My chinchilla has ringworm. How long to treat & is it dangerous?

Thanks for your question about Ali, and I am sorry that you two are going through this. Unfortunately, it can take quite a while for you to be able to see improvement of the skin in cases of ringworm. Frequently the courses of medication are long, as the skin takes a long time to repair itself as the ringworm is killed by the medications. Hopefully you will see improvement in Ali's clinical signs within about a week or so - I am not sure if she had a great deal of itching or not, but that is a common sign that is exhibited. As far as your question about how fast it takes effect - this starts to happen quickly, which is why the animal begins to feel better within the week or so. But, it takes a long time to be fully effective, which is why the length of time that Ali will likely be on this medication is so long. Your veterinarian will likely want to check Ali at least a couple of more times for evidence of ringworm growth before saying that the ketoconazole can be stopped. I hope that helps to answer your question, and I hope that Ali has a speedy recovery!

First of all, ringworm is highly contagious. If this is a classroom pet I strongly suggest you don't let any children handle Clover until this has cleared up. Ringworm can take months to completely clear but I would say the average is ~4-6 weeks. Number two, you need to be careful putting medications near an eye. Most topical medications are toxic to ocular tissues. If the medication gets in the eye you will end up with a worse problem. Ringworm is not deadly so I don't think you need to return him but you should consider getting him to a vet for an actual diagnosis. Right now you are just guessing that it is ringworm and while that is the most likely diagnosis it is not the only possibility. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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.

If the area is still glowing even if you have treated for 2 weeks, I still recommend continuing treatment and would state that Chloe does in fact still have ringworm. I have seen some animals needing treatment for 4-6 weeks with oral medication and topical. Sometimes scabs and dandruff can glow under the light and it can appear that the area is glowing when in fact it is just the scabbing or dandruff. If it is truly the skin lesion then I typically have clients treat for another 2 weeks and recheck again. I hope Chloe feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for reaching out about Anfoosah and including a photo. Fungal infections can be contagious for several weeks. Keeping the environmental area clean. Oral systemic anti-fungal medications such as Griseofulvin might help also, inquire through your veterinarian. Keep separated from other animals to lessen the chance of cross contamination. Good luck.

Cats with ringworm can remain contagious for about three weeks if aggressive treatment it used, which it sounds like you are doing. I would keep them isolated for at least another week. Keep in mind you will have to disinfect the environment as well because ringworm spores can live in it up to 18 months. I will link a website that details how to do this: http://www.livestrong.com/article/49666-rid-home-ringworm/

It can take 3-4 weeks to to a few months to clear a ring worm infection in a cat. Please make sure to also clean her bedding at home very well and give all medications as directed by her veterinarian. It is important to have her rechecked at the end of treatment to make sure the infection is resolved. Best of luck with kiwi.