09/01/2012: Miriam from San Diego, Ca: "Hello, My 3 month old kitten has ringworm on his face (whisher area, nose, and chin) so I have been applying virgin coconut oil to the sores. Tonight I accidentally got some coconut oil into his eye and his eye is now half-closed and looks teary. I feel so horrible and I don't know what I should do. I can't seem to find any information online about whether or not coconut oil is bad for a cat's eye. If someone knows what I should do, please help. Thank you!"

07/25/2009: Keyta from Florence, Sc replies: "I would like to know how much of the coconut oil did you take orally to rid your ringworm because this thing is driving me crazy. Please help!"

10/30/2010: Genienne from West Palm Beach, Fl replies: "My kitten has several spots of ringworm and we have tried everything the vet had to offer - pills, creams, dips - for several months but it just gets worse. So now I am searching for natural cure (should have started with this! ). I read about the coconut oil which I have right here so I put it on his spots, but he has been licking non-stop (it IS yummy, I know), but I'm worried that a) he licked it all off, and b)he now has all the spores in his belly - will that make it spread MORE??"

[YEA]  06/20/2011: Kate from Adelaide, Australia replies: "Apple cider vinegar orally diluted x3 ratio works really well, but although it works well topically I wouldn't suggest it over coconut oil. ACV can dry out their natural oils if perhaps you apply too much or there is a mis-diagnosis eg. Ringworm is often diagnosed in cases of mites and even just eczema! Don't worry about ring worm spores being digested either, stomach acids kill it off, regardless it would need to be a hugely serious fungal infection to spread internally and usually through their bottom anyway! Coconut oil is not only good for their skin, but it's really good for them to digest too... It reduces risk of a massive amount of things like cancer, digestion, and heart /thyroid/metabolism problems! And it's the same with humans :)"

07/12/2011: Janell from Allen, Tx replies: "In response to Kate from Adelaide, Australia: COCONUT OIL

I have been suffering with reoccurring ringworm for at least 5 years. When you took the coconut oil internally did that help you completely get rid of the ringworm? If so how much of it do you take? Your advice seems to be very helpful because I need something to treat myself internally. I need to get rid of this horrible plague! Thank you for all of your help!"

[YEA]  10/08/2012: Maggi from Hua Hin, Thailand replies: "Last week I took home a young rescue dog... He had been in vet care (at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand) for the past months recovering from distemper. He is about 6 mths old and was neutered the week earlier. I knew he had several patches of very dry skin on his shoulders so I've been using Coconut Oil daily and his shoulder area has improved immensely.... his paws are still a work in progress but were never as bad as the other eruptions.

Yesterday I noticed what looks like a large ringworm lesion in his groin. I immediately started using the Coconut Oil on the area and particularly around the stitch area from his 'snip'. Hopefully I have caught it in good time and it will not spread. He does lick it off but it can't be over-applied. I read it takes 10-12 days to actually erupt so now I need to make sure my cat doesn't have similar issues. At least I have a good supply of ACV and C/oil at the ready :)"

[YEA]  11/24/2012: Ky Mama from Clinton, Ky: "When my outdoor cats had ringworm, the stuff the vet gave me did not work. I mixed 1 part lavender essential oil, 1 part tea tree essential oil and 2 parts olive oil into a jar. Twice a day I applied this to the cats' ringworm spots. I did this for 2 weeks. (Cotinue to treat for a few days even after it looks healed. ) Apparently essential oils can be too strong for cats, so I diluted it, and my cats had no problem. I was sure it was safer than the vet prescription anyway. I used this same thing on my children when they got ringworm from the cats."

[YEA]  08/02/2010: Liana from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada: "My cat had ringworm that threw me into a panic as an amimal shelter north of Toronto began euthanizing dogs and cats after the outbreak until people began demonstrating and the shelter stopped killing their charges. I found the following remedy against ringworm on the internet and had excellent results: Gentian Violet topical solution (USP 1%).

