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How often and for how long should I use lime sulfur for ringworm?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 3 months and 8 days old

How many times should i do lime sulfer bath?and for how long weeks or days or months?also is it very effective for getting rid of ringworm?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 5th, 2016

Topical treatment without oral anti-fungal medication is very slow in killing off Ringworm and is only really meant to reduce contamination of ringworm. It has not been shown to cure ringworm cases when used alone, which is why we almost always use it in conjunction with an oral pill.

Lime sulfur bathes are recommended in a 1:16 dilution or 8 oz per gallon of water. Dips are recommended to be done every 5-7 days until a week after lesions have cleared up. All the while the pet is being treated with an oral anti-fungal such as Fluconazole, Terbinafine or Itraconazole, daily.

17Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Tasha should be examined and diagnosed by your vet before beginning any treatment. The most effective course of treatment is to dip twice weekly while giving Itraconazole orally for 21 days. You will need a prescription for the medication. Treat for 3-4 weeks . Dipping will be necessary until you get 2 consecutive negative fungal cultures.
15Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lauren Jones VMD
Veterinarian
Published on June 23rd, 2017
On average, lime sulfur dips are given 1-2 times per week for at least 6 weeks to see full resolution of ringworm. I'm glad to hear that Tchika is improving already, but continue following your vet's ongoing instructions or the ringworm infection is likely to continue. Lime sulfur dips should not be used inside of the ear canals, but can be used with caution on the ear flap during the dip. If you are concerned about ringworm inside of Tchika's ears, you may need to go back to your vet to discuss ear medication. I hope that all goes well!
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on March 6th, 2020
Hello. Yes you can. You want to make a 1:40 dilution ( 1 part dip to 40 parts water ) & dip Sonic once a week for 6 weeks. Make sure you do not get any dip in his mouth or eyes & he is not not allowed to groom until he is throughly dry. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

My cat has ringworm. We started lime sulfur dips. What's next?

Hello. Continue the lime sulfur dips 1-2 times weekly until all of the lesions have healed. This may take 2-6 weeks, but since you have thoroughly cleaned the house, you do not need to do this again. A good vacuuming weekly should suffice. Thanks for adopting Alex & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

How soon can I bathe my kitten after a lime sulfur dip for ringworm?

Unfortunately, it is better not to bathe them between their lime sulfur dips. We normally dip cats once or twice weekly and do not recommend bathing them between dips. If the smell is not tolerable, you can ask your vet about using an antifungal shampoo to bathe Oliver in. it will not work as well as a lime sulfur dip, but might be another option. I have attached a link on ringworm below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=559 I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

Does my cat with ringworm on oral meds still need a lime dip?

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your concerns about Slinky! A lime dip is important in that it sterilizes the coat to stop further growth of ringworm. That is important in that it prevents the further growth of spores that can re-contaminate the environment. The environment can be a continuing source of spores, so you want to do everything you can to prevent that. If your vet has prescribed the lime dip in addition to the oral anti fungal medication, then I strongly recommend following your vet's instructions. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

Can I use lime sulfur dip & antifungal meds on 6-week-old kittens?

Generally speaking yes you can do it but that would depend on the severity of the ringworm infection (a picture of the lesions would help to better assess its severity). In some cases only the ointment is effective and enough to sort out the infection. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

How long should I quarantine a kitten with ringworm for treatment?

Poor kitty. Treatment for ringworm can certainly damage their relationship with their owners. Try to spend some time with her playing that doesn't involve treatments and medications to help your bond. There is not usually much of the fungus left after 4 lime dips, so I usually re-evaluate my patients at that time. After 4 weeks of treatment I would have Sierra re-examined by your vet to see if she is still infective. By this time she shouldn't be losing any more hair and you might even see some regrowth in her areas of hair loss.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

What's a safe ringworm treatment for my cat with liver disease?

I'm glad that Minou is safe after the scare with her liver! To treat ringworm, I will often use a special solution called a lime sulfur dip. The cats need to be fully immersed ion the liquid twice a week for 4-6 weeks. They need to wear an elizabethan collar while drying so they do not lick the solution off. As a warning, the lime sulfur dips smells like rotten eggs. It will also stain surfaces. However, it is effective and once the cat is dry, the smell is not as pungent. Talk to Minou about this treatment and see what the doctor thinks. Please post again if you have any further questions.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Can lime sulfur dip harm my pet? What are the dangers and risks?

Lime Sulfur dips do carry some risk and the MSDS link here shows some of the risks with its use. https://davismfg.com/resources/uploads/Lime%20Sulfur%20Dip.pdf The suspected deaths that I have recovered in the veterinary files indicate problems arising when the pet accidentally ingests some of the liquid causing corrosive of the GI lining, accidental aspiration of the liquid down the trachea causing pulmonary edema. Also I have commonly seen user error where the applicant didn't dilute the dip properly causing superficial burns. So yes it can be dangerous if any of these things occur. Which is why I generally don't recommend Lime sulfur dips as the first choice of treatment because owners don't always read the safety precautions on the bottle and abide by them, and sometimes accidents do happen. A safer treatment for mites is either oral Bravecto, Nexgard, or Ivermectin 3% (which in itself carries some risks as well that should be discussed with your veterinarian).

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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