Roundworm - a little help?

I just recieved a six week old kitten two days ago. It was a part of a large litter, and the rest of the kittens died from rat poisoning. We think that the kitten I got was the only one who didn't get rat poisoning. However, we think he has roundworm.

He has vomitted about 4 times today, and three out of the four times he vomitted a roundworm. We gave him the medication and have been giving him water every two hours or so. Is there anything else I can do? Is it potentially fatal?

Please help.

did you get the treatment from a vet? if over the counter stuff then they dont work and can be fatel to your kitten especially a 6 week old one. if he is being sick that much then he will need to see a vet, they will give him the right medication and the right dose, and maybe an injection with sub-q fluids if he is dehydrated. if it isnt treated then yes it can be fatel if left.

The medication is called D-worm. It's active ingrediant is piperazine. It worked on my other cat when we used it a while back. My mom says the medicine is working because when we gave it to him, he started to vomit the roundworms.

ok it might work, but most over the counter wormers say for 12 weeks and over. i dont know where abouts you are and maybe its different, but for a 6 week old kitten the dose has to be the right amount or it can be fatal. and some OTC wormers can be dangrouse to some cats. just keep checking him gently pinch the skin on the back of his neck if it falls back into place quickly then his not dehydrating, but it it goes back slowly then he needs extra fluids.

It says on the bottle: "For Kittens and Cats, Puppies and Dogs". Also on the top is says it's "Meant for cats and dogs of all ages".

It doesn't say anywhere on it anything about a minimum age. It gives dosage sizes according to the pet's weight (ie. 2 1/2 lbs. or less = 1/4 teaspoon).

NO, you do NOT want piperazine! You need PYRANTAL PAMOATE as the active ingredient not piperazine. Piperazine is the dangerous one. A vet will give you Strongid which has the active ingredient Pyrantal Pamoate. This CAN be bought for cheaper at the pet store, at feed and farm supply stores, etc.

Why not piperazine?

If I bought the other one, would it be okay if I gave it to him even though I already gave him the piperazine?

I think you should take your kitten to the vet for a check-up if he hasn't had one yet. OTC dewormers often do not work & I am leery of all OTC medicines(like flea, dewormer, etc.) because they are simply not up to my standards. I've seen way too many cats treated for fleas with OTC things & still have them or die from it. Many times the OTC dewormers don't even work.

I like Strongid, it works. It honestly isn't that more expensive than the OTC stuff, either.

Another note: we have been giving him water mixed with some sugar to prevent dehydration.

Can I get Strongid at the store?

Strongid is something you can only get from a vet.

Whatever you gave him shouldn't kill him, but I am so untrusting of OTC dewormers I would have the vet check him out.

I read correctly, he was vomiting worms before you dewormed him, right? Is he still vomiting?

He vomitted one worm before medication and the other two after. He hasn't vomitted for a while (about 2 hours I think). He's sleeping right now.

The worms he vomitted were about 1-1.5 inches long I suspect. Along with the worm he has been vomitting a yellowish foam. Stomach acid?

A yellowish foam does sound like stomach acid. That's usually a sign of an upset, empty tummy.

Little kittens are so fragile. I would suggest taking your baby to the vet. By the time they are vomiting the worms, the infestation is pretty significant.

Update: He just vomitted again. I'm not sure if there was a roundworm in it or not. Various vet websites claim piperazine is an effective dewormer. Not one has claimed it to be dangerous.

We aren't trying to make you feel bad or tell you that you are wrong. We only want to help. From experience, I have found that the piperazine is not very effective.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1463

He should not be vomiting. The worms should pass out the *other* end.

Can you call your vet to ask advice? My dog was vomiting last night, yellowish so I called the vet. He had excellent advice for me & told me to get her ASAP this am.

Since your cat has it so bad, I would get him to the vet since you are unsure and confused probably by all the advice

Guys, Strongid is the BRAND NAME, Pyrantal Pamoate is the active ingredient. Strongid = Pyrantal Pamoate (which is sold in pet stores, farm and feed stores) the brand name Strongid is not. They are the SAME EXACT THING. They both treat round and hookworms. If you have a bunch of cats and one has worms and so you want to treat them all, I would go the cheaper route and avoid vet fees IMO.

I'd personally like to advocate for the use of Strongid. My kittens tested positive for roundworms and after two doses two weeks apart, they are completely clean! My vet charged per .1mL for the strongid. It came out to around 25$ or so for two treatments for Mama Kitty and her four babies. So it's not like it's all that expensive. Plus an overall check up with the vet wouldn't be a bad idea, also to get vaccinations.

Plus, I have been told by my vet that if the cat/kitten has a HEAVY worm load they can either vomit or poo them out after treatment.

Edit: Also, to prevent reinfection of roundworms, you need to bleach the litter box once treated, rinsing very well to get all the bleach out, and scoop as often as possible. Roundworms are transferable to humans so wash your hands after scooping and also after handling/playing with your kitten.

Originally Posted by Dori

Update: He just vomitted again. I'm not sure if there was a roundworm in it or not. Various vet websites claim piperazine is an effective dewormer. Not one has claimed it to be dangerous.

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I would think that is because:
1) they are selling it, so of course they are going to say it works
2) they are just a neutral website listing different products that are effective, not specifying which works better and which is recommended.

All I can say is that I know Piperazine as being ineffective, Pyrantal/Strongid is the best out there to use, it is what vets use, not piperazine sot hat should say something right there.

Do what you want, but Piperazine is no good, off brand dewormers (like Piperazine) with the wrong active ingredient are not the best way to go. Cats end up getting worse or taking a long time to get better on the wrong dewormers.

I agree with Jen, Strongid is just the brand name, there are many brand names with the active ingredient being Pyrantal. Over the counter medications are dangerous.
Vaccinations and animal medications are not moderated by the FDA, therefore they can "claim" to cure anything they want, without any accredited vet studies.
In most cases I would agree with Jen to forego the vet appointment if it was just a mild case or a worming prevenative on an older kitten, and to call in the medication from the vet and pick it up, however, since a different medication has already been given, the kitten is so young and vomitting this frequently, is not a good sign. A kitten this age can dehydrate so quickly, that I think a stool sample if one can be obtained is important, and make sure coccidia or other parasites or bacteria's are not also at play here, needing a strong antibiotic, and possibly rehydration that could be done much easier on a kitten through sub-q, this all would make sure the kitten has the check up it needs, first set of vaccinations if needed, and to make sure that the hydration doesn't become dangerous.