"honeybunch" wrote in message
oups.com...
There is something I dont understand. I just got back from the vet
with my cat. I took the cat there to be neutered because he was
smelling up the house. While he was there it was found that he has a
bladder infection.

Ask your vet how he obtained the urine sample. Find out if he expressed the
bladder or if he obtatained the sample directly from the bladder with a
needle (cystocentesis). The reason I'm asking is because bacterial urinary
tract infections are rare in young to middle-aged cats, partly because of
the high osmolality of feline urine and partly because of the high acidity.
If the vet obtained the urine by expressing the bladder the sample was
probably contaminated with bacteria that normally inhabit the distal urinary
tract.


Among all the things I was told on the phone was
that the vet found the cat had tapeworms as well as a bladder
infection. When I went to pick the cat up the vet really didnt want to
talk to me. I had to wait a half hour to talk to him and then he took
me in a closet to talk. He is an asian and so perhaps communication
was the issue.

You might want to find a new vet. Vet-Client communication is an essential
part of your cat's health care.


He gave the cat a shot for tapeworms. The literature
in the office stated that a pill by Bayer was what was to be given to
cats for tapeworm. He refused to tell me exactly what the shot was.

He can't do that. If you didn't get a detailed bill, ask for one.


Would someone please let me know what Bayer makes in shot form for
tapeworms because I feel pretty bad right now about this entire
experience.

Yes. Bayer makes Droncit Injectable for cats that are difficult to pill. I
use the injectible form of Droncit in ferals because they're almost
impossible to pill.


The cat is in pain and is staggering around.

If he was neutered earlier in the day, he's probably still recovering from
the anesthesia.


I dont know
how I am going to get him to swallow two pills tomorrow for the bladder
infection.

Which medication did the vet give you?


He is a stray who once had a broken leg before I knew him.
This vet says it didnt heal properly and could pop apart at anytime.

Was your cat limping or staggering before he was neutered?


This has been a very very blue day and I hate myself for taking the cat
to this vet recommended by the Morris Animal Refuge. They sold me a
certificate for $40 to have the cat neutered. Someone please
reassure me that a shot is what is required for tapeworm.

Some vets use the injectible form of Droncit (Praziquantel). Your cat was
probably too groggy from the anesthesia to swallow a pill.


The cats
stools are always hard and he passes them every second day and I have
never seen any worms or grains of rice.

Sometimes the segments difficult to see because they're pasted to the skin
around the anus.


He never scratches himself for
fleas

Not all species of tapeworms cats can get come from eating fleas. Dipylidium
caninum is flea-vectored. The other species, Taeniids, are transmitted by
eating rodents.

but I had to buy that stuff as well to the tune of $75.

The pills shouldn't have cost more than $5.00-$7.00 ea. from a vet. The
injectible form of Droncit costs me about $70 for a 10 ml bottle - and I get
about 22-25 doses out of it. The dose for cats is .4 cc/10 lbs. which breaks
down to about $3.00 a dose. I think the vet grossly over charged you.


The
entire job cost me $275 which I can ill afford. Can the cat get
reinfected with the tapeworms from his litter box?

No. Cats cannot and do not get tapeworms by eating the segments or the tiny
egg packets. Tapeworm require intermediate hosts in their life cycle.

Phil