Is This Wormer Safe For Cats

kashmir64

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I'm thinking Kumal has worms. He was wormed once at the clinic, but I don't believe it was enough. He has soft stools, is not putting on the weight he should and his coat is rough. All this screams worms to me.
I would like to use Panacur granules, however, all I can seem to find is Panacur C canine dewormer. If I adjust the dose, is this safe for our feline friends? Anyone with any experience with canine wormer?
I do realize I have to do them all now.
 

HPeters

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Hey, vet assistant here- I have looked this up in a trusted pharmacology text and Panacur C (fenbendazole) is NOT FDA approved for use in cats though it has been used off label in the USA and UK at a dose of 50mg/kg oral for 3-5 days for domestic felines.
That being said, I don't recommend using any drug off label without veterinary consultation. It is also not uncommon for animals to require multiple doses of dewormer- especially if they have a high worm load. I do recommend you take Kumal back to the vet or in the very least a fecal sample so they can see what kind of worms he may have (if that is indeed the issue) and medicate him with the most appropriate dewormer available in your area.
Best of luck!
 

Mamanyt1953

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Thanks, HPeters HPeters , you gave the same advice I was going to give, but with the added oomph of being a vet tech! I do know that worms can, and do, "hide out" in folds of the intestine, and that repeat wormings are often necessary.
 
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kashmir64

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Thank you both. I also know worms can 'hide' which is why I always dosed my horses every month, sometimes twice a month.
Unfortunately, my vet charges $125 just to walk in the door. If I trusted him fully, this would not be much of an issue, but I don't think he's that great (he misdiagnosed one of my cats who ended up dying within two months), and on the mountain there is not a huge choice of vets.
I haven't actually seen a worm, but the symptoms say it's worms. I was just looking for a DIY OTC good wormer for my cats.
 
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kashmir64

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Hopefully I can find Panacur 22% on the mountain. If I knew for sure it was roundworms and not hookworms, I could get Pro-Sense. The only one I'm pretty sure about is tapeworm since he didn't have fleas when he went into the shelter and doesn't now.
 

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My old regular vet gave me a green light on using dewormer (or is it wormer? I keep hearing wormer is the correct term but my simple logic forbids me from using it...) by myself without the vet visit but only if:
- cats have used this type of dewormer before and we knew they have tolerated it without issues (I used Milbemax)
- I give them pills in the morning at the beginning of the week, and especially I was forbidden to use them on weekends (in case they react badly to it and the vet visit is required)
- cats don't seem off, show no sign of illness and seems healthy (she actually trusted my judgment on that)
- I was told to repeat the treatment at least once after 10-14 days; the reason for it is that dewormers don't really kill eggs nor oocyst but only adult parasites, which means the treatment needs to be repeated after the incubation period, but before they lay another eggs; that's why it's good to know what parasites you're dealing with as the incubation period may vary.
 

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Safeguard suspension for goats is the one commonly used for cats. I'm not sure if dog Panacur is the same concentration, but using granules seems weird. Not sure how to get a cat to eat that. But, yeah, fenbendazole is off-label for cats in the US. Actually, I just found out, so is pyrantel pamoate, which is what my vet uses for cats and kittens. I guess a lot of meds aren't actually approved for cats :/.

Will your vet sell you dewormer without seeing the cat? Mine will. The most recent one he sold me was a spot-on called Centragard; it kills all worms including tapeworms. And I guess it worked because an hour after I applied it to the new kitty, he threw up a dead tapeworm :barfgreen:. It was about $15 a dose, worth it to not try to cram a pill or nasty liquid into his mouth.
 
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kashmir64

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but using granules seems weird.
This is what the shelter uses so I know none of the 3 have had a reaction. It's actually easier to use granules (on a cat or dog) than either a paste or a pill. It dissolves almost instantly and you can sprinkle it on the wet food or put it into a syringe with water and just administer that way. They can't spit liquid as easily as paste.
 

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To me there is no harm in deworming if clinical signs are noticed (such as the weight loss or seeing the worms in the stool) however there is too much of a good thing and over worming will cause drug resistance in the worms- rendering the dewormer useless.
Some horse dewormer can be used on cats and dogs- especially liquid strongid- if you have a horse dewormer on hand right now I can look up the dosage with the drug name (some might call it the generic name)
 
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kashmir64

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The only horse wormer I use is Ivermectin. And although I have adjusted the dose and used it on a large dog, I would never even consider using it on a cat.
I will try to find Panacur 22% granules, but I may end up having to order it.
 
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