Do newborn kittens need deworming right away? What are the risks?

Many times you will not see intestinal parasites until the animals are critically sick. It's recommended to deworm young puppies and kittens every two weeks for at least three cycles, due to the lifecycle of the parasites. I would recommend getting a product labeled for kittens such as pyrantel pamoate. Make sure you weigh them and get accurate weights to dose the medication. As soon as you are able I do still recommend a veterinary exam as they will need vaccines, feline leukemia testing and there are other parasites that the pyrantel may not address. Look in your area as there are often low cost vaccination clinics available through pet stores or feed stores if a full service clinic is not possible. Also check with your local veterinarian as many times they may offer a rate for a litter of kittens versus charging each animal individually. Best of luck and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I usually do not recommend using Praziquantel in lactating mother cats, Pyrantel Pamoate is usually fine and they can be dewormed from around 4 weeks of age. flea treatment can be given as soon as 2 days of age-- the ONLY safe product is Frontline spray.

I usually go by age vs weight. It is safe to give healthy kittens that are two weeks old and older. Usually it is repeated every two weeks and the dosage is calculated by their weight. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your kittens.

I recommend to begin deworming the kittens at 4 weeks old and have them examined at 6 weeks old. The following link is aimed at caring for abandoned kittens but has a lot of great information: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/ I hope this helps.

All kittens have worms. Get some kitten wormer today and worm them. Tell your children to wash their hands after handling the kittens and they should be fine. It only takes a few hours to get rid of the worms. However you will need to worm them again on about two weeks to kill the worms that have hatched from eggs present. If your children are very young and not able to comprehend that they will have to wash their hands, then it may be a good idea to separate them from the kittens for the next 2-3 weeks until the kittens have had their two doses of wormer.

I'm sorry but without seeing the worm i am not 100% sure what you are talking about. The most common worm, and the one you probably saw, is roundworms. A meningeal worm is highly uncommon and it would not come out the anus. Meningeal worms live in the brain. The kitten is not too young for dewormer; they can start being dewormed as early as two weeks of age with a drug called Strongid (pyrantel pamoate). I suggest you call another vet clinic or go to your local VETCO clinic to have the kitten dewormed. Deworming should be done every 3-4 weeks until the kitten is 4 months old. ( vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/clinic-locations-and-schedules/?zip=34243 )

Poor Luna! There are many different parasites that she could have been passing in her stool -- roundworms, hookworms, or tapeworms. She most likely acquired parasites from her mother either through the placenta or milk. Pyrantel pamoate is a common dewormer used to treat both roundworms and hookworms, but it is not typically started until 2 weeks of age. However, this medication is extremely safe and may be used off-label prior to 2 weeks of age. Ideally, I do recommend taking Luna to a vet to first determine the type of parasite present, and then determine the best treatment for her. It is important to note that not every dewormer treats every type of parasite. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Luna!