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Tapeworm passed whole
I'm caring for a friend's cat for a couple of weeks. I've noticed the
telltale "rice grains" around the cat's backside before, but didn't know what it was. Clearly my friend didn't know either or else I wouldn't have to post tis message. Anyway, last night, after using the litterbox there was a long (around 6 inches) string hanging from the cat's anus -- turns out it had begun passing a tapeworm and the length of it was just dangling there, exposed. After an emergency midnight run to the vet, he's been given de-worming medication. A couple of questions for the experts here... 1) Has anybody else encountered this? My wife and I were seriously freaked out when we saw this thing. We honestly didn't know if it was a piece of string, a worm, or part of the poor beast's intestine coming out. 2) How long does the anti-tapeworm medication typically take to destroy tapeworms living in the digestive system? Is it quick enough that there is little chance of this happening again? 3) Is there any chance my cat could be infected? They've only been together a couple of days, my cat *never* goes outside, and my friend's cat has no sign of fleas or any other parasite carrier. Thanks in advance for your help! |
#2
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Tapeworm passed whole
On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 13:58:53 -0800, tom.merrall wrote:
I'm caring for a friend's cat for a couple of weeks. I've noticed the telltale "rice grains" around the cat's backside before, but didn't know what it was. Clearly my friend didn't know either or else I wouldn't have to post tis message. Anyway, last night, after using the litterbox there was a long (around 6 inches) string hanging from the cat's anus -- turns out it had begun passing a tapeworm and the length of it was just dangling there, exposed. After an emergency midnight run to the vet, he's been given de-worming medication. A couple of questions for the experts here... 1) Has anybody else encountered this? My wife and I were seriously freaked out when we saw this thing. We honestly didn't know if it was a piece of string, a worm, or part of the poor beast's intestine coming out. 2) How long does the anti-tapeworm medication typically take to destroy tapeworms living in the digestive system? Is it quick enough that there is little chance of this happening again? 3) Is there any chance my cat could be infected? They've only been together a couple of days, my cat *never* goes outside, and my friend's cat has no sign of fleas or any other parasite carrier. Thanks in advance for your help! There is a lot of information on the net about tapeworms -- too many for me to include. Just type in "tape worms" or "cat tapeworms" and you will find a bunch. I've had no personal experience with worms in cats. Good luck. MLB |
#3
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Tapeworm passed whole
Well, I've googled the heck out of this topic, and about all I can find
is the phrase, "very rarely whole tapeworms can be passed". If anyone has more details, I'd be grateful! |
#4
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Tapeworm passed whole
wrote in message oups.com... Well, I've googled the heck out of this topic, and about all I can find is the phrase, "very rarely whole tapeworms can be passed". If anyone has more details, I'd be grateful! I've never had one pass that way but have had a cat barf one up. It was fortuitous as I was in the middle of fighting with the vet to get tape worm medicine. They wouldn't give me any for the cat because they weren't finding segments in the stool. Once she barfed the worm, I marched it up to the vet, made them look at it (gag!) and never had any problem getting meds for tapeworm after that. I don't know how long the medicine takes to kill the worm but I wouldn't be overly concerned about running into one in the near future. They don't often pass the entire worm like that. Tell your friend to be on the look out for rice like segment being shed from the anus and get meds for the cat as soon as any of them are found around. Your cat cannot catch a tapeworm from another cat. They are acquired by eating fleas or rodents. Wendy |
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Tapeworm passed whole
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#6
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Tapeworm passed whole
I've never heard of one passed whole -- that would freak me out too!
That was very good of you to run the cat to the emergency vet. Your cat-sitting bill to your friend should just about quadruple... I wonder if the worm died on its own and that's why it came out? That's just a guess. We took in a stray cat years ago and it took us a long time to get rid of her tapeworms. One pill usually does it, but she kept getting them again every couple of months. The vet thought that maybe we just weren't killing the original worm. It took about 3 or so doses before she was worm-free (and she never got them again.) Good luck with your friend's cat. Rhonda wrote: Anyway, last night, after using the litterbox there was a long (around 6 inches) string hanging from the cat's anus -- turns out it had begun passing a tapeworm and the length of it was just dangling there, exposed. After an emergency midnight run to the vet, he's been given de-worming medication. |
#7
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Tapeworm passed whole
wrote in message ups.com... I'm caring for a friend's cat for a couple of weeks. I've noticed the telltale "rice grains" around the cat's backside before, but didn't know what it was. Clearly my friend didn't know either or else I wouldn't have to post tis message. Anyway, last night, after using the litterbox there was a long (around 6 inches) string hanging from the cat's anus -- turns out it had begun passing a tapeworm and the length of it was just dangling there, exposed. After an emergency midnight run to the vet, he's been given de-worming medication. A couple of questions for the experts here... 1) Has anybody else encountered this? My wife and I were seriously freaked out when we saw this thing. We honestly didn't know if it was a piece of string, a worm, or part of the poor beast's intestine coming out. 2) How long does the anti-tapeworm medication typically take to destroy tapeworms living in the digestive system? Is it quick enough that there is little chance of this happening again? 3) Is there any chance my cat could be infected? They've only been together a couple of days, my cat *never* goes outside, and my friend's cat has no sign of fleas or any other parasite carrier. Thanks in advance for your help! Here is a page you might want to read: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/tapeworms.html One paragraph notes that a tapeworm will sometimes release its attachment in the intestines and migrate to the stomach. What that happens, the cat may throw up a tapeworm that is several inches in length. I remember seeing something like this from our family dog when I was a child. It was so gross that I still have a vivid memory of it. I realize that you were talking about the "other end" of your cat, and that also will occasionally occur. Many times, you will find it almost impossible to detect a tapeworm infestation because the most common sign is small segments that may resemble grains of rice or sesame seeds. These can be difficult to see if the cat's fur is light in color. I always take fecal samples to the vet for my cats' routine exams even though there have been no signs of worms from shortly after I adopted Holly 10+ years ago. Incidentally, sometimes even a microscopic examination of the feces will fail to detect the presence of tapeworm. Fortunately, this is not a medical emergency. Here is another site that describes different stages and different types of tapeworm: http://www.communityah.com/feline/Ta...-Infection.htm If I had a cat with tapeworm, I would treat *both* cats because they live in the same environment. Tapeworms are not "contagious." They occur when a cat swallows a flea, which serves as the intermediate host, but I think it is likely that the same thing could occur with other cats in the same household. MaryL Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o' Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e |
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Tapeworm passed whole
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#9
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Tapeworm passed whole
This cat may be infected with more than one type of parasite - Could
have Round worms - poor kitty needs to see Vet - soon - needs a full fecal exam to determine what it has, poor baby. |
#10
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Tapeworm passed whole
On 10 Feb 2006 17:17:01 -0800, "JJ" wrote:
This cat may be infected with more than one type of parasite - Could have Round worms - poor kitty needs to see Vet - soon - needs a full fecal exam to determine what it has, poor baby. I concur with JJ. Some things are best taken care of by vet. My babies http://members.aol.com/larrystark/ |
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