Getting Ringworm Affected Kitties Out of the Shelter Alive

• What is Ringworm• Why Do We Save These Cats• How Do We Save These Cats• What is Our Treatment for Ringworm• How Do We Run Our Program• How Do We Find and Keep Volunteers and Fosters• How Do We Adopt These Cats Out• What Challenges Do We Face

What is Ringworm

• Highly contagious skin fungus

• Commonly presents as crusted skin lesions

• Easily transmissible• Infected cats in

danger at shelters

Why Do We Save These Cats • Kittens commonly infected• Self-limiting infection• Harmless, curable• Most cases are mild to moderate

How Do We Save These Cats• Protocols are the foundation of “Herd”

Treatment – Allow larger numbers of cats to be treated at once

• Always allow for deviations from protocol if necessary

Establishing Our Program

• Began as 100% foster-based• Even with an adoption

headquarters, ringworm cats still in danger

• Crates in isolated hallway allowed time to find fosters, and begin treatment

• Began dedicated treatment ward in late 2010

What is Our Treatment for Ringworm

Diagnosis• Look for classic presentation

– Consider cat’s history• Wood’s Lamp examination

– More accurate than previously thought

• Treat for most likely cause of infection– Treat in isolation if unsure– Track changes and

improvement

Medication Cost for 30 Day Treatment of 10# Cat

Terbinafine $3.00Compounded Itraconazole $7.90Griseofulvin $75.60Sporanox $204.00

Lyme Sulfur Dip $16

• Oral Terbinafine– 30- 40mg/kg – Recheck after 21 days

• “Off” 7 days, “on” 7

• Lyme Sulfur Dip– 8oz/gal twice a week

How Do We Run Our Program• Isolated space• Cat housing• Ringworm medications• Dedicated supplies• Set of cleaning

instruments for each enclosure

• Sink or other area for dipping

• Patients• Patience

Housing

• Group vs individual• Use easily disinfected materials

and designs• Use disposable materials, like

cardboard for toys and scratchers• Always include housing to isolate

sick cats • Resources/time dictate capacity as

much as physical space

Group Housing Considerations• Length of time in treatment• Severity of infection• Age• Health/ vaccine history

Benefits• Decreases stress• Increases number of cats• Appeals to potential adopters

The Fungus Fighters and “Spa Days”

• Volunteer team meets twice weekly• Dip cats and ‘hard scrub’ the ward

– Dip cats, set up to dry in crates– Remove everything from enclosures– Clean with detergent– Saturate with bleach solution– Replace everything

• Cleanliness and disinfection is key to success of the Ringworm Ward

• Wash all surfaces with detergent prior to bleaching

• 10:1 water and bleach solution– Ten minute wet contact time– Refresh solution daily

• Remember to wash and bleach all crates and cleaning implements as well

Medication and Treatment Tracking

• Simple binder system– Intake Paperwork– Medication Trackers– Medications– Weight Trackers– Stool Trackers– Rabies tags/certs

Shelter

Adoption!

Ringworm Ward

Foster

Cattery

How Do We Find and Keep Volunteers and Fosters

• Honesty• Communication• Empowerment• Support

Recruiting Volunteers• Marketing to potential volunteers

– Be upfront about potential risks– Be honest about stigma, and subsequent need– Before and After photos during orientations

Retaining Volunteers• Train volunteers to grow within the program• List of ‘Graduates’

– Sense of accomplishment, especially during long treatment periods

• Weekly update emails– Improve communication, show respect, and keep volunteers

engaged

Finding and Keeping Ringworm Fosters• Be honest about potential for environmental

contamination, and work involved• Give contact information to fosters

– Personalized advice can help alleviate fear• Dipping days

– Some fosters are ok with ringworm, but not with Lyme Sulfur dip in their homes

– Allows for face to face interaction and relationship building• Be supportive

– Some of our best ringworm fosters came into it by accident– Become a ringworm team, instead of ‘Ward’ and ‘Fosters’

How Do We Adopt These Cats Out• Make them visible

– Visitors allowed in ward– Online marketing

• Transparency, education, and honesty to potential adopters

• Continuing treatment, rechecks, and support

• Reduced adoption fees– Half price

• Ringworm adoption events– Fun in Fungus– Ring in the New Year– Adopt a Fun Guy

• Expect lower adoption numbers for ringworm cats

• Don’t try to “sell” ringworm to someone who seems unwilling

• Don’t get discouraged

What Challenges Do We Face

• Summer adoptions low– Utilize fosters for cats

near end of treatment– Transfer cleared

ringworm cats to new fosters

• Longer shelter stays– Prioritize enrichment and

socialization

Often house special medical and behavior cases awaiting foster– Train volunteers to identify and provide treatment– Protocols for common illnesses– Feral kitten socialization

Challenges can be overcome, and pay off• 652 cats have come through the ward• 465 cats completed treatment or adopted from the

ward• 235 came through in 2013• 92 adoptions in 2013

Questions?