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My cat has ringworm. How do I use sulfur dip and bathe both?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 3 years and 11 months old

Hello sir/ma'am, I have ordered the sulfur dip for my kitty who has a ringworm.. I have the instructions on the bottle bit o feel that I cant understand them so can you explain yo me how to wash him?? And I have another cat but she doesnt have symptoms fo I need to bathe her with that too? Kitty had the rhinitis virus and he is very sensitive so his emotions control his immune system and he gets sick a lot poor baby.. I found the 2nd picture online for his immune system so do you think it helps?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 2nd, 2019

Hello. You can try the immune support. I do not think it will help all that much, but it should not hurt. The best thing to do to keep a kitties immune system in great shape is to keep indoors, booster all appropriate vaccination, regularly apply of treat with a good flea & tick product, feed the best food you can afford , & deworm if necessary. As for the dip, mix 4 ounces, or 1/4 of a 16 ounce bottle, in 1 gallon of warm water. Bathe both of your kitties in any shampoo & rinse off soap. While each cat is still wet from rinsing , apply the diluted dip. Once you are done, you can wrap each cat in a towel, but do not let them lick themselves until completely dry so you may need to place an Elizabethan cone ( cone of shame ) on them. Repeat about once a week as necessary to cure the fungal infection. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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.

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