14 week old kitten still has worms two weeks after taking medication!

[elizabeth22312]

my kitten casper is 14 weeks old, about a week after we got him he had his first vet appointment in which he had some flea and worm treatment (he came to us with fleas as his last owner clearly didn’t take care of him or his siblings well!) the next day i discovered small white flecks in his stool, not moving or like grains of rice- rung the vets they said it was a parasite/worms and this was the medicine working it’s way through his body.

a week later he had his first round of vaccinations, mentioned to the vets i was still finding the white things in his stool- she said it’s all normal and he was healthy. that was over a week ago and i’m still finding them! although they seem to be coming out of him alive now, in his stool, while he’s sleeping. i clean my room where he spends most of his time regularly and his bed everyday as well as washing hands regularly and cleaning out his litter tray. i know it’s better to have them be out than in but three weeks seems to be a long time for them to still be coming out of him ! he’s a perfectly normal kitten otherwise- playing eating (plenty) drinking, on and off loose stools but i assume this is the worms, he also has a bit of a bloated belly but it’s not extreme i think he’s just a bit chunky ,he has his second vaccines next week- should i ring the vets again before then?

 

[LTS3]

The unhatched worms eggs and juveniles are unaffected by dewormers so it may take a few doses of medicine to fully kill off all the worms. Talk to the vet about another course of dewormer medicine. You may want to take a worm (or just a good clear picture of one) to the vet so the vet can determine exactly what kind of worm it is and prescribe the right dewormer.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yep. And the adults have been known to hide in folds of the intestines and survive a single worming. It isn't unusual to have to repeat to get rid of the little beggars.

 

[silent meowlook]

What you are describing sounds like tapeworms. They are caused by a cat swallowing a flea that is carrying the tapeworm egg. The tapeworm then grows and sheds segments which is what you see in the stool. The medication commonly used to treat them is Droncit. Usually a dose and then another dose 2 weeks later.

It is important to rid your cat of fleas in order to prevent them from swallowing another flea carrying a tapeworm egg and starting the cycle all over again.

I personally like Revolution as a flea treatment and it can be applied every 2 weeks if needed. That’s off label for ear mites.
Be sure to vacuum very well daily at first to get any fleas or eggs that might be in the carpets if you have them.

Your vet should be able to Rx the Droncit for you to give your cat at home without having to bring him in again.