ring worm. can i get it? pass it to my pets?

[ThatVikRinA22]

my ride had ringworm. so do 2 others at the yard. its being treated promptly and was brought in by a livery - but i understand the spores can live on in wood etc and spreads very easily.

im being careful to wash hands etc but am a little worried to discover humans can get it. i also have dogs and cats at home.

what should i be doing?
i put all my riding gear in the wash as soon as i got home. i had a bath. but could it be on my boots and chaps? how can i keep it at bay?

I would be scrubbing, or washing down all our gear (including boots and chaps) - you don't want your pets to get it, it can be hellishly difficult to get rid off.

In NZ - I know you can get a hygiene wash (for clothes) - I am not sure if you can by such a thing here.

TBH if I was you - I would not be visiting or riding until they have it under control.....but maybe I am just being overly sensitive about it.

I had it as a child - best friends cat go it - and I know they had heaps of trouble getting rid of the ringworm - it was like a circle of it going around re-infecting everyone in her family,...but medicine and treatment has probably improved since then.

oh god....

now im worrying. i chucked all my riding gear straight into the wash but my boots and chaps and coat are in the understairs cupboard.....

i might chuck them into the garage....first thng tomorrow. i dont want it affecting me, the kids, dh or the pets.

dh would get seriously pissed off with me.

Oh poor you it never seems to end or get easy, and ringworm is a pig to get rid of.

We've been through this, you need to get Virkon anti-fungal powder. We soaked everything in buckets of the stuff. Amazingly we managed o avoid spreading it from the affected to pony to any of the others, the sheep the kids. DH scrubbed the car out too!

Are you sure the horse had ringworm and was still being ridden? Ringworm is extremely contageous, not particularly dangerous but bloody difficult to get rid of and will pass on to everyone, humans and other pets. The usual approach is to isolate the affected horse, apply anti-fungal and strict hygiene procedures for anyone coming into contact with the horse. It can be transmitted by the tack, rugs, grooming kit and can live in wood for up to a year.

If the ringworm has already spread from one horse to three others the yard has to seriously re-evaluate their policies.

Our 14.2 had ringworm when she arrived. We quarantined her, scrubbed every bit of wood etc she'd touched, wore gloves and dealt with her last, and burnt the headcollar brushes and rug she was using. No-one caught it, and our yard owner was very impressed (and grateful) that we'd contained it so well because once it's ingrained in a yard it's an ongoing problem. Get some hibiscrub and scrub everything that can't go in the wash, soak everything else that's been to the yard in hibiscrub, and stay away from the yard until all horses are clear of it.

Because it's already spread around the yard she ought to close down until all clear

oh no!

can you buy hibiscrub from a chemist?

im supposed to be going again tomorrow. RI treated all horses as soon as they got symptoms but i think she thought at first it was mites and the vet injected them for mites....

she has isolated tack, but the horses have been together out side and they are sometimes moved from stable to stable while mucking out etc.

im really worrying now. im about to go and chuck all my stuff in the garage until i get some hibi scrub. My chaps are suede so difficult to wash or scrub.

Don't panic too much, if you do get it it's not horrendous, it clears up with cannestan (GD caught it at about 6, must have been from a pony). It's just so hugely contagious which is why you have to be so careful, and why I think she should probably close to the public for a while. If you're really careful you should be ok if you can't do without your horsey fix .

I'd get hibiscrub (from a tack shop if chemist don't have it, but they probably will. Yard owner must have some, all horsey people have it) and make a bucket to keep outside the door to scrub boots down before you go in. Do without your chaps for now if they are hard to wash, and generally just apply the sort of hygeine you would if faced with any other highly contagious situation

I had it once years ago, only one patch on my leg fortunately didn't need my head shaved and a bell rung wherever I went. Doctor gave me Canestan and I stuck a plaster over it as it didn't look very nice. It didn't spread and no one else caught it so it wasn't the most dreadful thing. I didn't actually think it was worth worrying about at the time, perhaps I should have but the doctor didn't seem over-concerned or lock me in a secure bunker. I might have thought differently if any of our horses had caught it mind you!

Vicar it sounds as if the damage has been done if the horses have all been out together already so it's up to the YO to sort it out and you just need to protect yourself (while making sure you aren't responsible for further spread obviously). If you are helping round the yard perhaps some old overalls/gloves would be good if you can get some? And maybe anti-bac gel to rub on your hands (if that works against ringworm?) or wear some of those disposable gloves.

Will look for some latex gloves. Went and got hibi scrub and have washed my boots in it. Also rubbed chaps down. All my gear was washed at 60 deg - hope that's enough. Coat still to wash but meant to be riding and helping out tomorrow. Will keep all my stuff in garage for now and mix some hibi scrub to scrub boots. I just don't want my own animals to get it...

It's relatively difficult for humans to pick up, but, easy for them to pass on if the spores get onto clothing/kit. Also, I know you say you've scrubbed everything down, but don't forget the soles of your boots too.

If you are riding there again before the outbreak subsides, do check under the saddle and the girth areas to make sure there aren't any new sores that could rub too.

thanks moonlight. will do. i stood my boots in a bowl of hibi....will leave my coat in garage tomorrow too.

also will take my hibi scrub with me. i wont ride if the pony has any sores that might rub on tack - my ride only had one and i spotted it as i was grooming her. will check her over tomorrow - wont ride if she has any more. RI treated her immediately but i had groomed her outside before i even knew about ring worm.....i did my best to sweep her hair up as soon as i realised.

If you keep with the scrub you should be fine - one of the yards I go to had two horses get it, but was caught quickly and they were quarantined in a paddock well away from the others - none of the other eight were affected and nor was the yard cat. One of the horses recovered in three weeks, the other took eight (despite treatments).

I kept my riding/yard clothes for there separate from the other yard I go to, and also washed them after each visit. Mind you, as someone else said, you do feel a bit as though you should have a bell and a sign attached!

Still, competition season hasn't kicked off yet, so at least you won't be wishing you could be out 'playing'.