Roundworms Oh Yuck!

[SusanO]

So somebody puked up a hairball or uneaten parts of a vole complete with roundworms. I thought Revolution Plus guarded against them. But to be fair - I may not have applied it at frequent enough intervals. So they need to get dosed again. Both Hansel and Gretel got dosed with Strongid early Spring and I think Gremlin too. Obviously it needs to be done again and all four cats need to be treated at the same time.

So what is the best wormer in this situation? I think Drontal is prescription only on Chewy for individual tabs but you can buy a whole bottle without a prescription. What is with that? Cats have all had their boosters for this year so I hate to take each one back for a wormer pill. Since they are outdoor and indulge in “bushmeat” they probably need to be treated more than once a year. Are there any OTC pills that work?

[OzarksRider]

Have you considered any of the spot on wormers? I use Centragard, but there is at least one other (Profender) that I know of. I get mine from my vet, but you can also order it from Chewy with a prescription. If you have an ongoing relationship with your vet you could probably just pick up the medicine or the prescription without having to take each cat in. I like Centragard because it treats roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. It will also treat heartworms if given once a month, but I don’t dose my cats that often.

Or, since you already use Revolution Plus, why not just dose them again with that? You can get OTC pills that treat for tapeworms (praziquantal) but as far as I know there’s nothing available OTC for roundworms.

[SusanO]

I got a prescription and ordered some Drontal and Profender in case I can’t get the pills down them. Also more Revolution Plus which I think only prevents worms and doesn’t kill them. I could be wrong though. I will check out Centragard. Cats all look healthy with shiny coats but the puke tells me a different story. Ick!

[hoopoe]

Are you dure they were roundworms and not from the environment or tapeworm?

Yes you should treat all cats and ask your vet about the intervals. Im not up to date with the new generation drugs and how they sre used

[SusanO]

They weren’t tapeworms and looked identical to roundworms squirming about on my front steps. Mixed in with hairball and/or vole remains puked up. Luckily nobody has to see this as it was too revolting for pictures.

[hoopoe]

It is possible the ascarids came from the prey rather that indication your cat(s) are infected

[SusanO]

This is possible. There was a huge bolus of hairball or animal fur and then those squirming worms in and around the hairball/whatever that was puked up.

[hoopoe]

@SusanO

Luckily nobody has to see this as it was too revolting for pictures.

Parasitology was my favorite class.