Medicine vets prescribe to fight cat worms?

December 6, 2005 5:26 AM

What is the name of the medicine or medicines that vets prescribe to fight the worm inside cats that looks like a small white grain of rice?

I'm not trying to save money by using over-the-counter stuff, like in this thread; our vet has been sick and is swamped with appointments, and I'd just like to get the medicine through 1-800-petmeds.com or something. I know there's a fast and effective solution that works (it did the last time years ago) and I've now seen two little grains of rice around my wonderful cat's butt.

posted by mediareport to pets & animals (11 comments total)

blech, tapeworm. Search for "praziquantel" or "tapeworm" at the 1800petmeds site. But even if you have to wait a couple days for an appointment, you vet might have the pills at his office, or there's a shot he can administer. That might be even faster than waiting for shipping.

Also, you want to control whatever flea situation is around (on the kitty, in bedding, in carpets), as fleas are the vectors which pass on the tapeworm to your cat. You don't wanna deworm and then turn around and deal with reinfection, right?
posted by neda at 5:47 AM on December 6, 2005

This link will likely have your answer....I'd find it there myself, but it's a bit too early in the morning to be looking at this page for me. (NSFB...not safe for breakfast).
posted by stagewhisper at 5:49 AM on December 6, 2005

Thanks, neda. The vet is swamped until February, so this helps a lot. Looks like time to get Frontline again, too. Kitty hadn't had fleas all year, but I just started seeing them a couple of weeks ago. Unseasonably warm weather this fall, I guess.
posted by mediareport at 5:57 AM on December 6, 2005

I just gave our newest kitten a dose of Drontal (prescribed by the vet) for worms.

Revolution, which is applied to the skin on the back of the neck, also treats worms, along with fleas, earmites and heartworms.

Being a stray, our kitten played host to a variety of parasites. Despite being treated with Revolution, he still had some stomach bloating that the vet thought could be worm-related, so he was prescribed a single dose of Drontal.

Hope this helps.
posted by Sully6 at 7:48 AM on December 6, 2005

Drontal is what we get when our outdoor cats come down with exactly those kinds of worms.

Ah, that's a lovely fight to get those horsepills down the feline throat. See if your vet will give you a 'pill injector', which is just a tube with a button that you jam in the cat's mouth and the spring loaded button attempts to shoot the pill down the cat's throat. Doesn't work all that well, but at least you don't get bitten quite as much.
posted by unixrat at 9:06 AM on December 6, 2005

A pill injector sounds not-fun. I don't know if they'll do it in your area, but my local independent pharmacy will compound pet medication into something tasty and treat-like.
posted by digitalis at 10:53 AM on December 6, 2005

Sounds like you need a new vet! Vets (like most doctors) are supposed to be able to fit in emergencies.
posted by radioamy at 1:51 PM on December 6, 2005

Huh. Every time I call my vet and say my cats have the rice-looking worms, they tell me to come in to the counter and pick up two pills. They are about $5 each, no appointment, no need to see the cats. Your vet won't do this?
posted by peep at 2:16 PM on December 6, 2005

Your vet won't do this?

I didn't talk to her; she was sick (it was apparently fairly serious). The office person put me off enough to try here, but I'll call again with a tapeworm-specific complaint. Thanks again, y'all; you've really helped.
posted by mediareport at 10:11 PM on December 6, 2005

Oh, and for what it's worth, peep, 1800petmeds.com offers three praziquantel pills for $12.99, no appointment, no need to see the cats. :)
posted by mediareport at 10:53 PM on December 6, 2005

For future reference: The tabs from 1800petmeds.com didn't come with dosage information, which seemed odd, but here it is from different site, which actually has them slightly cheaper.

Tape Worm Tab Dosage:
4 lbs. & under: ½ tablet
5-11 lbs: 1 tablet
Over 11 lbs.: 1 ½ tablets

Tape Worm Tabs will remove the common tapeworms, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaeformis from cats and kittens.

FASTING IS NEITHER NECESSARY NOR RECOMMENDED. Full prescribed dose of tablets must be eaten to remove all tape worms. Dosage may be repeated after 30 days.

Tape Worm Tab Features:
FDA approved. No prescription required.
Removes both types of tape worms in cats and kittens over 6 weeks of age.
100% safe and effective when used according to label directions.
Sized for easy oral administration or may be crumbled and mixed with food.
Only OTC treatment containing praziquantel, the most recommended de-wormer for tape worm control. (Each tablet for cats contains 23 mg Praziquantel)

Also, this site notes cats can get tapeworms from eating infected rodents as well as fleas.
posted by mediareport at 3:08 PM on December 11, 2005