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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / October 2003Worms and Feral Kitten
The feral kitten I adopted around six weeks ago had a host of issues, round worms being one of them. She was given three cycles of worm medicine but her poops are starting to become runny again and I found a hardened white rice-like looking-thing around her anus a couple of days ago. I still have quite a bit of worm medicine left over. Is it okay to give her another round of worm medicine or should I call the vet? Otherwise, she's fine. Spunky, eating well, going to the bathroom regularly. Noreen Hi Noreen, Call the vet, this sounds like tape worms. The regular round worm medication doesn't get rid of tape worms, so you'll need to get something different for that. One of my rescue kittens had it and they just gave him 1 pill. Didn't cause him any obvious problems. Debbie Berry dberry@mitre.org > The feral kitten I adopted around six weeks ago had a host of issues, > round worms being one of them. She was given three cycles of worm [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Noreen : Call the vet, this sounds like tape worms. The regular round : worm medication doesn't get rid of tape worms, so you'll need : to get something different for that. One of my rescue kittens : had it and they just gave him 1 pill. Didn't cause him any : obvious problems. She did have tape worms and the vet gave her a shot to get rid of them. So does that mean the shot may not have worked after all? This was about six weeks ago. I thought the shot for tape worms was supposed to be more effective than the pills. Noreen Take a fresh stool sample to your vet. What you describe is tapeworm, which requires another medication. But the kitten may have other problems such as good old coccidia, which requires yet another medication and which can kill. We generally check more than once, to rule out new nasties rearing their heads when one nasty is erradicated. And sometimes that first check overlooks coccidia. Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus (feral) Cats www.campuscats.org > The feral kitten I adopted around six weeks ago had a host of issues, > round worms being one of them. She was given three cycles of worm [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Noreen : We generally check more than once, to rule out new nasties rearing their : heads when one nasty is erradicated. And sometimes that first check : overlooks coccidia. Thanks, Sharon. What is the test for coccidia? Do you have any favorite web sites which explains this disease? Noreen > : We generally check more than once, to rule out new nasties rearing their > : heads when one nasty is erradicated. And sometimes that first check > : overlooks coccidia. > > Thanks, Sharon. What is the test for coccidia? A fecal exam for oocysts is the best test for a definitive diagnosis. Coccidiosis must be diagnosed and treated quickly because it causes a rapid loss of the intestinal mucosal lining. Coccidia reproduce themselves inside the cells that line the intestinal tract -- when the new parasites are released from cells, the intestinal cells are killed in the process. The life cycle of coccidia takes only a few hours to a few days, so they can do a lot of damage to the intestinal mucosa in a short time. Also, what looks like a persistent infection is usually re-infection. Do you have any favorite > web sites which explains this disease? http://www.maxshouse.com/Parasites_Internal.htm You might want to have the kitten tested or re-tested for giardia. Routine fecal tests usually produce false-negatives for giardia. Giardia requires a special test and many (most) vets don't have the time or simply don't want to spend the time to run the test. The test requires a special flotation solution (zinc sulfate) and the fecal sample must be centrifuged for 5 minutes (centrifugation forces the giardia cyst to float in the zinc sulfate) and then read immediately because the cysts shrink and may become difficult to identify.. Good luck. Phil : Do you have any favorite :> web sites which explains this disease? : http://www.maxshouse.com/Parasites_Internal.htm Of course, Phil, I should have checked out your web site first. :-) Thanks so much for the detailed information. The reason I think it might be a reinfestation of round worms is her poops were runny when we adopted her, she was given worm medicine, the poops solidified, just before she was ready for her next dose of worm medicine, the poops became runny again, etc. But even if she's had her three doses of worm medicine, there's still a chance the worms are present, yes? Plus, I thought once she had a tape worm shot, that was it. No more tapeworms. The other two cats in our house also had the tapeworm shot, too. Anyway, she's quite the keeper. Bullseye is a silvery-grey, domestic shorthair, mackeral tabby. She was raised entirely outdoors by a feral mother yet has plenty excitement staying indoors discovering magic objects such as mirrors. This little kitten who would run at the sight of humans has now become more of a lap cat than my other two cats which are highly domesticated. I'll set up an appointment with the vet today (she's been checked out by not one, but two, vets so far) and see if they are missing anything. Noreen Shelter kittens or rescue kittens sometimes need multiple wormings. Sometimes they become reinfected if they have not been removed from the source. Sometimes, though, another parasite has moved into the "niche" created by the first worming. Which is why I recommend a fecal. \ Phil, do you recall how many kinds of cooties panacur kills? That's one we sometimes use at least the first time around. Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats www.campuscats.org > Shelter kittens or rescue kittens sometimes need multiple wormings. > Sometimes they become reinfected if they have not been removed from the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Phil, do you recall how many kinds of cooties panacur kills? That's one > we sometimes use at least the first time around. Hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, giardia, tapeworms (Taenia spp. only), lungworms, and I think flukes. Btw, I think you org is doing an absolutely wonderful job! Phil. > Sharon Talbert > Friends of Campus Cats > www.campuscats.org > > Phil, do you recall how many kinds of cooties panacur kills? That's one > > we sometimes use at least the first time around. > > Hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, giardia, tapeworms (Taenia spp. only), > lungworms, and I think flukes. You are a font of knowledge! > Btw, I think you org is doing an absolutely wonderful job! Why, gawrsh, thanks! Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats www.campuscats.org > > > Phil, do you recall how many kinds of cooties panacur kills? That's one > > > we sometimes use at least the first time around. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Why, gawrsh, thanks! Do you guys have 501(c) 3 tax status? If so, you might qualify for some discount programs - e.g., FeLV Snap kits $5 ea; FeLV/FIV Combo Snaps $7.80 ea. Phil > Sharon Talbert > Friends of Campus Cats > www.campuscats.org > Do you guys have 501(c) 3 tax status? If so, you might qualify for some > discount programs - e.g., FeLV Snap kits $5 ea; FeLV/FIV Combo Snaps $7.80 > ea. Yes, Campus Cats is legit. And I must admit, we are not very good at going after some of the perks associated with the status. We are a very small (and innocent) org. Could you steer me to some of the discount programs? Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats www.campuscats.org > : Do you have any favorite > :> web sites which explains this disease? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > be a reinfestation of round worms is her poops were runny when we adopted > her, Noreen, She may have aquired the infection by eating rodents that ingested eggs or through her mother's milk (two different species). Queens that shed larvas in their milk don't necessairly pass eggs in their feces - this makes detection very difficult. This is one of the reasons why we keep queens and their litters isolated from other litters. she was given worm medicine, the poops solidified, just before she > was ready for her next dose of worm medicine, the poops became runny > again, etc. But even if she's had her three doses of worm medicine, > there's still a chance the worms are present, yes? Yes. The key to getting rid of roundworms is breaking the life cycle and minimizing the chances of reinfection. The treatments should be given 2-4 apart and the litterbox should be *dumped* and cleaned after every poop or at least once a day. I don't mean just scooped - I mean dumped and cleaned. Its worth the trouble. > Plus, I thought once she had a tape worm shot, that was it. No more > tapeworms. The other two cats in our house also had the tapeworm shot, > too. > > Anyway, she's quite the keeper. Bullseye is a silvery-grey, domestic > shorthair, mackeral tabby. She sounds *gorgeous*! She was raised entirely outdoors by a feral > mother yet has plenty excitement staying indoors discovering magic objects > such as mirrors. This little kitten who would run at the sight of humans > has now become more of a lap cat than my other two cats which are highly > domesticated. She obviously knows a good thing when she has it! ;) > I'll set up an appointment with the vet today (she's been checked out by > not one, but two, vets so far) and see if they are missing anything. You might want to mention the zinc sulfate floation test for giardia. Best of luck, Phil. > Noreen I was surprised that your vet gave an injection for tapeworm, when a single (much cheaper and non-invasive and not at all painful) pill does the trick. The thing about tapeworm is that they are passed via fleas. The pill kills all the resident worms in one go, but the next flea the kitten injests (yuck) may be a tapeworm carrier, so the cycle starts over. The way to control tapeworm is via flea control. Program or Advantage do that very well. Coccidia (and any other intestinal parasites) are detected via microscope examination of a fecal smear. We may have a short blurb about coccidia on our website, but a quick googling should give you more info that you ever wanted to know. Coccidia can't be seen with the naked eye, but the most common symptom is diarrhea (often with blood/mucus). Take care. Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats www.campuscats.org > : We generally check more than once, to rule out new nasties rearing their > : heads when one nasty is erradicated. And sometimes that first check [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Noreen : I was surprised that your vet gave an injection for tapeworm, when a : single (much cheaper and non-invasive and not at all painful) pill does : the trick. What's worse, she proceeded without even telling me the shots cost $25 dollars more than the pill. Multiply by three cats and that's a significant cost difference. I did complain to the director of the clinic and got a refund for the difference but I didn't think it possible for tape worms to return after a shot has been given only 6 weeks ago? I thought roundworms came about from fleas. Okay, sometimes I'm not so prompt on putting the Advantage on each month and that's most likely the source of the problem. Yes, I have waited until I see one of the cats scratch before using Advantage. Not a good idea, I gather. Noreen > I thought roundworms came about from fleas. Anything I've read says roundworms come from "dirt" (whatever that means)... or passed from nursing mothers. My feral had a bellyfull of roundworm about 6 weeks after I took her in - she had a Drontal tab at the time of her spaying but I never got a "booster". 6 weeks later, she vomited a few roundworms on the floor and I got some more Drontal the next day and her poop was FULL of roundworm later that night. I gave her another dose 2 weeks later. Okay, sometimes I'm > not so prompt on putting the Advantage on each month and that's > most likely the source of the problem. Yes, I have waited until I > see one of the cats scratch before using Advantage. Not a good > idea, I gather. > > Noreen > and got a refund for the difference but I didn't think it possible for > tape worms to return after a shot has been given only 6 weeks ago? Yep. Advantage only lasts about 3 weeks. Best to apply it regularly. > : I was surprised that your vet gave an injection for tapeworm, when a > : single (much cheaper and non-invasive and not at all painful) pill does [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > and got a refund for the difference but I didn't think it possible for > tape worms to return after a shot has been given only 6 weeks ago? The shots are actually the most preferred method because they are more effective, but they should be repeated at about a 2-2.5 week interval. > I thought roundworms came about from fleas. No, fleas carry the tapeworm eggs. > Okay, sometimes I'm not so > prompt on putting the Advantage on each month and that's most likely the > source of the problem. Yes, I have waited until I see one of the cats > scratch before using Advantage. Not a good idea, I gather. Nope. Advantage can be stretched out to six weeks, max. Much more than that, it's ineffective. If the flea infestation is bad, do it every four weeks. -L. |
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