How to cure ringworm

[johndeereboy]

My show calf seems to have ringworm around the eyes, what can be done to cure him?

Thanks

 

[kenny thomas]

Most of the pour on wormers will take care of it. It just takes a little time. Also you can mix a paste with Captan bean dust and apply it to the spot. Has always worked well, a little faster if time is a problem.

 

[angie1]

Pour on won't work ~ ring worm is a fungus not a parasite (I was just corrected on this last week when I suggeated pour on!). BeefmasterB has some good info on this, if he doesn't jump on maybe you can pm him, or do a search on here.

 

[kenny thomas]

Thanks angie.
I did the search and learned some things. Maybe the reason I thought the pour-on was working only slower is that some stated it will go away on its own given time. Did know that the captan will work faster.

 

[larryshoat]

Iodine will work, but around the eye maybe an antifungal creme would be better . Wear rubber gloves while you're doing this .

Larry

 

[KNERSIE]

Quickest cure is to apply a 1:8 solution of lime sulphur once a week for three weeks. Usually one application will do the trick, but the recommendation is 3 treatments. It takes as long as it takes for the hair to grow back to cure 100%.

 

[CKC1586]

I have dealt with ring worm (fungus) and it is a royal pain in the back side. We brought it home from Louisville in 2001. Once you have it, you have it on your farm and it will come up again...sooner or later. I was told that it can "stay" in wood. It can be spread via contact with each other, tack, and who knows what else. Use bleach to keep things clean while you are treating it. Dip your grooming tools in bleach after using and wash halters, leads etc in soap and bleach solution. Some say once an animal has it once they won't get it again. They can and do. You can get it as well, so be sure to wash hands well after treating.
I have seen different "strains" of it, sometimes it just looks like rough patches and the hair falls out, sometimes it shows up as a raised dry scabby looking thing then the hair falls out under it when the thing comes off, and I have seen it where it almost looks like whiteish scabby wart like things (see this mostly on their faces).
Getting rid of it is a challenge but can be done. If you have warm weather you will have better luck because you can bathe them in medicated shampoo (several products out there that are anti fungal, they have iodine in them). First you need to take a curry comb and clean the animal and you really need to scratch those spots and don't be alarmed if you make them bleed, in fact it seems to heal faster once that happens. Then bathe with the medicated shampoo, then I use the anti fungal spray that can be obtained from Jeffers, Valley Vet , or even TSC and spray those spots with it. On the face use athletes foot cream (Clotrimazole). Do this every day for 10 days and that will usually take care of it.
Winter/cold weather is harder to deal with as you obviously don't want to bathe them in 20 degree weather. Just curry and spot clean them then use the spray and cream anti fungal products, it will take longer to get rid of in this weather. May even take a month or so. Once hair growth has returned within the spots the fungus has been "killed"or is no longer active. This crap spreads fast if untreated.
Good luck.

 

[4CTophand]

all the medication in the world wont fix it if you don't clean the area the critter lives in -- Clorox will work --

 

[Jovid]

all the medication in the world wont fix it if you don't clean the area the critter lives in -- Clorox will work --

Wonder how many gallons of clorox it would take to clean 80 acres?

4CT in case you didn't know it not all cattle live in a barn.

 

[angus9259]

I have dealt with ring worm (fungus) and it is a royal pain in the back side. We brought it home from Louisville in 2001. Once you have it, you have it on your farm and it will come up again...sooner or later. .

I just brought it home from a high end sale too so now I get to go after it.

 

[CKC1586]

I have dealt with ring worm (fungus) and it is a royal pain in the back side. We brought it home from Louisville in 2001. Once you have it, you have it on your farm and it will come up again...sooner or later. .

I just brought it home from a high end sale too so now I get to go after it.

Don't it just tick ya off!!!! There were four of us Michigan breeders that brought that crap home that year, I have gone thru gallons of bleach and pink spray and tubes and tubes of athletes foot cream. I can usually get it stopped but in this weather it is very tough to keep it from spreading. I am kicking myself because I usually use the medicated shampoo at the shows and wash them again when they get home, it was so darn cold didn't do that this year and dang it the babies got it.
Good luck in your battle with it.

