Medicines for cats against worms: names and types of drugs

Helminthiasis is a common disease that is often diagnosed in animals, including cats that are susceptible to infection with parasites. Contrary to the popular belief that helminthiasis occurs only in street cats or pets that often walk outside, the disease also occurs in pets that have never left the house. The larvae can enter the cat's body along with poor-quality food, as a result of insufficient heat treatment; they can be brought indoors along with dirt on shoes or hands. Despite the apparent non-seriousness of the disease, helminthiasis can cause serious damage to internal organs and even cause death. In order not to bring your animal to a critical condition, it is better to find out in advance what is best to give your cat for worms, whether there are tablets to prevent worms in cats, and how to recognize that your pet is sick.

Causes of helminthiasis infection

Among the reasons why you may need anthelmintic for cats are:

• the presence of parasites on the skin and fur (lice eaters, fleas and others);
• the animal eats food contaminated with helminths - a good anthelmintic for cats may be needed after stale meat, low-quality fish, etc.;
• Infection may be caused by dirty, stagnant water;
• the problem may appear after contact with sick animals that have not undergone treatment;
• kittens can become infected with helminths even before birth, in the womb of an infected mother.

The sooner the cause of infection is identified and eliminated, and antihelminthics for cats are prescribed, the faster the pet’s condition will improve.

Treatment of opisthorchiasis

Treatment of the pathology should be carried out regardless of the stage and type of opisthorchiasis. The sooner treatment is started, the less likely it is that the parasite will cause severe damage to your body.

In order to start treatment, it is necessary to have the latest results of a general blood and urine test, a biochemical blood test, FGDS, ultrasound of the abdominal organs, and for patients over 40 years old, also an ECG.

The use of medications relieves inflammation. If there are allergic reactions or intoxication, then this problem is eliminated through the use of antihistamines. Choleretic drugs are prescribed, which are taken at the time prescribed by the doctor, and antibiotics are prescribed. The drugs are most often taken for up to 14 days. A special diet is established for the patient, which he must follow.

After the course of treatment, a control duodenal intubation will be done, you will receive a full medical report and doctor’s recommendations, which you must adhere to throughout your life.

After antiparasitic therapy, a rehabilitation period begins. It can last for 3-4 months, its main tasks are:

• restoration of normal functioning of the digestive system;
• complete disposal of dead helminths that remain in the body;
• elimination of the consequences of helminth activity in the human body.

Signs of helminthiasis

In the initial stage, helminth infection may be asymptomatic. Symptoms increase as the number of parasites increases; clinical manifestations depend on the type of worm, and the speed of their development depends on the age and weight of the animal.

Main symptoms:

• diarrhea or difficulty defecating;
• vomiting and other gastrointestinal disorders;
• blood and mucus may be present in the stool;
• the animal experiences itching in the anal area, which is quickly eliminated with deworming medications for cats;
• upon closer examination, worms or white larvae can be seen on the mucous membrane under the tail;
• if a remedy for worms for a cat is not prescribed in the near future, the pet’s belly swells and takes on a rounded shape;
• body weight is rapidly decreasing;
• loss of appetite;
• the animal sheds profusely, the quality of the coat deteriorates;
• there are breathing problems, a cough may be present;
• the pet gets tired quickly and prefers not to get up again;
• the mucous membrane becomes pale.

If a pregnant cat is infected with helminths, the risk of premature delivery increases. In addition, after giving birth, you will need a dewormer for kittens to prevent the condition of the newly born babies from worsening.

Specific signs of the presence of helminths

Now let’s “go over” the various pathogens. The first will be flatworms (cestodes).

