So you remember those adorable kittens I found in our garage a few weeks back, right? Well, I sure won't ever forget them. They were cute, sure... but I will never again bring in a stray kitten that I find in Korea.
Anyway stray kittens. So after we captured those cute little fur balls, my friend, Sara, took them into her house. Her kids and dogs helped take care of them. My other friend, Laura, took them to the vet about a week later. They got their shots and a clean bill of health, except that the vet said they had "dry skin." So after a few days later.. Sara's kids broke out in some kind of rash. The doctor said it was eczema... so whatever. On with life. (Or so they thought.) Within a few days, all four of her kids had gotten worse! The kittens moved to Laura's house a day or so after Thanksgiving. Shortly thereafter, like a day or two later, Laura noticed a few spots on her skin. She went to the doctor and was told it was ringworm. Sure enough, she ran into Sara and her kids at the doctor and they were told the same thing. The kittens got medicine... end of story right? Wrong. As soon as I heard about all of this, I was itchy all over. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every itch I felt was sure to be ringworm. SURPRISE!!!!!! The day wasn't even over before I found a spot on my forehead. Just one spot, but that was enough for me to panic. I immediately started using the medicated cream I got from Sara, and trying at home remedies to get rid of it.
MEANWHILE, spots started showing up on one of Sara's dogs! (Rooney had just been over there to play a few days prior, so I was freaked!)
Luckily, my spot didn't spread; it stayed all by itself in the middle of my forehead. Drew didn't get it. Rooney didn't get it. Only ONE of the girls got it; Julia had one small spot on her back. My spot went away. Julia's went away. Weeks went by, and I thought we were in the clear.
That is until last Thursday. I came home after work and Drew pointed out a little spot on Rooney's nose. "Is that ringworm?" all nonchalant like it was no big deal. YES IT WAS FREAKING RINGWORM. I called the vet, who told me to use the shampoo and medicated drops from the kittens and see if that helped. I freaked out and scrubbed him all over. I covered him in this medicine. Sara even brought over some pills from her dogs. I was getting rid of this ringworm. The next day, I found another spot on his shoulder. PLEASE DON'T SPREAD! I called the vet again to tell her it had started spreading and that I wanted some pills. She never got back to me before they closed and now it was Friday night. I kept obsessing over the shampoo. I washed all of his blankets and everything that he had touched. He wasn't allowed on the furniture and he had to sleep in his cage. (Like a peasant! I know, so sad.) The worst part was that he was so frustrated that we wouldn't snuggle or pet him! Saturday morning rolled around (by this time I had found a spot on my leg) and Rooney had two more spots on his front paw. Since his first spot was on his nose, I figured it would spread anywhere that he could lick. I called a Korean vet and made an appointment for that afternoon. By the time I got to the vet, Rooney had another spot on the same paw. It was getting ridiculous.
The vet was an interesting experience. The guy spoke PERFECT English, which was refreshing. He told me he had studied in Kentucky (and hated it) for two years. He had never seen a German Shorthaired Pointer before and couldn't believe how big he was.. HAHAHA Rooney?? A big dog? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. (Also don't tell Rooney he said that; as far as he's concerned he is a lap dog.)
He checked Rooney's spots, put medicine on them, scrubbed them, cleaned them, gave Rooney treats, was amazed that he knew tricks, and prescribed some pills. He also suggested I "cut his hair" to make it easier to see if the ringworm is spreading LOL!!!! This was the conversation... "When was the last time you cut his hair?" "Never. He has never had a haircut." "WHAT?! Never? You should cut it when you get home so you can see where it's spreading. What color is his skin?" "Uhhh.. skin color? I don't know. He's always had fur covering it." "You've really never cut his hair?" LOL it took everything not to burst out laughing. So, he gave me 10 days worth of pills (2 a day), medicated gauze to clean the spots, and ointment to rub on. You won't believe how much this cost me (including the visit itself!) 41,060 won... which is about $41!!!! I was in pure shock. I can't even imagine how much that would cost at home.
Anyway. So we got home, Rooney stayed locked in his room. We started loading him with meds.
He's gotten a total of three more spots. Mine hasn't spread at all. Drew still hasn't gotten it. None of the girls have gotten it. Rooney is doing so much better now. His only problem is licking the spots and making them sore. Hopefully this wonderful gift from those disgusting kittens is on its way out. I sure won't miss it.
I have learned my lesson. Cats are gross... in all countries. ESPECIALLY stray cats that live in your garage and feed off of your food trash. I will never again ask Drew to let me save a kitten. Dogs, however, different story. I have totally not ruled out stray dogs. There is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL Golden Retriever that just showed up down the road and lives outside on a 2 foot rope. My new mission in life is to set him free and find him a new home. Shhhhh. Don't tell. I have this new problem recently where I cry when I see the dogs outside. Mainly because I know how cold I am and I can't imagine how cold they are. Chained up without even a dog house to go into. I have cried over this Golden on multiple occasions. Drew hates the dog and me (probably.) I can't help it. I like dogs more than 90% of the humans I know. I just want to save them all. Maybe I can open a zoo.
