my cats had worms and I bought a few different meds and finally got tape worm tabs, I havent seen worms since but now a lady told me that they could still have them I just cant see them. Is that true? Could they still have the tape worms and I just cant see them?
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I treated my cats worms with Over the counter meds... now I'm scared they didn't actually work
- Thread starter clarycc
- Start Date
So you are sure it is tape worms? And the preparate is for tape worms? Good.
Which OTC preparate was it? Some arent as bad as others. Some are even legit preparates, working and not dangerous at all.
To your question: yes, it is fully possible they do have worms without it clearly visible. Also, it is common they need twor or even three rounds with that antidewormer. It depends on that antidewormer. It may be so even with legitimate dewormers who actually does work.
What do they write on the box/the homesajt of the preparate?
Next time: Be sure what you are buying, before you are buying OTC preparates.
Best is to have advise from your vet, but otherwise, you must inform yourself. Do Google at least.
Good luck!
Which OTC preparate was it? Some arent as bad as others. Some are even legit preparates, working and not dangerous at all.
To your question: yes, it is fully possible they do have worms without it clearly visible. Also, it is common they need twor or even three rounds with that antidewormer. It depends on that antidewormer. It may be so even with legitimate dewormers who actually does work.
What do they write on the box/the homesajt of the preparate?
Next time: Be sure what you are buying, before you are buying OTC preparates.
Best is to have advise from your vet, but otherwise, you must inform yourself. Do Google at least.
Good luck!
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- Feb 15, 2010
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Most of the time when a cat has worms you don't actually see them. It's really just hit and miss if you do. With tapeworm the little suckers you see are not actually whole worms but pieces of a worm. Tapeworms are long and made up of links. It's these links that the worm will shed and comes out in the cat's stool. They are small, white and often move. They are usually described as looking like grains of rice although they are usually a bit bigger than that.
Tapeworm can usually be treated with one dose of preziquantel but it doesn't hurt to give another dose after 2-3 weeks. When you treat roundworm, whipworm or hookworm you should treat it with a drug called Pyrantel Pamoate and you have to give at least 2 doses, 3 weeks apart. There are OTC cat wormers that contain Piperazine and they are not very effective at all. I wouldn't waste money on it. If that's what you used I'd start the deworming over with Pyrantel. There is a medication called Drontal that contains both Pyrantel and Preziquantel so it works for all kinds of worms a cat can have. It requires two treatments. You have to get it from a vet though.
To find out if your cat has any more worms or other parasites you can take a fresh stool sample to your vet and they can run a test that will show if your cat has worms or other parasites. However, tapeworm doesn't always show up in these tests. It's still a good idea though to find out if your cat has something else. If you're worried I'd give the cat another dose of Praziquantel 3 weeks after the first dose.
Tapeworm is spread to cats through fleas. The fleas carry "baby worms" and when the cat eats the flea the worm starts growing in his stomach. If your cat has had tapeworm he has been in contact with fleas and quite likely has fleas. You don't normally see the fleas but if you comb the cat you will see their droppings which looks like little specks of dirt. It's very important that you treat your cat for fleas too or he will get tapeworm again as well as other problems. One of the best treatments is Frontline or a generic for Frontline which are sold all over now as a spot-on which you put on the cat's back. They contain the active ingredient Fipronil. Make sure it's made for cats, not dogs. It's best to give at least 2 doses, 30 days apart.
If your cat goes outside you should put a flea treatment on once a month during the warmer months and deworm with Pyrantel every 3 months.
Tapeworm can usually be treated with one dose of preziquantel but it doesn't hurt to give another dose after 2-3 weeks. When you treat roundworm, whipworm or hookworm you should treat it with a drug called Pyrantel Pamoate and you have to give at least 2 doses, 3 weeks apart. There are OTC cat wormers that contain Piperazine and they are not very effective at all. I wouldn't waste money on it. If that's what you used I'd start the deworming over with Pyrantel. There is a medication called Drontal that contains both Pyrantel and Preziquantel so it works for all kinds of worms a cat can have. It requires two treatments. You have to get it from a vet though.
To find out if your cat has any more worms or other parasites you can take a fresh stool sample to your vet and they can run a test that will show if your cat has worms or other parasites. However, tapeworm doesn't always show up in these tests. It's still a good idea though to find out if your cat has something else. If you're worried I'd give the cat another dose of Praziquantel 3 weeks after the first dose.
Tapeworm is spread to cats through fleas. The fleas carry "baby worms" and when the cat eats the flea the worm starts growing in his stomach. If your cat has had tapeworm he has been in contact with fleas and quite likely has fleas. You don't normally see the fleas but if you comb the cat you will see their droppings which looks like little specks of dirt. It's very important that you treat your cat for fleas too or he will get tapeworm again as well as other problems. One of the best treatments is Frontline or a generic for Frontline which are sold all over now as a spot-on which you put on the cat's back. They contain the active ingredient Fipronil. Make sure it's made for cats, not dogs. It's best to give at least 2 doses, 30 days apart.
If your cat goes outside you should put a flea treatment on once a month during the warmer months and deworm with Pyrantel every 3 months.
Do you know specifically what types of worms your cats had? Yes it is true that you don't always see the worms in the stool depending on where they are in their life cycle. Some OTC products really do not work, but some do so it's hard to say.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
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My cats have been pure inside cats since I got them, I wasn't sure how they got the worms besides when they had fleas when I first got them. I treated them with Tape worm Tabs in july, and i stopped seeing the little rice like things after a few days of that one dosage. What should I should I give them now to be sure they are gone? If any.
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Your cat probably got the tapeworm when they had fleas. Tapeworm can stick around for quite a while after the fleas are gone. If you were seeing worms before you treated them and stopped seeing it after the worms are most likely gone and you don't have to do anything more. If you are really worried, though, you can give them another treatment.