1. The most common cestodosis is diphyllobothriasis; in cats it occurs as a result of eating raw fish. Specific symptoms are vomiting (often with blood), severe weight loss, diarrhea/constipation, cramps, anemia, and in case of severe infestation, intestinal blockage.
2. Dipylidiasis is a disease caused by a cat eating fleas or lice-eaters, which are intermediate hosts. The cat's appetite disappears, but vomiting and diarrhea/constipation appear. You can hear the cat's tummy growling.
3. Alveococcosis. The parasites are tiny (up to 4 mm), affect the small intestine, and a cat becomes infected and eats a rodent (the patient). There are no specific symptoms, but this is a most dangerous disease for people. The death of a cat owner is often recorded, which is why it is necessary to carry out preventive deworming, as well as visit a doctor and get tested (this applies to animals, but also to all family members).

Now let's look at a group of roundworms that cause nematodes. The most commonly reported cases are toxascariasis (routes of infection - through the mouth or through the placenta) and hookworm (larvae can penetrate the skin and also orally).

Signs of infection are very similar: thinness with persistent appetite, vomiting and diarrhea with blood, cough. Differential diagnosis is based only on the results of tests performed by a veterinarian.

And now it’s time to learn about trematodes (a group of diseases caused by flukes). Intermediate hosts: mollusks, crabs, river fish, crayfish. Therefore, they are prohibited from being given to animals without heat treatment.

1. Paragonimiasis. The pathogen requires crayfish, mollusks, and crabs for its development cycle. Trematode larvae infect the lungs, causing the cat to cough, even vomiting (foamy), breathing heavily, and wheezing. The pet has a fever and often has diarrhea.
2. Opisthorchiasis (a pet becomes infected by eating raw river fish or shellfish). The pathogen “settles” most often in the liver, but sometimes it can be “detected” in the gallbladder and pancreas. A specific symptom is abdominal pain (the pet does not allow you to touch it), fever, jaundice, vomiting with bile. The appetite either disappears or is simply brutal.

Prevention

As with other diseases, doctors recommend paying due attention to prevention. To prevent an animal from becoming infected with helminthiasis, it is necessary to give anthelmintics to cats for prophylactic purposes:

• Animals walking outside should be given cat deworming tablets once a month;
• For cats who eat natural food, it is recommended to take deworming drops for cats once every 30 days;
• pets without free access to the street must be treated at least once a month;
• Anti-worm medications for kittens can be given from 3 weeks of age.

If you are planning to breed an animal, it is recommended to carry out treatment to prevent infection of the pregnant cat and the birth of infected offspring. Elderly cats should be treated with special care; a wide range of anti-worm medications for cats are given under the supervision of a doctor, after studying blood and urine tests. As for vaccinations, medications for deworming in cats should be prescribed 10 days before the scheduled date of the veterinarian visit.

Symptoms of giardiasis

Giardia can number up to a million per square centimeter of intestinal wall. They mechanically damage blood cells (erythrocytes), cause irritation of nerve endings, and disrupt the absorption process. As a result, inflammation develops. Giardia waste products can cause allergic reactions.

Giardiasis can occur in acute or chronic form. Symptoms of acute giardiasis may appear 1-3 weeks after infection.

Giardiasis most often manifests itself as an intestinal disorder. In some cases, giardiasis can cause disruption of the gallbladder and stagnation of bile. In the case of long-term giardiasis (especially in children), neurotic symptoms may be observed.

Abdominal pain

With giardiasis, there is pain in the epigastric region and in the navel area. The pain is usually dull, but in some cases it can be sharp.

Flatulence

Increased gas formation (flatulence) is usually accompanied by a feeling of fullness in the stomach. Belching and heartburn are possible.

More about the symptom

Stool disorder

Possible diarrhea up to 3-5 times a day; The stool is initially watery or foamy, but may later become greasy. Diarrhea may give way to constipation.

Allergic manifestations

Possible allergic manifestations of giardiasis:

• hives;
• severe itching;
• atopic dermatitis;
• bronchial asthma;
• allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, blepharitis and some other manifestations.

Neurotic symptoms

With a long course of giardiasis (especially in children), the following neurotic symptoms may be observed: weakness, fatigue, irritability (tearfulness in young children), headaches, dizziness, cardialgia.

Anthelmintics for cats - which ones are better?

