Tapeworms, Flea Prevention - Please Help

raineydawn

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
7
Purraise
1
I have a 3 1/2 year old female tabby. For the first time ever she's got tapeworms. The vet gave her Droncit - but I only received ONE PILL. I'm told that should work to clear up the worms in one dose but I am very much scared for her and I'm not sure if just one pill will really do the trick. If I need more, I'm positive I can get more from my vet without a problem -- but how much time in-between before I give her another pill (If she has to have another one)?

Also, she prefers to go outside to "do her business" then come back inside... I'm told I can't see the dead worms anyway because they will dissolve in her system - is this true? 

I'm also wondering how I can tell if those nasty things are truly gone! She acts healthy, sometimes bouncing around but I am very concerned nonetheless.

I also have 2 other cats: another female calico 3 1/2 years old and a male tabby 2 1/2 years old. I'm very much worried they might have tapeworms - yet I've not seen any "rice-looking" things around their rear nor have I seen any worms out their rear as I did with the one that does have the tapeworms. Should I go ahead and get meds for my other 2 cats even though I find no evidence of them having the tapeworms - just in case?

For fleas I've been using Hertz. I'm told very bad things about the company and now I believe it due to one of my babies getting tapeworms. I'm thinking of getting a product called Revolution for Cats - does anyone here know if Revolution for Cats really works? I've read that Revolution is suppose to treat fleas, ticks, ear mites, heartworm, roundworm and  hookworm - but I don't know.

Any and all help will be appreciated on this matter.

Thank you in advance!!

Tera
 

cat nap

stand with ukraine
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
5,234
Purraise
2,583
Hi @RaineyDawn,

I also have three cats, and one showed evidence of tapeworms, but my vet suggested giving all three cats the tapeworm medication called milbemax. It was expensive, and I needed to give two pills, 10 days apart. I don't know about the droncit, and don't remember if drontal was given twice, or once. So the best is to call your Vet, and just ask.

Also, not sure if the tapeworms dissolve, or just die and pass through the feces.

It would probably be less expensive to treat your other cats for worms, and do it a few times per year, if they are in contact with fleas, or do their business outdoors, since taking in a stool sample, will also cost per cat. Although, sometimes stool samples check for other conditions, besides parasites, so doing that as your vet requests is not a bad idea. Ask for a multi-cat discount, too. Some vet clinics do that.

I would have preferred your Vet, with the droncit, or drontal, because I think that it is less expensive. (At least it was a few years ago, given by another vet clinic. I was even thinking of going online, but not sure, how to tell if the drontal meds are fake or legitimate, from the sites, so I prefer my vet clinics.)

I would NOT use the Hartz products for fleas, because of the vast majority of articles mentioning how dangerous they are to cats.

Revolution is what I use for fleas, ear mites, roundworms, hookworms and heartworms...but it does NOT cover tapeworms.

So again we need a de-wormer that does cover tapeworms, since one swallowed flea, tapeworm egg, mouse, can cause the whole cycle of tapeworms to begin again.

I wish they made a product to cover all worms and fleas, but I don't know if they have.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

raineydawn

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
7
Purraise
1
Cat Nap, thank you very much for the advice and help!

I will get my other 2 fur babies meds for tapeworms then (just in case) and the Revolution for the other worms, fleas, ear mites, and ticks. I will also see if he will give a multi-cat family a discount for their medication. And I will do my best to steer clear of using Hartz products again to combat fleas. You've helped me and my 3 quite a bit with this and we all thank you very much.

Tera (RaineyDawn)
 

cat nap

stand with ukraine
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
5,234
Purraise
2,583
You are welcome, Tera (Rainey Dawn).

Remember to also wash or vacuum the areas that your cats sleep in, blankets, cat beds, etc....(which you probably already normally do), since this will pick up any loose eggs, or dead ones.

Sometimes, it's a good idea to ask the vet, and/or vet techs, if there are any newer products for controlling fleas, and worms, ...since you never know how often new products are released, or which ones work in certain areas, too.

Good luck.
 
Top