My cat has tapeworms. What oral medicine is safe with flea meds?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. It’s fine to give them the tapeworm medicine but I would wait until tomorrow. Then give it to them with some food like white meat chicken (no bones). I hope this helps!

Frend is so handsome, and he's so lucky that you have allowed yourselves to be adopted. Using a deworming treatment is an excellent idea, especially since he lives outdoors. I would recommend using Drontal or Panacur. You can get them from the vet (it would be a good idea to get him checked out by the vet, get him vaccines as well), and they are safe. I highly recommend those products. I hope this helps!

Tapeworms are killed by a medication called praziquantel, which is prescription only. A dewormer containing that can only be gotten at the vet. A great deworming medication is Drontal which kills tapeworms, roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. OTC dewormers will only kill roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Personally I always recommend a deworming medication from the vet, as they are stronger and better than anything you get OTC. Drontal is safe and healthy for kittens. Bambi should get a dewormer now, and another in two weeks. After that she will need to be dewormed monthly until she is six months of age, and then every three months thereafter. It's perfectly safe to give them a deworming medication even if they don't have worms, it prevents them from occurring. I never recommend getting OTC flea and tick medications. Many brands of them, such as Hartz, are terrible products that do not work and can have serious side effects in cats. I personally recommend getting a flea and tick medication from the vet such as Frontline, Advantage, or Revolution. When you make an appointment with the vet to get her vaccines, you can also get the deworming treatment as well as the flea and tick medication. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I'm not sure what your budget is but I like Droncit or Cestex which only get tapeworms. I like Drontal Plus because it gets tapeworm and other worms as well. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3464 I hope this helps!

Unless your vet gave you specific instructions, the dewormers are different medications and do not interact, so they can be given at the same time. The only reason to separate the dewormers would be if there is a large worm infestation and the deworming is likely to cause diarrhea. To be on the safe side, you could wait 2 days after the roundworm medication to give the tapeworm medication. I have included links below to the most common roundworm and tapeworm dewormers. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1862 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=531 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Puppies and kittens need a series of repeated deworming medications. And even if they have been dewormed, it is common for them to have other intestinal parasites since there are so many different types of parasites and they each require a specific type of deworming. What you are describing is likely tapeworms, so hopefully the tapeworm medication will work. I am including more information about tapeworms below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951442 Since tapeworms are transmitted by fleas, you will also need to make sure that Ariel doesn't have fleas or she may have tapeworms again. I would also make sure that your veterinarian has checked a fecal sample on her to see if there are any other microscopic intestinal parasites that need to be treated, but may require a different type of dewormer. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello and thank you for using pet coach. Tapeworms are typically treated with a drug known as praziquantel. The drug that we use at our Clinic to treat tapeworm is called drontal Plus. Only a single dose with drontal Plus is typically required. A follow-up dose 1-3 weeks after the initial treatment may be given if needed. I hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other questions or concerns that you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed