Will I see tapeworm's segments again after giving my kitten the first treatment? How about flea?

Question

I just found out that the 8 weeks kitten I adopted from shelter has tapeworm. I gave her the first oral treatment from vet. Will the tapeworm be killed right away? Will I see the rice-like worm segments again? Also, my kitten has tapeworm, does that mean she has flea too? I haven't seen any flea yet, but do I need to give her any flea control medicine?

Answer 1

The shelter should have told you if they gave the kitten a flea treatment.  If so they most likely would have used Advantage for Small Cats and Kittens.  The tapeworm was from swallowing a flea.  This doesn't mean the kitten currently has them - it could have had the worm for awhile.  Check your papers and/or call them and if they didn't treat her definitely get her on Advantage.

The tapeworm medicine works quite quickly and you will see the segments coming out as the tapeworm dies.  Contrary to what a lot of people think a tapeworm is just ONE creature that grows segments called "proglottids" - this is what you see coming out.  Soon the tapeworm will die and release its grasp on the inside of the kitten's stomach and come out as well.  Not sure what meds your vet gave the kitten but normally just one pill is all it takes.

Answer 2

I'm surprised that your kitten wasn't dewormed already and that everything was taken care of.

But since it isn't, the tapeworm will be killed shortly, but your kitten will have to p**p out any remaining worms that it might have. So yeah, you'll have another visit, but they should be dead.

If you are afraid of fleas on your kitten, get a flea comb (or buy one, not that expensive) and run it through your kittens fur. Make sure to get the base of the tail, behind the ears and under the chin. That's where they like to be. If you find live fleas or even little black excrement from the fleas (turns a pinkish color when smeared against a damp paper towel), then yes; a flea treatment is needed. Call your vet for treatments that are kitten safe.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Yes, she has fleas too. The most common way for a cat to get intestinal tape worms is from eating a FLEA (a host) that has eaten a tapeworm egg. The host animal has to be eaten.

The most common way for a cat to (or human) to get tapeworms is to ingest the host (flea that has ingested a tapeworm egg)... not just the egg. The flea eating the egg activates the egg... which then hatches in your cat's intestine after the cat ingests the flea. Tape worm eggs do not activate to become larvae until they are eaten by a host, and then that larvae must again be swallowed to become a tape in the end recipient.

You can buy Capstar and Frontline Plus at drsfostersmith.com . The Capstar will kill all the fleas on your cat almost instantly and the frontline will prevent re-infestation. Use the Capstar right away. It will kill all fleas on your cat with in an hour. It is imperative that you do not skip this. Frontline (or advantage, revolution, promeris, etc.) is only effective if the flea bites the cat. Fleas have a 3 week lifespan and only feed for a few days of those three weeks, so you must use Capstar to kill all live fleas on your cat. After you Capstar add on the Frontline Plus and it will keep fleas off your cat for 30 days. Any eggs that hatch will be killed when they feed by the Frontline. Refrontline every 30 days. No vet visit required and totally safe.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr...

Frontline contains fipronil, which spreads via the body oils killing fleas within 24 hours and ticks within 48 hours. Ticks are generally killed before they bite, decreasing the risk of tick-borne disease transmission. Approved for use on kittens 8 weeks and older.

Frontline Plus also contains (S)-methoprene, an Insect Growth Regulator, which prevents an insect from maturing or reproducing. Approved for use on kittens 8 weeks and older.

You can use FRONTLINE flea and tick control once a month and it's completely waterproof. Provide your cat with the best flea and tick protection, right from the start.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr...

Capstar - Treats flea infestations on pets. Starts killing adult fleas on the pet within 30 minutes. One dose lasts 24 hours. Use when pets are likely to be exposed to fleas. Also may be used prior to surgery, boarding, or grooming. Active ingredient is Nitenpyram, which interferes with the normal nerve transmission of insects, effectively killing them. Not a preventive. For pets over four (4) weeks of age. Package of 6.