Somebody talk me down!

Marlow has worms. Sasha maybe too.

Today:
I go to the vet and they give me Drotal tablets. I tell them that these are feral cats and that you can't "just give them a pill". I ask if there isn't some other way. "You can crush them and put it in their food". Sasha won't eat canned food.

Two weeks ago:
Another vet gives me antibiotics for Sasha's UTI. I have to give it to him with an eyedropper twice each day. "Isn't there some other way". "Oh, just make a kitty burrito with a towel, it's easy". It's not! These cats do not want to be handled.

I wouldn't dare try to handle Marlow. I bleed to death before I could get to a hospital!

I research a bit and ask around and it seems that Sasha could have been injected with a long acting antibiotic while he was at the vet's.
Would a topical like Profender or revolution kill an exsisting roundworm infestation? Their web sites suggest they will.

Now I've got two and a half Drontal tabs crushed. I mixed Marlow's one tab with his food. Marlow will eat ANYTHING. Always has. He'll eat bread or potato chips. He won't eat his favorite canned premium cat food if it has a Drontal tab mixed in to it though.

Do these people just not understand the difficulties of dosing or grooming or caring for feral born cats.

Talk me down before I jump! (on some vet)

Revolution or Advantage Multi will take care of roundworm. You'll need to givev at least three monthly treatments on the back of their necks.

It'll be ok.

I have six cats - two are mush bugs and I can pill them pretty easily. Two have to be restrained and two are like Sasha and Marlow - I'm facing a death sentence if I even think about pilling them.

I have the vet give them all the shots when they need antibiotics. Why mess with it if you don't have to?

As for the Drontal - mine are all willing to eat it crushed onto their favorite foods, so I can't help with that. But I'd not hesitate to have the vet or vet tech pill Sasha or Marlow if needed.

Worth every penny, even if you have to take them once a week until its done...

Yes, those will take care of a round worm problem. In fact - Drontal often doesn't (many round worm are resistant to it). Drontal is used for TAPE WORM, not round worm. Most vets use Panacur or StrongidT (both usually liquids) for round worm - IF they don't use Revolution or whatever the other topical is.

You can use the topical!

I am stressed about this situation. I bet my cats can tell.

I just looked this up very quickly - Im pretty sure diatomaceous earth will work for round worms.

I put it in their food every day. (also apply it to the ones I can touch in the warmer months for ticks)

I bought mine on ebay for a good price and it lasts forever.

Originally Posted by m935

I just looked this up very quickly - Im pretty sure diatomaceous earth will work for round worms.

I put it in their food every day. (also apply it to the ones I can touch in the warmer months for ticks)

I bought mine on ebay for a good price and it lasts forever.

Click to expand...

I know it works to kill fleas and eggs.. didn't know about worms.. though I think I had read somewhere that it is used as a livestock dewormer.

Unless the vets are known for their expertise in ferals & strays, I think they are pretty clueless about these types of cats we have. Monday, Horatio was such a problem child for the vet, that she gave me a lecture about how I was risking the staff's health with this "feral," etc. They had to sedate him before they could even touch him, but then they did the same thing, handed me a pill and a half of Drontal and said "Just open his mouth put this in and massage his throat to make sure he swallows." I wanted to say, "Are you kidding me, did you not just deal with this cat 2 hours ago?" I'm surprised that the drug companies haven't figured out a better technology. We crushed it up for him and mixed it into tuna, he ate about half of it and wouldn't touch the rest for the next 12 hours. Luckily for us, they got his weight wrong and I think the half dose he ate should be enough for him. You might try the stinky fish trick or Revolution, Otherwise it's back to the vet's office. If they think it's so easy to do the "kitty burrito" trick let them do it, right?

I read on 2 sites people used it for roundworm w/ success.

i know it doesnt work for heartworm - but its great for all other parasites - i love it.

Thanks m935, I had heard of this before. I had forgotten. I have DE in the garage. I use it to kill insects in the garden.