To get a competent answer to the question of what tablets to give your cat against worms, you need to seek help from a veterinarian. To select a drug and calculate the dose, you need to take into account the pet’s age, weight and health condition. Doctors recommend purchasing a wide range of anthelmintic drugs for cats and simultaneously treating them against external ectoparasites. It is strictly forbidden to give an animal several medications at once, this can lead to an overdose. Anthelmintic for cats is available in different forms, these can be tablets, syrups, suspensions or drops.

How is the disease diagnosed?

The first thing you need to do if you find signs of opisthorchiasis is not to self-medicate, but to seek the advice of a gastroenterologist. The doctor will conduct a visual examination, collect anamnesis and refer for tests and duodenal intubation. This is a method of examining a patient, which is carried out for diseases of the biliary tract and gallbladder to collect bile for laboratory testing.

Other types of diagnostics:

• general blood analysis;
• examination of internal organs using ultrasound;
• stool analysis for worm eggs;
• polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

After the diagnosis, the doctor examines the results of all tests and studies and gives the patient an accurate diagnosis. After an accurate diagnosis is made, the patient is prescribed treatment. It is carried out under strict supervision.

Tablets for cats from worms

The tablet form is convenient for storage and transportation, but not all animals are happy to take the entire medicine. To simplify the process, you can use an introducer, mix the tablet with food, or grind the drug into powder.

Effective tablets for cats against worms:

• Drontal;
• Cestal Cat;
• Milbemax;
• Azinox;
• Gelmimax-4;
• Milprazone;
• Dirofen;
• Dironet;
• Febtal;
• Celandine Antihelmintic;
• Dehinel;
• Alben S;
• Helmintal T;
• Milbemax..

Pills and sugar cubes

You can remove worms from a cat using tablets. Some of them selectively act on certain groups of intestinal parasites (they destroy only nematodes or cestodes), others have a complex effect.

Contraindications to all of the above drugs are:

• individual intolerance to components;
• exhaustion;
• acute stage of an infectious disease;
• rehabilitation period after surgery.

Before using tablets approved during pregnancy and lactation of a cat, you need to consult a veterinarian.

Broad-spectrum anthelmintic drugs for cats in the form of a paste

The paste has an ointment-like shape and a pleasant aroma; it is convenient to give it to animals, observing the correct dosage. You can give your cat DIROFEN paste from APICENNA for worms.

You can purchase anthelmintic drugs for cats from us. Look at the product descriptions, indications, contraindications and choose the one that suits your pet:

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PRAZITEL SPECIAL SUSPENSION anthelmintic for cats and kittens (10 ml)

10 ml

256 ₽

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HELMINTAL T anthelmintic for kittens and adult cats weighing up to 4 kg pack. 2 tablets (1 pack)

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279 ₽

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MILBEMAX – anthelmintic for kittens and small breed cats. 2 Elanko tablets (1 piece)

1 PC

374 ₽

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DEKHINEL anthelmintic for adult cats pack. 2 tablets KRKA (1 pack)

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302 ₽

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GELMIMAX-4 anthelmintic for kittens and adult cats pack. 2 APICENNA tablets (1 piece)

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An expert from Sechenov University talks about how toxoplasma can affect brain function

07/19/2019, RIA Novosti

Toxoplasmosis, a disease caused by the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii, affects 20 to 40 percent of humanity. A professor at the Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector-Borne Diseases named after E.I. told RIA Novosti about the causes and consequences of this disease, as well as the results of the research. Martsinovsky Sechenov University Evgeniy Morozov.

Scientists have discovered why the same people get into accidents

According to various sources, toxoplasmosis, a disease caused by the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii, affects 20 to 40 percent of humanity. The majority of the disease is asymptomatic. It has long been believed that it is dangerous only for pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. However, several recent studies have linked this infection to depression, schizophrenia, aggressive driving and even sexual perversion.