First I used a q-tip to apply the GV solution. In a week or so, the balding spots on the cat seemed to improve. But then, the cat developed other bald spots which I understood was symptomatic of ring worm. I then encased my hand in a plastic bag, put around a tablespoonful of the GV solution on his balding spots and stroked his fur with it against the grain. I did this once a day for about a month. Now his bald spots are 95% gone and his fur has grown back, looking the way it was pre-ring worm attack. I am truly ecstatic with the results, and I have no doubt, so is the cat. The cat has had purple skin for a while because of the solution but does not seem to be bothered by it at all. Apple cider vinegar did not work well as he promptly scooted away as soon he smelled it. Btw, the cost per 15 ml bottle at the local pharmacies was CDN$5. 00 to $7. 00. I used 3 bottles only."

[YEA]  12/05/2006: Deirdre from London, England: "Grapefruit seed extract "citricidal" cures ringworm. I used about 4 drops in 3 tablespoons luke warm water, twice daily, applied with cotton-wool pad. It got rid of my cat's ringworm in about 7 days."

[YEA]  02/17/2010: Jade from Murrieta, Ca: "I foster lots of dogs and cats and have occasional outbreaks of ringworm and mange. It was not uncommon for one of my family members to get ringworm from the affected pets. A nurse at a local hospital suggested we try head and shoulders shampoo...just wash hair as directed, and any affected areas. Within days the rash is gone.

We tried the same thing on the pets and got the same results. For ringworm, wash pet and let it soak for about five minutes. Rinse thoroughly. Repeat every couple of days.

For Mange, apply shampoo to coat and work up a lather. Let sit for 10 minutes to kill mites. Rinse thoroughly. Repeat every three days as needed till rash is gone."

[YEA]  02/11/2006: Jeannie from Austin TX: "I recently read (in Mother Earth News Archives, 1971) that cats are highly susceptible to iodine poisoning. I think there are safer alternatives to using iodine on/in a cat."

06/10/2009: Montana from San Antonio, Tx replies: "what was the better natural wormer? Feel free to email me directly, should you ever get this! Montana"

05/18/2011: Jenny from Fall River, Ma replies: "could you please email me with the info also? Thank You, JV"

05/25/2012: Lorin from Bakersfield, Ca replies: "I foster cats and dogs, and would also love to know. Thanks"

07/12/2012: Azorez from Langley, Bc Canada replies: "It is absolute insanity to use iodine as a wormer internally. It is toxic and cats are especially sensitive to it... Who ever wrote this must be thinking that "Ringworm" is caused by a worm but is in fact a topical fungus."

[YEA]  09/24/2008: Kyrie from New York, NY: "A cat's skin is much more sensitive than human skin so please consider this when using anything on them that stings.

Also, I have read in numerous places that essential oils, even on flea collars, can be lethal to cats. Putting motor oil, which is a carcinogen (as is petroleum jelly), on an animal that cleans itself with its mouth, I would think that could be dangerous. While I still wouldn't put it on a horse, they are different than cats and dogs and will not likely ingest it.

Now onto ringworm:
Both my cat and I are sick - we were both exposed to large doses of a pesticide, in an enclosed area, and now both of our immune systems are having issues. Add to that, we both caught ringworm, from a stray kitten, on a cross country trip. I have found, being that I have a compromised immune system (isn't working at all) that getting rid of ringworm has been difficult as I am having to get to the underlying causes in order to really get rid of it (in chinese medicine - dampness). Ringworm is related to all the things you hear about that start with the word tinea - such as athlete's foot, nail fungus, scalp itch, jock itch (pardon my bluntness). And as any one who has had any of these knows, it's really difficult to treat. So even when you treat the raised sore, you have often not gotten rid of it (I think it is systemic but I might be wrong). So, if you are ready to take it out completely, you will have to address not only the lesions but clothing, bedding, floors, etc. You may not show sores but you may have it (itchy scalp? White soft buildup? Crusty ears? Itching anywhere?).

