Roundworms detected...please help

queenof3 · Dec 31, 2014

Hi, I'm fostering a cat that I rescued three months ago from the street. When I took her to the vet in early October, the vet said she had fleas. I did the three month treatment with frontline. The vet also gave me Drontal to give her after the treatment. I should've given her the Drontal like two weeks ago but I ran out of pill pockets so it got delayed. I feel so guilty

She threw up a hairball this morning and the liquid had roundworms in it!!! I confirmed it by googling some images. She also had diarrhea this morning. Her poop did not have any worms, I checked thoroughly. I have given her the Drontal this morning. I'm still worried. Do I need to bring her in to the vet? Does she need anything other than Drontal? I gave her 1 and 1/2 pill as recommended by the vet.

Lola lives separately from my other cats...in a different house. Her health is good...she's always hungry though. But that's not unusual for her because even when she was a stray living outdoors, she always wanted to eat, like all the time! Her energy is excellent...we play all the time. She jumps and hops around, and if she's sick, she's hiding it really well. There are no changes in her resting pattern..she's sleeping the same.

Thanks fir your help!

ruaryx · Dec 31, 2014

Hi, I may not be able to answer all your questions but I will share my experiences with roundworms in hopes that it'll help ease your mind. The stray that we took in has roundworms. The vet gave us 2 syringes filled with medicine to give him orally plus he gave him one right there. The first was given to him at the vets, the seconnd was given two weeks later, and the third will be given 2 weeks after that. Two weeks after his last medicine, we are to take in a stool sample to have analyzed to make sure that the worms are gone. Since we're using this medicine, I don't have any experience with Drontal.

When I talked to my vet about the roundworms, I was a little worried about introducing the stray to my resident cat, she reassured me by letting me know that roundworms weren't really a big deal. Most cats will have it in their lifetime, so don't worry too much about it. I think as long as you're giving kitty the medicine and check to see if they're gone, it'll be okay.

I do want to add that I would personally take the cat to the vet to double check if they are roundworms, since you said you only googled it. However, I am a paranoid person when it comes to things like that.

By the way, apparently roundworms are usually spread through sharing a litter box, coming in contact with the sick cat's poo, etc. I know your cats are already separated, but fyi I guess. Hope this helps.

queenof3 · Dec 31, 2014

Ruaryx said:
Hi, I may not be able to answer all your questions but I will share my experiences with roundworms in hopes that it'll help ease your mind. The stray that we took in has roundworms. The vet gave us 2 syringes filled with medicine to give him orally plus he gave him one right there. The first was given to him at the vets, the seconnd was given two weeks later, and the third will be given 2 weeks after that. Two weeks after his last medicine, we are to take in a stool sample to have analyzed to make sure that the worms are gone. Since we're using this medicine, I don't have any experience with Drontal.

When I talked to my vet about the roundworms, I was a little worried about introducing the stray to my resident cat, she reassured me by letting me know that roundworms weren't really a big deal. Most cats will have it in their lifetime, so don't worry too much about it. I think as long as you're giving kitty the medicine and check to see if they're gone, it'll be okay.

I do want to add that I would personally take the cat to the vet to double check if they are roundworms, since you said you only googled it. However, I am a paranoid person when it comes to things like that.

By the way, apparently roundworms are usually spread through sharing a litter box, coming in contact with the sick cat's poo, etc. I know your cats are already separated, but fyi I guess. Hope this helps.

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience.

When i first took Lola to the vet, she was dewormed. I'm not sure what the medicine is called but it was in a syringe. Lola is about year and half or two so the vet gave her one dose there and the second one I gave her about a month later. She's been indoors since I took her in. I'm worried about the extent of the infestation. I haven't seen anything in her poop, just in the liquid of the hairball she threw up. This is what they looked like:

image.jpg

queenof3
Dec 31, 2014

Some were fatter than others. I didn't know they can live in the stomach. I thought they latch in the intestines and end up in the poop, allowing you to spot them.

ruaryx · Dec 31, 2014

I'm not exactly sure about the life cycle, but from what I have read, even if you treat the worms, the eggs might stay and your kitty will get worms again and you will have to deworm again. Does that make sense? Sometimes it takes more than one round of treatments, so what you're describing seems normal. Also, I don't think that you will always see worms in the stool. I haven't seen any at all.

misterwhiskers · Jan 1, 2015

My understanding of roundworms eggs is that they are microscopic, and aren't easily killed.

queenof3 · Jan 1, 2015

misterwhiskers said:
My understanding of roundworms eggs is that they are microscopic, and aren't easily killed.

Wow! That is scary!!! :sweat:

What can I do? Lola is about to get adopted but I'm stalling the guy because he has other cats and I don't want her to make them sick.

misterwhiskers · Jan 1, 2015

Talk to your vet about precautions, get them on paper and get a copy for yourself.

queenof3 · Jan 2, 2015

Last night I looked at Lola's poop, which is now solid, and saw some roundworms in there. They weren't moving so i don't know if they were alive or not. I'm waiting for the vet to call me back. :wait:

queenof3 · Jan 4, 2015

Hello. Here's an update on Lola: I have not seen anymore roundworms in her poop for the last two days. I don't know if they're still in her body, but her health is good, she's active, eating, playing, grooming herself, and using the litter box fine. I spoke to the vet and she said if I wanted I could repeat the treatment w Drontal in two weeks (around jan 14), so I'm going to do that. Hopefully, this will take care of any lingering worms/eggs. :bat:

ruaryx · Jan 4, 2015

Good luck! I hope the second round of treatments clears it up. I'm glad Lola is feeling better.

misterwhiskers · Jan 4, 2015

It'll be fine. My cat--as a kitten--needed 2 rounds of dewormer to get him clear. Not sure what kind of worm--not tapeworm. But I did something probably weird--I threw out a large plant he liked to play in, because I'd heard roundworm eggs could live in soil. Might have been overkill but I don't regret it!

reikitty · Jan 5, 2015

Since she was infested with worms I would 100% do a second, and maybe even a third treatment. If I see worms for 100% I treat with Strongid twice as a minimum.

And I can't tell you the number of fosters I've had with worms. I think I've officially had every type of worm in a cat now...

I would also strongly recommend de-worming your kitties too. It won't hurt them if they don't have worms and if by some small chance they got it from wormy kitty, better to stop it before it starts! Even though you keep them separated you can still transfer the worm eggs accidentally. My personal kitties get de-wormed 2/3 times a year just as a standard due to all the fosters we get.

queenof3 · Feb 6, 2015

Hello guys. So far I have not detected any more worms in Lola. She's doing great! I guess the second round did it for her

I did ask the vet about deworming my other cats. She said it wasn't necessary since the cats don't even live in the same house.

Roundworms detected...please help

queenof3

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