Recent Feedback
our daughter has contacted ringworm about 1 month after we bought two male rats from Pet Smart. The dermatologist has told us that they are 99% sure it came from the rats. What do we now do with the rats? It has cost us over $1000 in office visits, specialist visits, and anti fungals to treat our daughter and she is still not cured.
Optional Information: Type of Animal: rat Gender: Male Age: 4-6 months Name of Animal: Luca Already Tried: nothing for the rats
HI,The only way to tell if it is from the rats to have them examined by a vet who sees rats. In most cases, they can submit some hair samples from them and start what is called a fungal culture. This is a special media that will turn color when a fungus grows. It can sometimes turn positive very quickly or it can take up to 3 weeks for the results. They can also look at them under a special lamp called a Wood's lamp and sometimes this will show a fungal infection, but not always.Depending on what they find, the vet can prescribe treatment. This can include baths with special shampoos or oral medications. I would contact your Petsmart and speak to them about the situation. Some Petsmarts have vet clinics associated with them but not all. However, you do want to make sure that the vet you choose is comfortable with rats. If the vet isn't, here is a resource to search for one. See: www.aemv.org and search under member veterinarians. If you let me know where you live, I may be able to also help with a referral. 'Ringworm' is not always acquired by pets. It can be acquired from the environment also so the rats may not be the cause (this is actually more common than from pets).If you have any more questions, please let me know. Dr. G
Hi Dr. G,
Thank you for your information, but unfortunately, it is very general and all the information is readily accessible on the internet and from the conversations that we have already had with 5 office visits with our dermatologist.
I am looking for SPECIFIC information from you so I do not need to consult another vet here in Chicago. What can we do - what are the names of the shampoos, medications, etc that the rats can be treated with? What are the costs?
We are going to enthenize the rats if we have to pay any more money. As I stated, we have spent over $1000 already to treat our daughter and she is still not cured.
They have done the scrapings you suggest from her and determined that it is from an animal source.
Please provide any and all specific details as to what the next steps are for us as I wrote you so I do not have to go and spend more money on a vet consultation.
Thank you!
What
Hi, thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, w/o seeing your pets and having a valid patient-client relationship, I cannot prescribe any product(s) for your rats. If I did so, I could lose my license to practice.I would consult with the Petsmart you purchased the rats from and speak with the manager and give them the info that your Dr. has provided. You may even want to contact their corporate office in AZ. I would ask them to help you with treatment (they should have a contract with a local vet that they use in their area of Chicago where the store is located at). I wish I could be of more assistance and hope that your daughter and the rats do okay. I will opt-out of your question to allow another expert to come in. Dr. G
You can try Lime Sulfur dips:http://www.jefferspet.com/lime-sulfur-dip-16oz/p/DD-LA/It is off label to use on rats but many people have used it on them. You must use as directed and be aware that it smells REALLY bad (like rotten eggs). Use gloves!!!You can also try bathing with miconazole shampoo which I would actually try first as it is less smelly.http://www.jefferspet.com/davis-miconazole-shampoo/camid/PET/cp/0033023/I hope this helps.