Local Vets/IMHS Ringworm Discussion Reference.

Thanks for consolidating this.

Dave OBrien DVM

My name is David O’Brien. I am a veterinarian who has practiced in Colorado for 34 years and lived in Pine for 21 years. I have provided volunteer work for the Intermountain Humane Society in the past, and would donate services to the shelter if asked. I presently practice at several clinics, one of which is MaxFund, a large animal shelter in Denver. At present I do not own a practice and stand to gain nothing financially from this response.

The nature of ringworm has been covered extensively by several people on this website already, but I would like to make a couple of points. It is everywhere. It can be isolated from every square foot of soil in these mountains, and it is zoonotic, meaning people can catch it. However, with a minimal amount of training, education, and precaution, transmission is rare. I have treated many ringworm cases and never contracted the disease. Ringworm in people is generally easily treated and cured. Treatment of ringworm in animals has always been successful in my experience. In addition, the cost of treatment is not excessive.

In discussing the topic with the staff at the MaxFund, I was told that at one time they had 30 cats with ringworm. These cats were treated daily by one staff member alone, in addition to his other regular duties, for an average of six weeks. This MaxFund employee felt that treating cats for ringworm was easily accomplished, and he has never contracted ringworm. In addition to the MaxFund, I contacted pertinent personnel for the Cat Care Society, the Denver Dumb Friend’s League and the Denver Municipal Shelter. These shelters differ greatly in their euthanasia policies in general, but none of them euthanize cats with ringworm infection as a matter of policy. They treat these animals, cure them, and find them homes.

We have a responsibility to the animals in a shelter. When an animal comes into a shelter, it’s the shelter’s responsibility to do its best to keep that animal healthy and happy until it can be adopted into a new family. Dealing with ringworm infection in cats is part of running an animal shelter. Euthanasia in such cases is irresponsible and wrong.

The Intermountain Humane Society has a unique posistion to provide a better standard of care for this community than most shelters. This community cares, and provides compassionate support, but also needs the opportunity to have adequate input to assure that proper policies are in effect and practiced. As such, this shelter needs to openly and honestly provide that opportunity, and reflect their supporting community's philosophies in the policies they adopt.

Sincerely,

David G. O’Brien, D.V.M

Thanks for giving us your opinion on this topic, it is very much appreciated.

Dave OBrien DVM wrote: Dave OBrien DVM

My name is David O’Brien. I am a veterinarian who has practiced in Colorado for 34 years and lived in Pine for 21 years. I have provided volunteer work for the Intermountain Humane Society in the past, and would donate services to the shelter if asked. I presently practice at several clinics, one of which is MaxFund, a large animal shelter in Denver. At present I do not own a practice and stand to gain nothing financially from this response.

The nature of ringworm has been covered extensively by several people on this website already, but I would like to make a couple of points. It is everywhere. It can be isolated from every square foot of soil in these mountains, and it is zoonotic, meaning people can catch it. However, with a minimal amount of training, education, and precaution, transmission is rare. I have treated many ringworm cases and never contracted the disease. Ringworm in people is generally easily treated and cured. Treatment of ringworm in animals has always been successful in my experience. In addition, the cost of treatment is not excessive.

In discussing the topic with the staff at the MaxFund, I was told that at one time they had 30 cats with ringworm. These cats were treated daily by one staff member alone, in addition to his other regular duties, for an average of six weeks. This MaxFund employee felt that treating cats for ringworm was easily accomplished, and he has never contracted ringworm. In addition to the MaxFund, I contacted pertinent personnel for the Cat Care Society, the Denver Dumb Friend’s League and the Denver Municipal Shelter. These shelters differ greatly in their euthanasia policies in general, but none of them euthanize cats with ringworm infection as a matter of policy. They treat these animals, cure them, and find them homes.

We have a responsibility to the animals in a shelter. When an animal comes into a shelter, it’s the shelter’s responsibility to do its best to keep that animal healthy and happy until it can be adopted into a new family. Dealing with ringworm infection in cats is part of running an animal shelter. Euthanasia in such cases is irresponsible and wrong.

The Intermountain Humane Society has a unique posistion to provide a better standard of care for this community than most shelters. This community cares, and provides compassionate support, but also needs the opportunity to have adequate input to assure that proper policies are in effect and practiced. As such, this shelter needs to openly and honestly provide that opportunity, and reflect their supporting community's philosophies in the policies they adopt.

Sincerely,

David G. O’Brien, D.V.M

Would anyone like to comment?

We need comment from IMHS, IMO.

Nearly everyone else seems to agree that what IMHS did is wrong, yet all I have seen anywhere from IMHS is that they will not even reconsider what they did, or change in any way in the future.

There seems to be a major disconnect here.

It saddens me that IMHS does not appear to be willing to get involved in open discussion about this situation.

I think that open discussion would lead to a satisfactory solution much more quickly than defensiveness. I believe we are all interested in doing the best we can for the animals.