help please! i need to know...

please help, my kitten libra has tapeworms. i have been giving her medicine to help her but i dont know how to tell if they are all gone. i find little hard worm things where she sleeps, does that mean they are dead or are they eggs? i really need to know. Libra doesnt like it and neither do i

librasmom and soon to be real mommy

Here's a link:

http://www.purinaone.com/catcare_con...ticleNumber=46

The eggs are found in the feces and the anal areal. Make sure her sleeping area is free from fleas since they are also a source of tapeworm.

Depends on if you got the medicine from your vet or over the counter at a drug or pet store? Most over the counter products for tapeworm do more harm than good.

The little hard things where she sleeps is dead portions of the tapeworm. Complete the meds- it will take care of it. Keep in mind you are killing the tapeworm so you may see an increased amount momentarily. Fleas carry tapeworm, so it is important your kitty is flea free.

There is only one effective tape worm medicine available over the counter and from the vet. It is called praziquantel and one dose is effective. You need an accurate weight on your cat. For 4 lbs and under you give one half of a 23 mg tablet, for 5-11 lbs you give a whole 23 mg tablet and over 11 lbs gets one and a half tablets. They can be given with or without food. No other worm medicine will work for tapeworms that is available over the counter. It is a safe medicine to give and effective. You won't see any dead worms because the medicine causes the worm to lose its ability to resist digestion and it just becomes nutrition for the cat. Occasionally cats will salivate when it is given, my cat Asa did this and I was glad I was at the vet when it happened or I would have been quite scared. But it stopped after a few minutes. Occasionally a cat gets diarrhea from it too, but that is self limiting. Becky