TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › OTC worming....what's the scoop?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

OTC worming....what's the scoop?

post #1 of 16
10/2/06 at 7:42pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, so LuckyGirl has seen the regular vet....see my thread about being talked into testing then having sticker shock at the several hundred dollar receipt. But I found this great rescue group/non-profit org that has clinics, the staff is wonderful and that's where I've taken Louie. He got all his shots from them, and micro-chipped. Now LuckyGirl was wormed with her annual appt, but Louie has never been wormed. So I asked the vet over the weekend that was at the clinic, and she said it was simple, and I could use an OTC wormer myself at home.....I got a wormer liquid medicine for kitts over 2lbs. Is it as simple as follow the doses on the bottle? Cause it says every 30 days....then I wonder, should I give it to Lucky too? She was wormed in April, but how do I know if it's safe to give her additional wormer? Are there several kinds, like 1 yr vs monthly? Or should I consult my vet? Advice welcome!!! And thanks in advance!
Reply
post #2 of 16
10/2/06 at 8:23pm
IMO I would ask a reputable vet. OTC medications often don't do the job and are basically a waste of money and can be dangerous to your animal. Worming medication is a poison you are giving to your cat and if you don't have the dosage right or give too often or any other given factors, you can harm your cat.

If a vet told you to get OTC worming medication, I would be looking for a new vet immediately.
Reply
post #3 of 16
10/2/06 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
IMO I would ask a reputable vet. OTC medications often don't do the job and are basically a waste of money and can be dangerous to your animal. Worming medication is a poison you are giving to your cat and if you don't have the dosage right or give too often or any other given factors, you can harm your cat.

If a vet told you to get OTC worming medication, I would be looking for a new vet immediately.
I agree. I think OTC wormers are as unsafe as OTC flea meds & flea/tick collars. Even the "Stupid" vet here tells his clients not to use OTC wormer....he will give you wormer cheap if that's what it takes to get you not to use OTC stuff.
Reply
post #4 of 16
10/3/06 at 12:01am
The problem with most dewormers people by themselves is that they are for specific types of worms...types the buyer's animal may or may not have.

I would let the vet take a look at the specific product and advise you as far as how to use it. If you kitten ever experiences a problem with parasites, however, you'd be better off getting it checked to find out exactly what to treat for instead of buying dewormer randomly.

It's pretty difficult to harm an animal with dewormer. OTC flea products, especially for cats, are another issue. I would never touch them.
Reply
post #5 of 16
10/3/06 at 7:17am
Thread Starter 
well, that solves it then....I don't think I'll be giving it to him. I was a little worried. I took him to a low cost clinic for his shots/micro-chipping, and asked about worming (cause I thought that all cats automatically got dewormed, they dewormed LuckyGirl w/o a stool sample or visible evidence of worms) and she told me that they didn't offer that service there but that I could either go to my regular vet, or alot of people do it themselves. Then I saw it at the store when looking for "halloween kitty placemats" for their food. So I grabbed it & thought I'd investigate before giving it to him.... I'll definately check with my regular vets office & see what they say.... Thanks for the advice!!!
Reply
post #6 of 16
10/3/06 at 7:32am
Yep, I would recommend asking you regular vet! I don't understand what she means about owners doing it themselves....looking at the stool? If that's what she is referring to, that isn't very good advice. When we do fecal samples we are actually looking for parasite eggs. Unless your pet has a bad parasite infestation, you won't usually see the adult.

Reply
post #7 of 16
10/4/06 at 7:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Les0304 View Post
Yep, I would recommend asking you regular vet! I don't understand what she means about owners doing it themselves....looking at the stool? If that's what she is referring to, that isn't very good advice. When we do fecal samples we are actually looking for parasite eggs. Unless your pet has a bad parasite infestation, you won't usually see the adult.
what she said was that you can get OTC de-wormer at Petsmart, and follow the directions for your cats age, & weight. Instead of taking them into the regular vets office, and that alot of people give it to their kitties themselves vs. having the vet give it to them (I'm guessing that she deals with alot of rescuers and TNR people who care for many cats).
Reply
post #8 of 16
10/4/06 at 8:26am
I had aksed my vet about the OTC wormers and he said they do not treat the worms that my cat Bobber gets from eating chippies and other "food". So I threw them away (yes I bought before asking!!) I've also been told from my vet that the recommendations have changed from 2x/year to 4x/year.
Reply
post #9 of 16
10/4/06 at 4:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by landwish View Post
The problem with most dewormers people by themselves is that they are for specific types of worms...types the buyer's animal may or may not have.

I would let the vet take a look at the specific product and advise you as far as how to use it. If you kitten ever experiences a problem with parasites, however, you'd be better off getting it checked to find out exactly what to treat for instead of buying dewormer randomly.

It's pretty difficult to harm an animal with dewormer. OTC flea products, especially for cats, are another issue. I would never touch them.
Please pardon me if I sound a little abrupt and/or harsh, but I feel I must express my opinion about this issue.