Anyway stray kittens. So after we captured those cute little fur balls, my friend, Sara, took them into her house. Her kids and dogs helped take care of them. My other friend, Laura, took them to the vet about a week later. They got their shots and a clean bill of health, except that the vet said they had "dry skin." So after a few days later.. Sara's kids broke out in some kind of rash. The doctor said it was eczema... so whatever. On with life. (Or so they thought.) Within a few days, all four of her kids had gotten worse! The kittens moved to Laura's house a day or so after Thanksgiving. Shortly thereafter, like a day or two later, Laura noticed a few spots on her skin. She went to the doctor and was told it was ringworm. Sure enough, she ran into Sara and her kids at the doctor and they were told the same thing. The kittens got medicine... end of story right? Wrong. As soon as I heard about all of this, I was itchy all over. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every itch I felt was sure to be ringworm. SURPRISE!!!!!! The day wasn't even over before I found a spot on my forehead. Just one spot, but that was enough for me to panic. I immediately started using the medicated cream I got from Sara, and trying at home remedies to get rid of it.
MEANWHILE, spots started showing up on one of Sara's dogs! (Rooney had just been over there to play a few days prior, so I was freaked!)
Luckily, my spot didn't spread; it stayed all by itself in the middle of my forehead. Drew didn't get it. Rooney didn't get it. Only ONE of the girls got it; Julia had one small spot on her back. My spot went away. Julia's went away. Weeks went by, and I thought we were in the clear.
That is until last Thursday. I came home after work and Drew pointed out a little spot on Rooney's nose. "Is that ringworm?" all nonchalant like it was no big deal. YES IT WAS FREAKING RINGWORM. I called the vet, who told me to use the shampoo and medicated drops from the kittens and see if that helped. I freaked out and scrubbed him all over. I covered him in this medicine. Sara even brought over some pills from her dogs. I was getting rid of this ringworm. The next day, I found another spot on his shoulder. PLEASE DON'T SPREAD! I called the vet again to tell her it had started spreading and that I wanted some pills. She never got back to me before they closed and now it was Friday night. I kept obsessing over the shampoo. I washed all of his blankets and everything that he had touched. He wasn't allowed on the furniture and he had to sleep in his cage. (Like a peasant! I know, so sad.) The worst part was that he was so frustrated that we wouldn't snuggle or pet him! Saturday morning rolled around (by this time I had found a spot on my leg) and Rooney had two more spots on his front paw. Since his first spot was on his nose, I figured it would spread anywhere that he could lick. I called a Korean vet and made an appointment for that afternoon. By the time I got to the vet, Rooney had another spot on the same paw. It was getting ridiculous.
The vet was an interesting experience. The guy spoke PERFECT English, which was refreshing. He told me he had studied in Kentucky (and hated it) for two years. He had never seen a German Shorthaired Pointer before and couldn't believe how big he was.. HAHAHA Rooney?? A big dog? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. (Also don't tell Rooney he said that; as far as he's concerned he is a lap dog.)
He checked Rooney's spots, put medicine on them, scrubbed them, cleaned them, gave Rooney treats, was amazed that he knew tricks, and prescribed some pills. He also suggested I "cut his hair" to make it easier to see if the ringworm is spreading LOL!!!! This was the conversation... "When was the last time you cut his hair?" "Never. He has never had a haircut." "WHAT?! Never? You should cut it when you get home so you can see where it's spreading. What color is his skin?" "Uhhh.. skin color? I don't know. He's always had fur covering it." "You've really never cut his hair?" LOL it took everything not to burst out laughing. So, he gave me 10 days worth of pills (2 a day), medicated gauze to clean the spots, and ointment to rub on. You won't believe how much this cost me (including the visit itself!) 41,060 won... which is about $41!!!! I was in pure shock. I can't even imagine how much that would cost at home.
Anyway. So we got home, Rooney stayed locked in his room. We started loading him with meds.
He's gotten a total of three more spots. Mine hasn't spread at all. Drew still hasn't gotten it. None of the girls have gotten it. Rooney is doing so much better now. His only problem is licking the spots and making them sore. Hopefully this wonderful gift from those disgusting kittens is on its way out. I sure won't miss it.
I have learned my lesson. Cats are gross... in all countries. ESPECIALLY stray cats that live in your garage and feed off of your food trash. I will never again ask Drew to let me save a kitten. Dogs, however, different story. I have totally not ruled out stray dogs. There is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL Golden Retriever that just showed up down the road and lives outside on a 2 foot rope. My new mission in life is to set him free and find him a new home. Shhhhh. Don't tell. I have this new problem recently where I cry when I see the dogs outside. Mainly because I know how cold I am and I can't imagine how cold they are. Chained up without even a dog house to go into. I have cried over this Golden on multiple occasions. Drew hates the dog and me (probably.) I can't help it. I like dogs more than 90% of the humans I know. I just want to save them all. Maybe I can open a zoo.