OTC meds for Tapeworm

[carolina]

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

I understand that. I'm just saying that flea meds won't necessarily prevent the cat from getting tapeworms. They might decrease his chances of getting the tapes, but there's no guarantee. For that reason, I hesitate to put him on a Revolution-type drug. I would rather not medicate the cats unnecessarily, especially when there's no guarantee he will stay free of tapeworms.

I do agree that the cat needs to be dewormed regularly.

Ok - you might be doing worst though by dewormig so frequently... #1. and #2, there are other reasons to use revolution, like to prevent heartworm disease... #3... it might not guarantee, but it reduces the chances dramatically, like anything in life...
In the end, the choice is yours, but IMHO an outside cat should be in protected against fleas first, then dewormed as needed. You are really doing the process backwards.

 

[icklemiss21]

We use milbemax (Milbemycin Oxime, Praziquantel) to treat tapeworms. I certainly wouldnt be using OTC meds and would speak to the vet about a program for your cat, both deworming (it will take several doses weeks apart to get rid of all of the different stages of the tapeworms as dewormers only kill adult parasites and not the juvenile or egg forms so when they grow they also have to be dewormed until all stages are gone) and then flea treatments even if you are not seeing signs of fleas.

You will also have to clean all areas where fleas could be contacting your cat as parasites and their eggs can live for years in the right conditions (they even cryogenically froze parasite eggs and then when they warmed them up they were active again)

 

[silva_unt]

When I first got Neko, her stool sample results came back positive for tapeworms. They perscribed her Advantage Multi. The pakaging doesn't say anything about tapeworms! I asked someone at petco about it and they told me Advantage Multi does not get rid of tapeworms. So... my friend called her sister, who is a vet tech, and asked her what they do at their clinic... They also give Advantage Multi! So why do vets perscribe this medicine when it is not to rid the TW? I know it prevents fleas and internal parasites....???? Three months later... could Neko still have tapeworms? She is given Advantage Multi monthly.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by silva_unt

When I first got Neko, her stool sample results came back positive for tapeworms. They perscribed her Advantage Multi. The pakaging doesn't say anything about tapeworms! I asked someone at petco about it and they told me Advantage Multi does not get rid of tapeworms. So... my friend called her sister, who is a vet tech, and asked her what they do at their clinic... They also give Advantage Multi! So why do vets perscribe this medicine when it is not to rid the TW? I know it prevents fleas and internal parasites....???? Three months later... could Neko still have tapeworms? She is given Advantage Multi monthly.

Yes, Advantage Multi does not get rid of Tapeworm, it does get rid of fleas, earmites, and other parasites, like hookworms and roundworms and prevents heartworm disease... but NOT tapeworms. It is very complete, like Revolution... great stuff, but if your cat had tape, it needs something else.

 

[otto]

My vet recommends cats who go outside (not mine) be dosed with drontal every three months, in addition to a topical flea treatment such as frontline plus or revolution.

 

[misskalamata]

Thanks everyone for the answers. Guess I'm still an ignoramus regarding feline health.

I will see about flea prevention...but if all three cats need to be treated...that's what? over $1000 a year?? for fleas that may or may not be present on the cats. Local store sells Frontline at $50 for what I believe is a 1 month supply (I may be mistaken, maybe it's 3 months). Crazy! Factor in the Feliway the other cat needs, and there won't be enough money left over for cat food and litter!

So it is safer to give flea drugs monthly (assuming that takes care of the tapeworms) than to give dewormer 4 times a year?

I'll see what my vet has to say about flea prevention and worms...

 

[missymotus]

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

We use milbemax

Milbemax is quite popular over here as it's a small tablet and easy to give. All wormers are OTC over here, we just recommend people stay away from supermarket ones and stick with Profender, Drontol etc. the name brands.

 

[icklemiss21]

Flea drugs are meant to be used monthly, you can buy them in packs of 12 from the vet for that purpose. Check with your vet for costs as the Petstore one dosages tend to be very overpriced compared to the year pack.

Even if you treat for fleas, you will still need to do a 2 - 3 step process to get rid of the tapeworms. Your vet can tell you how far apart the dewormer needs to be given to be effective based on the worm load (they will ask you to bring in a fecal sample)

Advantage offer a rebate too http://advantage.petparents.com//spe...rs.cfm?adType=