My 4 month old kitten is still getting over worms (we've dewormed her 3 times) . . . I am having to make sure she's clean every time she gets out of the litter box, so she won't drag her poopy butt across the carpet.
Anyway, my question is, does anyone know if baby wipes would be safe for cats? It would be easier than grabbing a paper towel every time she uses the litter box.
ALSO, has anyone ever had such major problems with worms? I have had her looked at by 2 vets and they have both said that she just has worms and it has to run it's course. she's been dewormed 3 times and still has blood in her feces at times. anybody else that has had these problems/experiences, please let me know!!! I would be so relieved to know that I'm not alone.
Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
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justlilomee
Re: Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
my vet advised me to use baby wipes on a kitten when they had diarhea,but I would consult with your personal vet about it,as far as the worm thing,I have a cat that has been treated for a tape worm 3 times and it keeps coming back,,,,I cant take him to another vet,because we dont have another one close by...can you get another opinion from a diferent vet?
Re: Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
We do have other vets. If she's not better in the next few weeks, I'm definitely getting a third opinion. Thanks for the input!
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Raina
Re: Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
I don't really know much about it and am a novice when it comes to cat health, but I've been reading some info lately on worms, and (from what I've heard, it could be wrong) cats can get worms from [accidentally] eating fleas or from eating mice in addition to from other cats. So if it keeps coming back, maybe she has a few fleas, or there's a few mice around? Anyway, everyone else around here would probably know more about this than I, but that was just an idea I had. =)
Re: Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
Christa, did either of your vets actually perform a fecal exam and see evidence of tapeworms or larvae? Did you actually see any tapeworms? If not, the appropriate approach would be a fecal exam to rule them in or out, and moreso ruling out coccidia, giardia or bacterial infection. Since you mentioned diarrhea and blood and obviously failure of treatment, it's time to rule out the above.
Also, what was the tapeworm medication given, what was the name of it?
Also, what was the tapeworm medication given, what was the name of it?
..........Traci
Re: Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
THANKS for the replies everyone!!! I appreciate your comments & help!!!
Yeah, she did have fleas pretty bad when I got her, but they're gone. I've treated her several months in a row and haven't seen any signs of more. She's never seen a mouse.
As to your comments, Traci, I don't believe that the vets performed any kind of tests on her feces. I do know she had worms though because when she was treated the first time, she passed one. It was long, red, stringy. They told me that it doesn't seem that she should have any kind of infection, because she is growing, gaining weight, and is extremely active.
I have no idea what the name of the worm medication was. I know they gave her a pill the 2nd time and the liquid the 3rd time. Not sure what kind the 1st was.
I do know that she has taken about 3 weeks worth of Alban or Albon (not sure how it's spelled). Something about her bowels might have been irritated from passing the worm . . . but she's still showing signs of blood in her feces.
I'm thinking I might need to take her elsewhere. She was a sheltar cat and this vet deals with the "free spays and deworming" for the adopted animals. Both vets she saw were from the same clinic . . . I kind of felt that they weren't giving it their all because she was from the sheltar. I might be wrong about that. I hope they'd treat anybody's animal the same. She's my baby, as if I would have paid a million for her!
Should I take her to a different vet, Traci? I'm really worried about her. I don't understand why she won't get well.
Yeah, she did have fleas pretty bad when I got her, but they're gone. I've treated her several months in a row and haven't seen any signs of more. She's never seen a mouse.
As to your comments, Traci, I don't believe that the vets performed any kind of tests on her feces. I do know she had worms though because when she was treated the first time, she passed one. It was long, red, stringy. They told me that it doesn't seem that she should have any kind of infection, because she is growing, gaining weight, and is extremely active.
I have no idea what the name of the worm medication was. I know they gave her a pill the 2nd time and the liquid the 3rd time. Not sure what kind the 1st was.
I do know that she has taken about 3 weeks worth of Alban or Albon (not sure how it's spelled). Something about her bowels might have been irritated from passing the worm . . . but she's still showing signs of blood in her feces.
I'm thinking I might need to take her elsewhere. She was a sheltar cat and this vet deals with the "free spays and deworming" for the adopted animals. Both vets she saw were from the same clinic . . . I kind of felt that they weren't giving it their all because she was from the sheltar. I might be wrong about that. I hope they'd treat anybody's animal the same. She's my baby, as if I would have paid a million for her!
Should I take her to a different vet, Traci? I'm really worried about her. I don't understand why she won't get well.
Christa, "long, red and stringy" indicate roundworms, and if your vet only treated for tapeworms, it won't take care of roundworms. The last dewormer they gave her was probably Strongid for roundworms, but it should have been given twice (14 days apart). And, if you had told them after the last dewormer that the worms were still present, then they were obligated to treat again. If the worms were actually gone after the second dewormer, but that diarrhea and blood were still present, then they were obligated to do a fecal exam to rule out other causes.
Albon would have probably been prescribed had coccidia or giardia been diagnosed anyway, but that doesn't mean it's the most appropriate treatment for every kitten, there are alternate drugs the vet could prescribe for either.
It is possible she had an overburden of roundworms (or tapes too), and if this were the case, and based on your having to treat for three months, should be alerting your vets to a problem. For this reason, yes, I would get her seen by a new vet promptly, get a fecal done, and discuss the diet you're feeding her on the offchance there is a sensitivity to it or that she can't digest it properly.
