Worming Products

I am afraid I don't have a very good answer to you... I would not give OTC dewormers to my cats, period, BUT, I do have a good relationship with my vet where I can call and ask for the wormer instead of taking them all - that is way cheaper. I Like Drontal... You do need to know their weights, as the dosages depend on it. I would give your vet a call and at least try that route... I don't see why your vet wouldn't do that for you.

The "wiggly rice" is tape worm, or more accurately a segment of a tapeworm. "Regular" dewormers don't treat tapeworm so you have to get a kind that is labeled for it. It has to contain the drug praziquantel. There is one that you can buy OTC at many petstores that treats tapeworm. It's called Tradewinds Tape Worm Tabs and contains praziquantel, the same ingredient that is in Drontal and Droncit that you get at your vet. I'm not sure if the amount on the active ingredient is the same though but they claim to be the same as Droncit. I prefer to use Profender though as it's a topical that you put on the cat's back instead of having to shove a pill down his throat.

Tapeworm does not spread from cat to cat. Instead it spreads through fleas when a flea carrying an immature tapeworm in his stomach is accidentally ingested by the cat. If your cat has tapeworm he has or has had fleas and if he has fleas chances are good that your other cats do too so they may also have ingested a flea. It doesn't hurt to treat all your cats but if I were you I would ask your vet if he thinks it's necessary.
What is necessary though is to treat all your furry animals for fleas using one of the monthly topicals like Frontline or Advantage. If they are at risk of getting fleas again they should be kept on flea preventative monthly to prevent them from getting fleas and tapeworm again.

Even though this is tapeworm it's a good idea to deworm your cats for roundworm and hookworm that does spread from one cat to another. My vet recommends that indoor cats should be dewormed once or twice a year and any cats that goes outside should be dewormed every three months. I use strongid on my cats but I have to get that from the vet. There is an OTC dewormer that contains the same active ingredient though (Pyrantel pamoate) that you can use. It's called Worm-X. Pyrantel pamoate is the most effective dewormer and the only one I think is worth spending any money on.

1. No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

In general the SAFE thing to do it take a stool sample and or the cat to the vet FOR a Proper diagnosis... One there are different kinds of tapes and the OTC one only cover s ONE...

People don't realize that there is a tapeworm that does't need fleas to infest other hosts.

Besides, those tabs cost just as much per tablet as your drontal or droncit does. If you have a good relationship with your vet you may be able to work something out that can save you money.
But since the dog goes outside, everyone is probably going to need to be kept up on some sort of flea treatment. Do be careful spraying a pesticide inside. You and the cats can accidentally ingest it that way. If you can get the food grade DE for inside use it would be much better and safer for everyone.

If you know your vet you should be able to go and buy the tablets direct from them. You will need to know the weights of your cats so that you get given the right dosage. It is much safer than guessing when using an OTC product.

Please don't give your cat over the counter deworming medicines.

They are not safe.

See if your vet will allow you to bring a stool sample in. If not, bring the cat in.

The cost of a routine vet visit will be much cheaper than the cost of an ER vet, if your cat gets sick from using an OTC product.

Incidentally, tape worms can be passed from cat to cat. Usually the vet will want you to treat all cats in the household if they share litter boxes.

I don't see how this statement can be true, if the products in question are the same as the stuff the vet gives you, in the same dosage. Is 34 mg of praziquantel from the vet safer than 34 mg of praziquantel from the pet store? OTC de-wormers can more easily be used unsafely but I can't assert that they're by nature more dangerous.

I do think that taking a fecal sample to the vet and getting the proper dosage of the proper de-worming medication would be the best idea in this situation. There's no reason the vet should have to see the cats, just call them and ask how they prefer to handle this kind of thing. Most vets would prefer not to see a cat if they don't have to..... :p .

Pre-exisiting conditions, weight and other factors will make a difference in dosage.

My vet always wants a fecal for deworming as different worms need different dewormers, a loose descriotion on a forum does not give a definitive answer to what type of worms the cat has. Also, it can help them tell the stage of the worm's lifespan to know how many doses a cat will need (most parasites are killed only in the adult stage and therefore you need to do several doses 2-4 weeks apart)



The problem of many OTC dewormers is not the medication which is available in Rx dewormers but what they mix it with to make it a pill / dissolvable which can cause issues.

Some places have laws that govern vets that say they cannnot prescribe a medication without actually seeing the animal and not just their poop

Really? I know here they do have to have a "prior patient relationship" with an animal before prescribing anything. But as long as they've seen the cat in the past they can give you meds without an exam.

Here they are supposed to see the animal, even for the shelter animals, gets expensive

Yes. Who knows what else has been added to the stuff? Or if the dose is labeled correctly. Or if what's on the label is even in there. Many things are sold for pets OTC that are not safe for cats. I prefer not to take any chances with my cats, and so I advise others to do the same.

I would never treat my cat with an OTC med that was not first approved by my vet. And...as many of us have already advised, including you, I would never treat my cats at all, without first consulting with my vet who knows their health histories.