People are not always to blame for accidents

British artist Louis Wain spent his entire life drawing cats - of different sizes and colors, in various poses and often with anthropomorphic features. He had several furry pets at home, he was a member of the Society for the Protection of Cats, and headed the English National Cat Club. Once he even tried to snatch the steering wheel from a bus driver so that he would not run over a cat crossing the road. He ended his life in a psychiatric hospital, where he was treated for a long time for schizophrenia.

Today, it is suggested that the artist’s mental disorder is associated with his incredible love for cats - more precisely, with the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which he could well have picked up from numerous pets. After all, the cat is the main host of toxoplasma. There is no direct evidence that the artist suffered from chronic toxoplasmosis, the name given to a disease caused by a parasite. But the fact that Toxoplasma gondii is related to schizophrenia and affects human behavior is no longer in doubt among researchers.

“It’s no secret that Toxoplasma can affect brain function. Mice infected with these parasites chase cats. And the smell of cat urine is the most attractive in the world for them. A person with latent toxoplasmosis also experiences changes in behavior. For example, such people are more risk-averse. When two years ago we examined a hundred drivers who had been involved in an accident due to their own fault, we found toxoplasma in almost half. They were distinguished by a more aggressive driving style - they constantly changed lanes, trying to overtake everyone. For comparison: among 152 volunteers who came for a routine medical examination, that is, completely random people, only a quarter were diagnosed with toxoplasma,” Evgeniy Morozov, a professor at the E. I. Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector-Borne Diseases at Sechenov University, tells RIA Novosti.

Provoke schizophrenia

Scientists from Sechenov University recently identified a similar ratio of Toxoplasma gondii carriers among schizophrenics. Of the 155 patients suffering from schizophrenia, 62 were diagnosed with toxoplasma - that's 40 percent. As one of the main authors of the work, an employee of the Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector-Borne Diseases Ekaterina Stepanova explained, despite the small sample, the results obtained can be considered statistically significant, and the connection of Toxoplasma with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia is proven.

“We took a narrow pathology - classical schizophrenia. Plus, we were only interested in patients aged 18 to 45 years. It is quite difficult to form a large pool of such people. Therefore, we recruited as many participants as were sufficient for statistics. When processing the data, a correlation was revealed between toxoplasma and schizophrenia. This does not mean that toxoplasmosis is the root cause of the disease. But the fact that it at least aggravates this mental disorder can be stated unequivocally,” the researcher emphasizes.

According to Evgeny Morozov,

The data they obtained is fully confirmed by foreign colleagues.

“While our article was being reviewed in a journal (all scientific works undergo multi-stage verification before publication in specialized publications, which takes from several months to several years. - Ed.), a Danish study on the same topic was published. They looked at all types of mental disorders. Their sample was huge - about 70 thousand patients. And they came to the same conclusions as we did with our 150,” the professor noted.

All in the name of reproduction

Toxoplasma carriers are also often identified among potential suicides. According to a study by American scientists, 43 percent of those who tried to commit suicide have the Toxoplasma gondii parasite in their bodies.

“There may be an explanation here. The fact is that when Toxoplasma is in the human brain, in order to continue its life (and this is impossible to do inside us, because people are a biological dead end for the parasite) it is necessary for this brain to be eaten by a mouse. Therefore, say, as a result of an accident or an accident, there is a chance that the mouse will get to the parasite, and it, in turn, will be eaten by the cat. And thus this chain will be closed. After all, Toxoplasma does not understand where it has ended up, and forces the dead-end owner to behave in such a way that sooner or later the mouse gets to him. This is called modulation of the host's behavior by the parasite. This also happens in the wild. For example, an ant infected with a certain type of parasite climbs up a blade of grass at sunset and freezes there until the morning, which increases its chance of being eaten. This completes the development cycle of the parasite, which matures to an adult state in the body of another animal,” says Evgeniy Morozov.

.

According to Ekaterina Stepanova, worsening mood and a tendency to risky behavior, often characteristic of Toxoplasma carriers, are determined by an excess of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates positive emotions. It is the production of this substance in the host’s body that Toxoplasma can influence.

