Tapeworms

Well, all 3 cats are now infected. Who knows how they got that way, they don't have fleas (they were wormed once before we got them *supposedly*). I suppose they must have eaten a bug or something with a flea on it (do bugs get fleas?) I didn't see any signs of them before. Tiger has little rice-like pellets near his tail, and Jorin and Boo came up with them yesterday. I even found a live one coming out of Tiger. EEEEEWWWW! I called my vet and they said that OTC products were fine to use, just stay away from Hartz products. Anyone have any recommendations?

They pick it up from the litterpan as well as if they groom each other. Treating them with drontal from your vet will help and also flea treating them. Just because you think they don't have fleas does not mean they don't. Also flea treat with a treatment from your vet not anything over the counter. Same goes with worm medicine

I agree with Hissy. Tape worms cannot be treated with OTC products. If this is the advice your vet gave you I would start to look for another vet that takes this seriously. Tapeworms can kill a kitten as well as fleas.

Thanks. I do flea-treat with Advantage, every month. Perhaps the fleas are immune, or (more likely) they got bit from fleas from the strays around here. The fleas died, but not before the damage was done. I'll try to find the money to get something from the vet. Will OTC products just not work, not work as well, or will they actually harm them? Boo is 6 and Tiger&Jorin are just over a year old. I was thinking maybe trying an OTC product to lessen the symptoms until next week. Is the stuff from the vet, the Drontal, expensive? 3 cats at once is going to be a stretch, since I just bought a newer car and don't have as much free cash this week.

It just isn't a good idea to flea treat with over the counter treatments. Some can actually put the cat into dire straights and even cause the demise of your cat. It's not worth the risk. Switching and using Frontline will work if the Advantage does not seem to be working.

Emma barfed a tape worm awhile back. Apparently she got it from a mouse she caught a few months before. I called the vet and he didn't need to see her. He prescribed a one-dose treatment. It was a tiny red pill but I don't know what it was called. I don't recall it being expensive at all. She's been fine ever since.

I did a search on Yahoo for Drontal and I found one site that sells 4 tablets for $13.95. The one I found is on this website: http://www.petshed.com/drontal.asp

Is Drontal something that you need a Rx from the Vet or is it something that you can get with out an actual prescription? Is the stuff their selling on the net that same thing or is it a ploy to get your money?

Shell-

I get drontal and Pyrantel Pamoate Oral Wormer from my vet every year right before flea season. My cats are dosed according to weight and then they are flea treated with Advantage or Frontline. The cats get one pill and 1 cc of liquid per 10 pounds, and are good to go. The combination of the two will kill any parasite they picked up. I would always just go with my vet for the source, because if something happened to my cat and I ordered it over the Internet, there would be no recourse for me. I would be the one to blame for buying a cheaper product that may or may not be the same strength as one I get from my vet.

Thanks! I wasn't sure if it was the same product or not. When the crew had tapeworms a few months ago, I got the stuff from my Vet. Then I started giving them Advantage since their worm treatment. So far the worms haven't come back and neither have the fleas. But I thought I'd ask in case if I'd ever need to worm them again. Thank you once again!

I understand about OTC flea treatments. I will NEVER use any of them. when my next unemployment check comes, I'm going to pick up one of those Advantage packs for the 55+ lb dogs and try it that way to save money. I'll also pick up the Drontal from the vet, since it doesn't sound like it'll require an office visit. Just means that they'll get the cheap litter for a few weeks. Also, do I need to switch out the litter daily, or just right after I de-worm them? How long does the Drontal take, when should I do switch the litter out (and bleach the boxes)? We clean the boxes once a week, and scoop every day (sometimes 2 if Mike's really tired when he gets home... I don't handle the litterbox department ) Will they get re-infected if I wait a week to be sure the wormer works?

Is THAT was those things are??? I just saw a little wriggly white thing on my carpet last night (DISGUSTING), and had no idea. Then this morning I noticed dead ones (looked like rice) in my new kitten's bed and on the bed in the guest room as well (where she sleeps at night). GROSS!!! I've never had a problem with my other cat in this department, so I'm glad I came across this thread. I'm going to call my vet as soon as they open and see what they say. Before I took her home, they gave her a dose of Advantage, and I haven't noticed any fleas on her after the first day she was home (been just about two weeks now). Can these things spread to my other animals? What about the house? Do I need to do anything special in the way of cleaning now, like fog my house? What about the beds? Are they now infested?

My cats have each had tapeworm. One little pill from the vet does it, although I remember the cost being $10 for that one little pill. If your cat was bitten by even one infected flea, that is enough to give him a tapeworm.

A stray cat I took in had tapeworms and I took him to Petco and a deworm injection for tapeworm cost $11.00, hope that took care of it, I do not know because after I got his vac. shots and deworm shot I found him a good home. Linda