Clinic/Shelter Creep & Crawl Precautions...

[Kaisand]

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Hello All,

This might be a silly concern, but I'm inexperienced and want to be sure I don't make dumb mistakes.

I've recently started volunteering at a feline shelter in the "special" area where they house the cats with health issues (such as FelV, FIV). At least one kitty is being treated for ringworm.

The facility is clean and the staff seems careful and watchful. Of course he FelV and FIV isn't a concern as much as the possibility of bringing home ringworm (or something else I'm not aware of).

I've designated one pair of "shelter shoes" that I can keep in my garage to minimize what I might track in/out. If my own kitties were to get sick, I don't want to be spreading that, either.

Obviously hand-washing, Purel and spraying our shoes down (with a solution of Chlorhexidine) are standard to prevent spreading the ick. My question for those of you who are more seasoned clinic/shelter peeps: are there other things that may not seem obvious that I ought to consider in order to avoid being unintentionally careless?

Ok, I'm done now. I'll try to stop being a worrywart. 🙂

Thank you!!

 

[ATX00]

I used to worry about this stuff a ton when I worked at a cat shelter -- particularly URI, ringworm, and various parasites. I just made a habit of changing clothes as soon as a got home, and keeping my cats out of my laundry (even though they always wanted to sniff my jeans and shoes sooo badly!), and they never got sick. I even got ringworm once, but my cats never did. 🙄

Sounds like you're being super careful, so I wouldn't worry!

 

[Kaisand]

Thank you very much! Less worried already. 🙂

 

[Minnerbelle]

I agree with ATX00 that you seem to be pretty cautious so you should be fine, but if you're really worried about something like carrying ringworm or panleuk, i would get a little pan that you can put a small dishtowel in soaked in bleach solution to step on to disinfect your shoes. i'm pretty sure that chlorhex doesn't kill either. as long as you change your shoes before you come in contact with your cats, it shouldn't be much of a prob though.

best thing to do in terms of laundry is to bleach of course, but if you're concerned about bleaching out whatever clothes you're wearing to the shelter, dry the clothes in high heat and go a full long cycle. Make sure that you don't pack your dryer too full because there needs to be enough room for your clothes to tumble so that all parts are exposed to the hot air.

i have one himalayan/persian mix who's pretty prone to conjunctivitis, so she would get teary eyed once in a while when i worked with URI cats all day at the shelter everyday. i supplemented all of her food as well as all of my foster cat/kitten's food with lysine and that helped. some people may not believe that lysine makes a difference, but as far as i've looked into it and been advised from vets, it can't hurt. not sure if that constitutes veterinary advice, so talk to your vet?

but the best thing you can do is just to be careful on the job. minimize contact with your clothes and sick cats. change gloves between animals, make sure you wash your hands and arms thoroughly before you leave and when you get home, etc...

 

[Kaisand]

get a little pan that you can put a small dishtowel in soaked in bleach solution to step on to disinfect your shoes. i'm pretty sure that chlorhex doesn't kill either.

Will definitely be employing the soaked dishtowel.

I am brand new to chlorhex; it's what is used on shoes at the shelter. Now I'm remembering a comment one of the coordinators made to the effect that the ringworm was lingering, but not necessarily spreading. I did some research- you are right about the fact that it doesn't kill either. This is something I am going to (carefully, with info. sources in tow) mention on my next visit.

Thank you!

 

[Bearby]

I just recently found out that Selsum blue has a sulfate in it like the lymdyp we use to treat animals that have ringworm and that it can be useful in helping to reduce the risk of you catching it. II think more than anything, it stops me from being itchy after seeing a ringworm case...psychological stuff. I also keep plastic bags in the garage so I can strip down when I get home before I see the cats in case I've come in contact with something they may be able to catch and jump directly in the shower.