Kitten re-infected with worms many months after 3 de-wormings and no new symptoms

kneel23

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I have two kittens, both under 1 year old.   One of the kittens came home with worms last year (even after 2 de-wormings at the shelter he came from) , so he was de-wormed again, twice.

Then I still had some issues with diahrreah several weeks later so I gave them another dose of de-wormer.  Every time the de-wormer was given by the vet and was Pyrantel.  Never over-counter.

The last time I de-wormed them was around Christmas time.

Since then, I haven't seen any issues and both kittens poop hardened up and they've ben eating and pooping normally for at least 2 months now.

Came home today from work and my youngest kitten puked on the floor, and the puke was clear/pinkish liquid with lots of adult live roundworms moving around and squirming in it. Totally disgusting.

Also this kitten has puked a couple times in the past 2 months when he ate something he shouldn't have (rubber balloon, hair tie, etc)  and I never saw any indications of worm re-infection in his puke until today.

I was SUPER-diligent about cleaning the litterbox back when they got worms before, and especially so after each de-worming.

They do not go outside and the only other cats they came in contact with were extremely brief nose-touches, no butt licking or getting in their litterbox etc.

Just wondering how an indoor cat with no exposure to any other cats would have gotten re-infected again 2 months later?
 

1CatOverTheLine

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The Paratenic Hosts of the three varieties of roundworms generally affecting cats include, mice, shrews, moles, voles and an unnumbered variety of beetles, crickets and cetera.  Toxocara cati - the worm with the smallest egg size - can be introduced through quite a number of sources - from ladybugs and earthworms to raw animal liver and soil using organic fertilisers.  Ingesting a single egg is all that's required.  The eggs average less than 75 µm - smaller than three one-thousandths of an inch, or .075 mm.

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stephaniei

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I had great success with food grade diatomaceous earth mixed into wet food. It takes about a month to three months. It's white and I get it by the pound at my local pet store.

The problem is, as someone else laconically mentioned, that dewormers only kill the live worms. They don't kill the eggs. So, usually the vet gives a second dose after a week. It's like throwing darts at a board blind-folded.

I take the diatomaceous earth that's greyish. It's not demineralized and it's by a company called Red Lake. My cat's won't take that, even though it's much better for them.

You might want to take it too, as there is a new parasite called rope worm. It's estimated 80% of Americans have it and don't know it. It's also great for bones and teeth.  Calcium sits in a 'web' of silica and boron and hyaluronic acid.

I take it every other day along with boron and the hyaluronic acid in gel form.

Good luck.
 
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kneel23

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So I can't ever get rid of these things without feeding them dirt in their food for 3 months? That sucks.   This is the first time anyone has recommended diatomaceous earth to me, so I will have to read up on it.  I never considered eating a hard abrasive in my food let alone my cats and I know they dust it on them for fleas or whatever, but eating it as an anti-parasitic?   Also never considered that I was infected too?  Are the roundworms and ropeworm similar in appearance and everything else?
 

talkingpeanut

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I would personally deworm with medication from the vet a few more times. You don't have to use the DE if you don't want.
 
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kneel23

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Yup for now I did the chemical  de-worming again  (Pyrantel) and will followup in 2 weeks with another. 
 
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