of all the other things you will have to do to clear it, the cost really isn't that bad. And it is generally sold per cc, so with the smaller dogs, the cost is minimal. In addition, I used the line of Health Guard products (search Health Guard laundry additive and you will get their site). They were persian cat breeders at one time and also very experienced and knowledgable about RW. I used the laundry additive to prevent spread to the rest of the family as the spores can live for a few years. Also dilute the additive and spray it on your furnace filters and furniture/carpets/walls and blinds. Sounds extreme, but after the entire family getting lesions from a tiny lesion on a dog, the completely covered cat did not break anyone out. And I was recovering from surgery so I should have broken out like mad!! Their products also have a residual effect and will keep killing spores for a few days on hair. They are wonderful about telling youe verything you will need to treat it and will not sell you any products you don't need. I think completely I spent less that $100 to treat the cat and lime sulfur dips (where you dog comes home smelling HORRIBLE) run $30 here and they recommended two a week for six weeks...Just keep in mind that the spores are what is infectious and killing them will control the spread of the fungus. PM me if you have any more questions or need more help. Good luck.

[BacisMom]

Thank guys for all your help and info. There is a lot of knowledge to be learned out there. I did buy a lifetime warranty on the pup. And they cover all medical bills if you take the pup to the vet within 14 days and there is something wrong with him. Downside is it takes 4-6 weeks to get the check back. Unfortunately it can take 2 weeks for the vet to know what it is. Apparently the black light test wasnt sufficient enough for him. In the meantime the vet has us putting topical treatment on him. But he is itching and we think we found another sore this morning. We called the vet and he is suppose to be calling us back.

keep your fingers crossed. Any other info would be helpful too.

[DianaB]

Ring worm isn't a life and death situation. It's meerly an inconvience. It can be cleared up but it will take a lot of effort on your part. Your vet should be able to help you determine the type of treatment that you should use. However, ring worm IS very contagious, but easily treated with a fungal treatment (such as athlete's foot medicine).

My daughter brought home a kitten once and we didn't realize that it has ring worm. My daughter became covered with spots which as soon as I saw them I realized that it must have come from the kitten. She had soooo many that we had to cover the spots with band-aids and I was worried that the school would find out and make me keep her home until she was better. Thankfully the school never found out that it was ring worm. So be careful handling the puppy. Wash bedding that comes in contact with the puppy because it can spread through bedding or clothes. Good Luck!!!

[kalina82]

A mitaban dip is what we use to give the dogs with ringworm at the vet i believe. once a week until cleared up

[TatumsMom]

We've had more experience with ringworm that I care to think about! I mentioned in a post a while back that after getting two kittens from the animal shelter, we found out they had ringworm. Didn't notice until I saw a spot on Tatum (our Yorkie). The vet gave us a medicated shampoo that I had to bathe all four animals with (two cats, Tatum and Stormie - our Aust. Shepherd). It was so NOT fun to bathe those cats but they got really good about taking the baths after a few times. We had to do that every three days for weeks but it finally went away.

Many years ago my mother-in-law got four kittens from her boss. My daughters played with them constantly. Turns out these kittens had ringworm (as did the mom we found out) and both of my daughters got it. The oldest (she was about 4 yrs. old at the time) had AT LEAST 15 spots on her body. It was horrible! I honestly don't remember what was done with the kittens but for my girls, we had to put Lotrimin cream (commonly used for athlete's foot) on each of the spots several times a day for a while.

I know this is not something that you want a new puppy to have - one that you paid so much for - but it is treatable. You have to be very diligent in whatever treatment the vet recommends but it WILL be okay.

[feminvstr]

ringworm is 100% treatable and doesnt effect the health of the puppy only plays havoc on his coat and skin...It is contagious where you and your family can get it as well. Lotrimin will work for you and your human family but I advise you NOT to do dips on a puppy the sulfur ingredients are far to strong and if ingested can play havoc on his young system.

Make sure you clear everything he has touched and keep him confined cleaning his area and bedding daily. Vacume all surfaces daily and throw away the bags outside, clean every wood or tile surface with bleech and water, dilute a bottle with a bit of bleech and a lot of water and spray your carpets. There is a cleaning product I use and many other breeder friends use that kills most every germ even HIV called Odoban, you can get it at Sam's club, Walmart and some home depots (dont let the pup around the bleech areas it can absorb into the paws)

Your vet can prescribe three things that will eliminate in rather quickly medicated shampoo Malaseb and Griseofulvin rendered (taken orally) and a topical miconazole cream.

I hope this helps

[princesspippi]

I would go ahead and have the vet prescribe some fulvicin (sp?). It's the same thing as the Griseofulvin. You can also use some lamisil on it. That will help clear it up. If the ringworm is not too bad (only a small spot or two I would probably just use a special shampoo from your vet and lamisil on it because the fulvicin is said to be hard on their kidneys. Keep it very clean. It can take about 3 or 4 weeks for the ringworm to be gone. Ringworm is in the same family as athletes foot.

I bought a yorkie one time and it was covered with ringworm. I mean from head to toe and it had lost every bit of its hair. I went to a ladies house and she had several beautiful dogs. Then I saw this little teeny girl yorkie. (she was 6 months old and weighed barely 1.5 lbs) I asked her why she didn't treat her ringworm, and she said that it wasn't ringworm. She said she had dipped her and everything so it wasn't ringworm. Well I asked her if she had a blacklight. We used the black light on it and sure enough she was bright green. She had even lost part of her ear. Well needless to say I couldn't resist her. After I took a good scolding from my husband and my vet for buying such a sickly puppy we treated it and she was totally ringworm free.
We gave her the fulvicin and the prescription shampoo (I can't think of the name but it started with a K) and lamisil. I went to get her out of her crate first thing one morning about two weeks later and it was like she was shedding her skin! Well about 3 weeks later my older yorkie came up with a tiny spot on her ear. I just treated her with the shampoo and the lamisil and it went right away.

Sorry that post was so long! If you made it this far you deserve an award.

P.S. My grandparents used to take a green walnut, and cut the green skin off and rub the black part (between the nutshell and the outside green skin) on ringworm. It turns it black, but it kills the ringworm. Honest! When I was a kid my mother got a ringworm on her leg from our neighbor's cat and she treated with a green walnut. My dad told her she was crazy, but it got rid of it! Now he tells everyone about it.

[TatumsMom]

Originally Posted by princesspippi

P.S. My grandparents used to take a green walnut, and cut the green skin off and rub the black part (between the nutshell and the outside green skin) on ringworm. It turns it black, but it kills the ringworm. Honest! When I was a kid my mother got a ringworm on her leg from our neighbor's cat and she treated with a green walnut. My dad told her she was crazy, but it got rid of it! Now he tells everyone about it.

Wow, that's wild! Pretty neat remedy! Besides the really nasty ringworm episode my daughter had from my MIL's kittens, she's had a couple spots a couple other times (from same MIL's cats again - other ones) so I do know what a pain it can be.

Honestly, when our new kittens had it about a year ago, all I did was bathe them and the dogs with the prescription shampoo but did nothing else special to any of them. The vet did not give us anything topical nor did he recommend anything OTC to try. I'm sure he would have if the shampoo didn't take care of it. Tatum got one ringworm spot, I think Stormie got one spot but they all cleared up pretty quickly. I've heard you are supposed to do all the sterilizing and stuff that's been talked about here but we never went that far. We got lucky probably!