A NEW AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR FUNGAL SKIN INFECTIONS.

Dr David Richardson, Ragajac Ragdoll Cattery

Sydney, Australia.

One of our Queens developed patchy hair loss soon after giving birth to her litter- a time of stress; This seemed to be fungal but would not respond to any of the antifungal creams or washes our vet suggested.

Working together with another breeder and using all the common antifungal creams and a long course of oral griseofulvin all without success, the vet cultured the fungus - which took six weeks - and it turned out to be TRICHOPHYTON TONSERANS.

This fungus causes ringworm on cattle most commonly - the vet had NEVER seen it before on cats.

I knew of the relatively new and expensive human drug LAMISIL, which is used for treating deep seated tinea infections especially fungal infections of toenails and fingernails. It is specifically effective for the class of fungal infections called dermatophytes - an example of which are various types of trichophytons including t. tonserans.

After doing considerable research with the aid of the research office at the drug company, we established that the drug had not been used extensively on animals, though it had been tested on guineapigs to establish its safety profile. There was one recorded case where it had been used successfully on an OSTRICH with a dermatophyte fungal infection!!!

Lamisil is a very safe drug with few side effects if used correctly, as with all drugs. Lamisil comes in tablets only, much too strong for cats, but with the help of the research officer we worked out a way of turning it into a liquid suspension.

We brought 20 tablets for $A128.00 , each tablet is enough to treat an average size female cat (3kg) for 2 weeks and the treatment needs to be continued for 4 weeks to ensure cure.

30 days later… voila! Our incurable fungal hair loss problem was cured!!

Lamisil is available from all pharmacies, you may need a script from your vet. It is only likely to be effective for fungal infections (eg ringworm) caused by dermatophytes, eg tinea. It is not effective for thrush (candida albicans)

To make the Lamisil tablet into a suspension -

1. crush 1 tablet in a pill crusher (from the pharmacy)
2. Dissolve in 3-4mls of pure ethanol (alcohol- buy a little bottle from the chemist)
3. Add about 46mls of water to make 50mls of suspension
4. Keep it in a tightly closed bottle in the fridge.

The dose of the suspension is 1ml/kg of bodyweight given once daily. Eg. 3mls/day for a 3kg cat, 4mls/day for a 4kg cat.

It is safe to use in kittens down to 500grams. (dose 1/2 ml/day) and nursing mothers. I would only use it in pregnant Queens in very severe cases of dermatophyte caused fungal loss.

Your vet may well have not heard of lamisil because it is a human drug and has not yet been marketed as a veterinary drug. However it is a safe and effective treatment, though expensive. It should only be used for dermatophyte funguses and you will need to get your vet to culture the fungus to check it is a dermatophyte before using it. (remember, it may take weeks to culture)

Summary.

Lamisil is a new human drug with an excellent safety profile, proven to be very effective in severe dermatophyte infections. If your cat has severe fungal (ringworm) hair loss and not responding to conventional treatments talk to your vet about it and show him/her this article.

Lamisil is also available as a cream but is less effective for severe infections in this form.