“Mice infected with the parasite exhibit increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity. This enzyme is the trigger for the synthesis of dopamine. There are reasonable assumptions that Toxoplasma either enhances the action of this enzyme or releases it itself. The result is increased dopamine levels. And this hormone, in turn, is considered a trigger for various emotional manifestations and actions. However, we should not forget that so far the connection between toxoplasma and dopamine production has been shown only in the brain of mice. Such studies have not been conducted on humans,” the researcher clarifies.

Sex, love and parasites

According to the work of Singaporean biologists, infected rodents are drawn to cat urine because the neurons in their brains that sense pheromones are activated, rather than those that are supposed to respond to danger.

In the human brain, this process (if it takes place, because so far these are only assumptions) can lead to unexpected consequences. According to Czech researchers, among fans of non-traditional sexual practices - such as BDSM - there is a high proportion of Toxoplasma gondii carriers. Researchers surveyed the sexual preferences of over five thousand people who donated blood for antibodies to Toxoplasma and probably knew whether they were infected or not.

It turned out that people with toxoplasmosis were more likely than others to be aroused by sexual practices associated with violence or unconventional sexual desires. True, they did not take any real part in such relations. It was enough for them to simply fantasize.

Cats have nothing to do with it

Researchers warn that cats are not the main source of Toxoplasma gondii. Lovers of poorly cooked meat or people who are not very clean are much more likely to pick up parasites.

“Both Ekaterina Viktorovna and I have cats at home, but we do not have latent toxoplasmosis. And most people who keep these animals do not have parasites in their bodies. It’s not the cats who are to blame, but the person himself, who neglects the simplest rules of hygiene,” emphasizes Professor
Morozov
.

Link to publication: ria.ru

Anthelmintic drops for cats

Preparations in the form of drops are used for external treatment of the animal and are used to combat external and internal parasites. Among other advantages, it should be noted that you do not have to forcibly restrain the animal to apply the drug. Effective drops for cats against worms and parasites:

• Helmintal K Spot-On;
• Profender.

Determine which deworming medicine for cats is suitable for your animal and will be convenient for use.

Gut restoration

After removing the worms, it is necessary to restore the functioning of the cat’s digestive system. To do this you will need:

1. Adding pickled vegetables to your diet. They must be mixed with basic products; animals will not consume them in their pure form.
2. If the cat is on a commercial diet, it needs to be given special nutritional supplements that contain enzymes and bacteria that are beneficial to the intestines. Supplements are available in powder form, which is added to industrial food or diluted with water.
3. Regular presence of fermented milk products in the menu: cottage cheese, homemade yogurt, kefir of minimal or medium fat content.

If the cat is on a commercial diet, it is recommended to periodically give a fennel decoction to prevent worms.

Is it possible to prevent helminthiasis infection?

To minimize the risk of infection for your pet, you should adhere to the following rules:

• avoid contact with infected animals;
• carry out preventive treatment against ticks and fleas in a timely manner;
• do not feed raw fish and meat, give preference to balanced ready-made food;
• Give deworming medication to cats regularly as a preventive measure.

Veterinarians strongly do not recommend giving animals untested drugs or using folk remedies with unproven effectiveness.

Basic rules for treating a kitten for fleas

Before applying the anti-flea solution, you must carefully read the instructions and follow the recommendations indicated therein.

The method of processing depends on the form of the medicine:

• The drops should be poured from a special pipette onto the withers so that the furry patient cannot lick them off. It is forbidden to bathe the cat for three days before and after application;
• adjust the collar so that a finger fits between it and the neck;
• Distribute the shampoo evenly over the body, lather, wait 5-10 minutes. Rinse with plenty of running water and dry the fur thoroughly;
• Spread the sprays over the pile in the open air from a distance of 10-15 cm. They try not to treat cats in this way. It can be difficult to ensure that the animal does not lick itself until the substance is completely dry.

The frequency of procedures depends on the active ingredient of the drug and the pet’s lifestyle. Typically, preventative treatments are carried out every 1-3 months.