Wasn't difficult for me at all when I used an Over The Counter DeWormer with Piperazine in it and killed a cat. I spoke with the vet about what happened and she told me that some cats have a sensitivity to Piperazine and it can make them very sick or kill them.

I will always feel some guilt about that poor cat.

It ticks me off that so many products are available that are potentially harmful and not only are those companies allowed to make and sell them, they hype them up like it is the greatest thing you could do for your pet and not have to pay those high vet costs. I'd pay the vet many times over if I could undo killing that poor cat.
But there really are no do-overs when it comes to taking life is there?
Reply
post #10 of 16
10/4/06 at 7:36pm
tru, I agree wholeheartedly with you. I don't profess to be a vet so I don't diagnose and treat my cats with OTC medications. Firstly I haven't a clue what type of worm my cat might have and have no way of testing the stool so I wouldn't treat with a "general" dewormer. Just as I wouldn't diagnose and treat my human children without consulting a qualified doctor, neither would I do it for my pets.

Sometimes trying to save money ends up costing us more in the long run - whether it be in dollars or the health of our pets. I'll go without for myself before I'd take a chance on hurting my kitties.
Reply
post #11 of 16
10/5/06 at 9:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tru View Post
Please pardon me if I sound a little abrupt and/or harsh, but I feel I must express my opinion about this issue.

Wasn't difficult for me at all when I used an Over The Counter DeWormer with Piperazine in it and killed a cat. I spoke with the vet about what happened and she told me that some cats have a sensitivity to Piperazine and it can make them very sick or kill them.

I will always feel some guilt about that poor cat.

It ticks me off that so many products are available that are potentially harmful and not only are those companies allowed to make and sell them, they hype them up like it is the greatest thing you could do for your pet and not have to pay those high vet costs. I'd pay the vet many times over if I could undo killing that poor cat.
But there really are no do-overs when it comes to taking life is there?
I am so sorry you had to go through that! It must have been so horrible for you.... you are right, there are no do-overs when it comes to life. However, I am sure you were only doing what you thought was right and good at that time. Try not to beat yourself up over it, as I'm sure that little angel is over the rainbow bridge now. I too, like Gail, just saw it and grabbed it cause I was at the store and it wasn't very expensive thinking that I'd read up & do my research before giving it to either of my babies. The clinic vet that I saw deals with alot of TNR people, and so many people caring for the stray/feral population, and I'm sure that is something that they do themselves. She did also say that I could see my regular vet. I am NOT going to give it to either of my kitties, but my regular vet did de-worm LuckyGirl without a stool sample....which is why I thought it was something that was just automatically done to cats (like vaccinations). But thank you for your input! And I hope you know that your sweet baby is resting in peace....and hopefully your post will deter someone else from trying this at home.
Reply
post #12 of 16
10/5/06 at 10:03am
LuckyGirl,

I take care of strays and ferals and a, one of those TNR people.

What I didn't say in my last post, was that I had used that same wormer on many of the cats before and hadn't had a problem, but the one that died because of it cured me of the OTC fix.

I'd just like people to know that because they used something OTC previously without a problem, doesn't mean it's a good thing to do.

Unsafe occasionally is still UNSAFE!

I may sometmes be a bit over dramatic, but it is only in the interest of helping others understand what risks they would be taking.

The thing with the regular vet not needing a stool sample is because they use a whole different med that covers all worms and does not have the same lethal active ingredient as the OTC stuff.

I'm glad to hear you will not use the OTC dewormer on you kits.
Reply
post #13 of 16
10/6/06 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tru View Post
The thing with the regular vet not needing a stool sample is because they use a whole different med that covers all worms and does not have the same lethal active ingredient as the OTC stuff.
I'm glad to hear you will not use the OTC dewormer on you kits.
Thanks! That really cleared up alot of questions for me, and I guess what I was wondering in my original post too?! I had no idea that there were tons of different types of wormers versus 1 med that covers all worms from the vet. I am so happy to know the difference! And it only reiterates me not giving it to them! Thanks for your help, I do really appreciate it. And I will be making a regular vet appt for my little Louie the LoveBug!
Reply
post #14 of 16
11/27/08 at 3:44am
I am SO glad I found this site. The info here is really helpful! Thanks everyone.
Reply
post #15 of 16
11/27/08 at 5:50am
One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that most of the newest topical flea treatments will also treat most worms, and there is now a topical treatment for tapeworms, too.

OK, it's not cheap, but it does work well.
Reply
post #16 of 16
11/27/08 at 6:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post
One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that most of the newest topical flea treatments will also treat most worms, and there is now a topical treatment for tapeworms, too.

OK, it's not cheap, but it does work well.
My understanding from my vet was that the topical flea treatments will help prevent most worms but are not cures for those worms if they already exist in the cat. My understanding could be out to lunch but it would be something to ask about with your own vets.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cat Health
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › OTC worming....what's the scoop?