Albon would have probably been prescribed had coccidia or giardia been diagnosed anyway, but that doesn't mean it's the most appropriate treatment for every kitten, there are alternate drugs the vet could prescribe for either.
It is possible she had an overburden of roundworms (or tapes too), and if this were the case, and based on your having to treat for three months, should be alerting your vets to a problem. For this reason, yes, I would get her seen by a new vet promptly, get a fecal done, and discuss the diet you're feeding her on the offchance there is a sensitivity to it or that she can't digest it properly.
..........Traci
Thanks Traci. You've confirmed what I've been feeling led to do. I'll get her to another vet.
The last time I took her, he told me that if she was still having blood in her feces after the 8 days of medicine that I gave her (Alban), I should give it some time, maybe a few weeks. He said that it probably just needs to run it's course. He also told me that it was probably bothering me more than it was bothering her, which ticked me off. I felt like he was insulting me, like I didn't care about her, just myself. Both vets should have known which kind of worms she had for the last two treatments because I told them about the one that she had passed. She hasn't passed anymore since that first time and hasn't acted sick at all like she did when she passed it the first time.
You also have to remember that she's had these problems since we've had her. Got her when she was about 5 weeks old and not much later, started showing signs of worms. Would it be harder to get rid of them if she got them at such a young age or even was born with them?
The last time I took her, he told me that if she was still having blood in her feces after the 8 days of medicine that I gave her (Alban), I should give it some time, maybe a few weeks. He said that it probably just needs to run it's course. He also told me that it was probably bothering me more than it was bothering her, which ticked me off. I felt like he was insulting me, like I didn't care about her, just myself. Both vets should have known which kind of worms she had for the last two treatments because I told them about the one that she had passed. She hasn't passed anymore since that first time and hasn't acted sick at all like she did when she passed it the first time.
You also have to remember that she's had these problems since we've had her. Got her when she was about 5 weeks old and not much later, started showing signs of worms. Would it be harder to get rid of them if she got them at such a young age or even was born with them?
Re: Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
Well, that was my point, the vet should have KNOWN to further investigate after failure of dewormers....at the very least, he should have done a fecal to rule out other causes. He should also have KNOWN that diarrhea and blood in the stools can indicate various health problems. After a course of treatment and knowing that treatment failed, it would have been incumbent upon him to investigate further. A "few weeks" after treatment of albon....well, that's fine to assume that any bacterial after treatment could run it's course and tincture of time could rectify the situation. But, since it didn't, and since the vet was fully aware of the problem and failure of treatment, the most logical next step would be further investigation. Since he also knew your kitten was in a shelter environment, that should have been a red flag to him to test for coccidia, giardia, salmonella, e-coli, etc. (fecal exam)
One concern is the diarrhea and blood in the stools. In a very young kitten, diarrhea can fast lead to dehydration which in turn can cause a host of other health problems. Your vet was aware of that (or should have been).
As for overburdening of worms, it is quite possible that occured, but since so much time has lapsed since the initial treatment and subsequent dewormers, it would seem more likely that the worm burden would be non-existant by now. This is where that fecal is necessary to determine for certain. For that reason, testing for other causes would be the best thing to do. I mentioned the diet as a possibility because it's only one rule-out to consider (i.e., diarrhea and blood in stools can indicate an ingredient allergy, sensitivity, .....canned food can often cause diarrhea in kittens, etc)
Thanks for being so pro-active for your kitten, I hope a new vet can get this situation cleared up for you!
P.S....just for future reference, Droncit is the med for tapeworms (tablet given orally)...and StrongidT is given for roundworms and hookworms (yellow liquid given orally, twice, 14 days apart, or, a third administration if there is a worm overburden). Both are usually effective in eradicating these worms within a few days.
One concern is the diarrhea and blood in the stools. In a very young kitten, diarrhea can fast lead to dehydration which in turn can cause a host of other health problems. Your vet was aware of that (or should have been).
As for overburdening of worms, it is quite possible that occured, but since so much time has lapsed since the initial treatment and subsequent dewormers, it would seem more likely that the worm burden would be non-existant by now. This is where that fecal is necessary to determine for certain. For that reason, testing for other causes would be the best thing to do. I mentioned the diet as a possibility because it's only one rule-out to consider (i.e., diarrhea and blood in stools can indicate an ingredient allergy, sensitivity, .....canned food can often cause diarrhea in kittens, etc)
Thanks for being so pro-active for your kitten, I hope a new vet can get this situation cleared up for you!
P.S....just for future reference, Droncit is the med for tapeworms (tablet given orally)...and StrongidT is given for roundworms and hookworms (yellow liquid given orally, twice, 14 days apart, or, a third administration if there is a worm overburden). Both are usually effective in eradicating these worms within a few days.
..........Traci
Re: Are "baby wipes" safe for cats?
Traci
I should probably also tell you that she has been dewormed 3 times since January 15, so really, it hasn't been that long. She was dewormed on Jan 15, Jan 26, and Feb 10. Does this make a difference?
I should probably also tell you that she has been dewormed 3 times since January 15, so really, it hasn't been that long. She was dewormed on Jan 15, Jan 26, and Feb 10. Does this make a difference?