 

[ShuterSunset]

We have used Fluid Film and sprayed on it every day for a few days and it seems to help speed up the process. We get the fluid film from the local John Deere store.

 

[angus9259]

I've been reading that there is no scientifically proven cure for ringworm. Since it frequently gets better on its own it's nearly impossible to tell if something actually helped cure it or not and to what degree - though - as you can tell from this thread - people have about a million different home remedies that they believe have actually worked for them. I'm NOT AT ALL saying the remedies DON'T work - just reporting what I read. Since this is the first time I've had it, I have no advice for anyone on the matter and am simply trying to decide what to do about it my own self.

The treatments obviously all require working the cattle - probably the squeeze chute and headgate. That in turn would require a disinfecting of the area after each cow and each treatment or you could run the risk of spreading it to cows that don't presently have it. At 3 - 4 treatments of whatever per cow with disinfecting . . . . sounds like a daunting task.

 

[CKC1586]

...
The treatments obviously all require working the cattle - probably the squeeze chute and headgate. That in turn would require a disinfecting of the area after each cow and each treatment or you could run the risk of spreading it to cows that don't presently have it. At 3 - 4 treatments of whatever per cow with disinfecting . . . . sounds like a daunting task.

daunting, is a perfect term. Getting rid of it is one thing. Keeping it from spreading thru the whole herd is another which if gone untreated will undoubtedly happen. May well happen anyway, it is very frustrating to say the least. Thought I had the little heifer stopped, then found another spot this morning on her rear leg. The little bull is covered and I just can't seem to get a hold on his. If you can isolate the ones that need treating into one area to treat for the next ten days should help you out if you decide to go after it. Best of luck to you in your plan of attack...

 

[angus9259]

If you can isolate the ones that need treating into one area to treat for the next ten days should help you out if you decide to go after it. Best of luck to you in your plan of attack...

That's kinda the problem. The treatment area is also my calving barn and calf shelter (that's where my working chute is). I'm calving right now plus the calves need out of this weather so I'd be running infected animals through the area where the calving cows and calves are running. I might just have to wait till spring when I can kick all the calves out for a week.

 

[CKC1586]

Oh, I wouldn't put them in your calving area! The babies will be covered with it. Bummer. I have a cow that got it bad when she was a baby, we show slick sheared and when she is shaved close she looks like she has been shot with bird shot with the scars from the bad case she had. Have to clip her about 15 days prior to shows so she can get some growth back to cover up the scars. Gads! I hate ring worm!
How many are you dealing with?? Are they pretty calm?

 

[Cormac]

I am no expert, but last year I dropped a few cows off to be AI'd and when I picked them up a few weeks later some had ring worm. Wow was I mad! Never had it and wanted it out of my herd. Here is what I did. I separated/isolated them and bought some stuff called Horseman's dream, Fung-A-Way. Sprayed, more like soaked all visable spots. In a head gate, I covered eyes on some with a rag and sprayed the spot being very, very careful not to get it in the eye. Saw noticeable improvement in the first week. Hit new outbreaks and some spots a second time a week later and it was gone shortly thereafter.

 

[CKC1586]

I am no expert, but last year I dropped a few cows off to be AI'd and when I picked them up a few weeks later some had ring worm. Wow was I mad! Never had it and wanted it out of my herd. Here is what I did. I separated/isolated them and bought some stuff called Horseman's dream, Fung-A-Way. Sprayed, more like soaked all visable spots. In a head gate, I covered eyes on some with a rag and sprayed the spot being very, very careful not to get it in the eye. Saw noticeable improvement in the first week. Hit new outbreaks and some spots a second time a week later and it was gone shortly thereafter.

Yup, that is the stuff at TSC. Works well.

 

[angus9259]

Not that this was my post, but I'll go get some of that and have it ready for the next working.

 

[dressageophobia]

There is a product called Shapleys MTG http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... 059477370f
Spray/wipe it on,,,works like a charm,,,really!

You can use this stuff for all kinds of fungus related stuff on dogs, horses, cows,,,whatever.