Cleaning:
So even tho it is caustic, I use bleach if I have to wash floors. And where I can't, I use plain old salt. For my kitty's ears, I took a damp washcloth soaked in a high saline solution (kosher sea salt) and just applied it directly to the ringworm. This kills it within a short period of time (10 minutes should be plenty). It stings while the fungus is alive and stops when it is dead. I have found one application to be sufficient if you treat the other areas. For humans, swimming in the ocean is a way to alleviate it on the skin, scalp, etc. What you have to be careful of is when you put your clothes back on - or your kitty goes and lays down where he usually does - he and you are probably reinfecting yourselves.

When not near the ocean, I like to take kosher sea salt baths - 1.5 lbs in bath water (this is a very heavy concentration but I like it). After I am done with the bath - I throw my clothes in the water and soak them before washing them. Unlike when I swim in the ocean which leaves a residue and dries out my hair, the kosher salt leaves my hair really wonderful. I don't use shampoo on those days and my hair has been stripped of all the impurities that build up (yeast/fungus in your hair makes it slightly gooey).

Supposedly dry cleaning kills it as well.

Now this is a lot of work. I'm pretty sick so its been hard clearing it and you might not be as susceptible, but your cat or dog who is scratching and you don't see anything, or their ears are red and sensitive might be harboring more of the fungus.

I once went to a health food store and the woman behind the counter told me that she had had it a while back and had successfully treated it. I did not have it at the time. I caught it again from her - and it was a particularly virulent strain - it took a lot to cleanse that one out. She had simply suppressed the lesions.

The other thing to do is treat yourself and animal on a nutritional basis. Good food, pure water, etc is a great help. Fungus loves sugar (see candida - it's a fungus as well), so out went all the junk.

I am being treated by a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and he is helping me on a constitutional level so I don't self prescribe - I let him do his work. But I do take the baths whenever I know i've come into contact with a fungus (I am sens to it now and know - I sometimes pick it up outdoors or on my own keyboard). My cat gets homeopathic remedies which clear it out of his system. Berberis is a great acute for ringworm. In a pinch (and not in true homeopathic prescribing, ringworm is a remedy as well as well that can be ordered from Helios, and that also knocks it out).

My kitty lets me put the damp cloth on his sensitive ears without much of a fuss and its a good holdover until the remedy kicks in (can take up to 4 weeks or so to be fully cleared and may need to be repeated every 3 months depending on how deep a level it affected the animal). You'll know. He still gets it but it is getting weaker and weaker in him.

I am also going to start him on hydrogen peroxide therapy as well after reading this wonderful site!

Sorry this isn't incredibly simple but it works! I hope this can help someone."

01/05/2010: Raberdash from Ely, Nevada replies: "Please tell me the formula for the sea salt/water mixture for ringworm in pets. This appeals to me much more than Neem oil. Coconut oil didn't work for my puppy's paws because she kept licking it off! (It did work around her eyes, however.)"

[YEA]  04/27/2007: Dallas from Dallas, TX: "For ringworm or any other fungal infection of the skin, I've always used the milk from a figleaf. You usually only have to do it once or twice. This is good for humans or pets."

[WARNING!]  12/22/2009: Allison from Houston, Tx replies: "I tried the sap (milk) from the fig trees for my ringworm problem on myself once a day for three days consecutively. Not only was it painful after the second application when the enzyme started to digest my skin, but it burned the skin off the area and left it raw. I gave it one more application bearing the pain hoping it will get rid of the ringworm. But it did not. I really thought it would work as I figure that the sap from fig trees are powerful enzymes that digest proteins, similar to bromalain and papain, enzymes from the pineapple and the papaya. Thus I strongly caution against trying this on your pets because their skins are much more delicate and this remedy would be extremely painful and animals don't have the verbal capacity to tell you that it is hurting them."

12/26/2011: Courtney from Toronto Canada replies: "I, m going to try combing my cat with a comb from the vets office, then right after that I will use a jaycloth, soak it fully in ACV, and wipe my cat down with it. The cat doesn't like it because it's wet, but I can usually get enough of her before she goes under a table. She will then start licking it off her back, and won't stop till she feels like. So it's ok for her to consume the ACV that way. It also makes her coat very shiny, and in no way affects her eating or drinking."