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Thank you so much for giving your time and your home to foster a KGARL animal. Unfortunately, as you are well aware, we are in the middle of a ringworm outbreak. This has been a stressful time for all of us, and we really appreciate your patience and willingness to devote time & energy to your foster babies! This email has a lot of information, so please take the time to read through it and let us know if you have any questions at all!
Treating ringworm takes a lot of dedication and carefulness, but it definitely has an end in sight. Our goal is to get to the end without spreading it to any more animals or people, and for our foster animals to recover as quickly and safely as possible, so that they can go on with their lives and get adopted. The board has been talking to many experienced professionals, veterinarians, and trusted animal rescue contacts, as well as reading as much information as we can find on websites, such as www.animalsheltering.org, www.aspcapro.org, and more. The protocol that we came up with for our fosters is standard for foster animals and we believe it is the best way to get through this.
The following protocol should be in full force in all KGARL foster homes:
Animals diagnosed with ringworm:
* Lime sulfur dip once a week for the first 2 weeks
* Shampoo once a week, starting on week 3 and going until the infection is cleared by a vet
* Oral medication as directed by vet
* Antifungal spray/wipes 2-3 times a day during treatment
* 2 clear cultures, one week apart, before removing from quarantine
* Treatment should not stop until the animal is cleared by a vet. Return of fur to the area does not mean the animal is cured. Stopping treatment too soon can cause a recurrence of ringworm!
Animals exposed to ringworm, but no symptoms:
* Lime sulfur dip once a week for 2 weeks
* Shampoo on the 3rd week
* Antifungal spray/wipes 2-3 times a day during quarantine
* Quarantine for 14 days, minimum
* Vet visit for clean bill of health before adoption or before Petco
Quarantine and Cleaning Procedures:
- All quarantined or positive foster animals should be kept in a separate room, preferably in a kennel for kittens. The room should be easy to clean; a spare bathroom is perfect!
- Quarantined animals should be kept away from other animals in the home or outside of the home! This is extremely important to stop the spread of this disease.
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When handling quarantined animals, you should wear gloves and have no exposed skin. Ringworm is a zoonotic disease and can easily be transferred to humans! Please make every effort possible to not handle the animal, or anything in the room, with your bare skin.
- The room (and kennel) containing the quarantined animal should be disinfected at least twice a week with Accel/Rescue spray. The spray should be diluted at 1:16 (1 tablespoon of disinfectant per cup of water), and should remain on the surface for 10 minutes or allowed to air dry. Do not return the animal to the space if the disinfectant is still wet!
- Wood/tile floors should be cleaned daily with a swiffer to remove dust spores from the environment. This should be done prior to disinfecting, for maximum effectiveness. Do not use a broom, as it will spread the spores around the room.
- Carpet should be vacuumed vigorously daily, for at least 10 minutes.
- All clothing (including shoes) that is exposed to the animal, or to the room, should be removed immediately, washed in hot water, and dried in a hot dryer.
- Hands should be washed obsessively.
- Pet beds, bowls, toys and anything else the animal comes into contact with, should be disinfected daily.
- Ringworm spores can remain in the environment for up to 18 months! Cleaning and disinfecting is an extremely important step to stop the spread of this disease!
Additional Key Points:
- KGARL will provide any supplies needed to get through the ringworm treatment and quarantine time. Please let us know what you need
- Eagles Nest Animal Hospital is fielding a lot of phone calls and they've asked that fosters not contact them directly. If you have questions, please send them to Michele
- The board will be setting up a webpage for our foster homes. Please setup an account on our page at www.kgarl.org, click on "My Rescue" on the menu bar, and choose "Register."
Thank you so much for your dedication and support. Please do not hesitate to contact the board at info@kgarl.org, if you have any questions or concerns.
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