DE is the fossilized remains of microscopic diatoms. Some of the oldest creatures on earth. Diatoms are razor sharp and pierce the exoskelatons of garden insects thus causing them to dehydrate and die. I can understand how they could perforate the membranes of the worms killing them as well.

Yes, but I hope I'm not too late in asking you to make sure it is FOOD GRADE DE.

Just make sure its the food grade DE

Leslie

Originally Posted by KansasCats

Unless the vets are known for their expertise in ferals & strays, I think they are pretty clueless about these types of cats we have. Monday, Horatio was such a problem child for the vet, that she gave me a lecture about how I was risking the staff's health with this "feral," etc. They had to sedate him before they could even touch him, but then they did the same thing, handed me a pill and a half of Drontal and said "Just open his mouth put this in and massage his throat to make sure he swallows." I wanted to say, "Are you kidding me, did you not just deal with this cat 2 hours ago?" I'm surprised that the drug companies haven't figured out a better technology. We crushed it up for him and mixed it into tuna, he ate about half of it and wouldn't touch the rest for the next 12 hours. Luckily for us, they got his weight wrong and I think the half dose he ate should be enough for him. You might try the stinky fish trick or Revolution, Otherwise it's back to the vet's office. If they think it's so easy to do the "kitty burrito" trick let them do it, right?

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The vet who saw Sasha todat "gets it". He planned to send me home with a syringe full of a Kaopectate like substance that was to be squirted into his mouth 3 times a day. I told him this was not possible. My wife and me double teaming Sasha didn't work and that was only twice a day. the third dose I would have had to administer alone. "okay, we'll go another route", he said.
Then I told him about Drontal and how Sasha didn't get his. He said "no problem". He produced a vial of "PROFENDER"! "This stuff works good on roundworms and it's easy. It will kill tapeworms too", he said. The man listened. He adjusted. We want to keep him!

All this at a fair price! I'm not so stressed now.

Btw, he took a urine sample with the needle and declared Sasha's urine to be blood free. Since I have to wait another week to get Sasha in for his UTI followup, I will worry less knowing that he's in good shape UT wise at least for now.

SORRY - before I sat down to type I thought "be sure to mention food grade only"....

crap....

I think I need to just post questions from now on... (stupid)

PLEASE get back to us asap and let us know whats happening.

I just figured if you were interested in DE you would research it first- who knew you already had some lying around..... but still my fault and i feel like crap!

Originally Posted by m935

I think I need to just post questions from now on... (stupid)

PLEASE get back to us asap and let us know whats happening.

I just figured if you were interested in DE you would research it first- who knew you already had some lying around..... but still my fault and i feel like crap!

Click to expand...

Don't beat yourself up - we've all done this!

I really appreciate this thread - and what you (and others) experience with the vets not understanding ferals - is - exactly what I am fearful of happening with me and my outside, semi-feral cats.

Even medicating a domesticated cat is an adventure sometimes.

The idea that we can administer any sort of medicine is insane, INSANE! I'm not equipped for such an event, I have NO experience in this - but, I do have one cat that is experiencing some problems - and I have no idea what it is - now to find a vet/clinic to take him to - and this is one of the outside cats that I think I can put into a carrier - but, after I get him to the vet all hell will break loose when they try to examine him.

He may have worms that are causing his problem?

So, how dangerous is it to treat for worms without having tests run first?
Now I am talking about the outside cats, 3 of which I am just now gaining some trust, but wouldn't be able to get them to volunteer to walk into a carrier. (I do have a trap, and would use it if I have to.)

I would have them at the vets in a heartbeat if I could - but knowing that they most likely will want me to try and medicate one of them is just an insane notion.

Any links on the diatomaceous earth that someone could recommend?

Glad to hear that you have a vet that "gets it." The vet we saw here is OK, but after all the work with Horatio this week, she said "It's OK if he doesn't want to stay inside, we neutered & vaccinated him, you can let him back out and know he's going to be safe." Hope the alternative treatments work for Marlow & Sasha. They are such handsome boys, we're all rooting for them.

Gonna try "helping" again....

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

This is a GREAT site for information on DE.