Can intestinal worms cause fluid in the abdomen

pringandpan

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Hello there! I recently adopted a rescued kitten about 12 weeks old now. He had a very big pot belly. The rescuer dewormed him three times but the belly stays the same. My vet dewormed him seven times now. On many occasions, we find large white worms in this stool. My vet did an ultrasound and found fluid in his abdomen. He prescribed diuretic medication for two weeks now but no improvement. He said worms can cause fluid in the intestines when they travel. Can worms really cause fluid in his abdomen? My vet ruled out FIP since the blood chemistry shows normal in all levels including liver and kidney function. My kitten doesn’t show any lethargy. He is active and eating well. But has a very large belly. Any insights?
 

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That is a LOT of deworming... a concerning amount, IMO, for such a small kitten in such a small time frame. I would think about getting him tested for heartworm, just to be safe. Has your vet seen these worms? The vet should be able to extract a sample of the abdominal fluid and test that, or send it away for testing.
 
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pringandpan

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That is a LOT of deworming... a concerning amount, IMO, for such a small kitten in such a small time frame. I would think about getting him tested for heartworm, just to be safe. Has your vet seen these worms? The vet should be able to extract a sample of the abdominal fluid and test that, or send it away for testing.
The first three dose were two weeks apart. Then one dose by the vet. After two weeks, vet administered one dose for three consecutive days. Then after a week, another dose for three consecutive days. After a week, one dose only for seven-day interval. The 3-consecutive days deworming is when I found physical spaghetti like worms in the stool about 3-4 inches long. Sometimes 3 worms in one stool. So my vet suspected that my kitten is severely infested with worms. He was rescued from the streets when he was 4 weeks old. I’ll ask him about heartworm test and if it is possible to test the abdominal fluid. He is taking Furosemide 5 mg every 8 hours for seven days.
 

StanAndAlf

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Oh ok, that sounds a little better 😅

I was thinking that you had just got him and then the vet did all the worming. Hope he recovers quickly.
 
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pringandpan

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How long does it take to see the effects of deworming? I don’t see any worms in his feces anymore. We have been deworming him for a month now with no visible change in the size of his abdomen.
 
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pringandpan

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Or, maybe, a different vet. Is there a cat specialist vet in your area? That would be best.
The vet run another blood work including complete chemistry panel. All is normal except a very slightly elevated WBC. The protein count is normal so the vet ruled out FIP. Did an x-ray.. heart size is normal. Some abdominal fluid is present but is less compared last week. We will try diuretic medication again for one week and see how it goes. My kitten is very active, eating well, poop is solid brown.
 
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pringandpan

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Or, maybe, a different vet. Is there a cat specialist vet in your area? That would be best.
There is one feline specialty clinic about an hour away. We will visit when no improvement in his abdomen after a week.
 

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The vet run another blood work including complete chemistry panel. All is normal except a very slightly elevated WBC. The protein count is normal so the vet ruled out FIP. Did an x-ray.. heart size is normal. Some abdominal fluid is present but is less compared last week. We will try diuretic medication again for one week and see how it goes. My kitten is very active, eating well, poop is solid brown.
Did the vet run a test or analysis on that fluid?
 
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pringandpan

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Did the vet run a test or analysis on that fluid?
Vet didn’t suggest test analysis on the fluid. Based on the x-ray, the fluid mostly is scattered around the intestines. We can clearly see the heart, lungs, liver, and kidney. I’m not sure if there’s enough fluid for testing. But I will bring this up again next week during our follow-up.
 
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pringandpan

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It's been 4 days since our last visit to the vet. No sign of improvement on my kitten's abdomen. He is taking Furosemide, Nefrotec DS, and Doxycycline.
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pringandpan

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We will ask for second opinion in a feline-specific vet clinic tomorrow.
 
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pringandpan

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I think this time there should be enough fluid in the abdomen to be drawn with a syringe and tested.
Big twist! The vet from the cat clinic said the abdomen is not filled with fluids but air/gas! He advised to stop diuretic medication. I’m confused now! The second vet said that cat with bloated abdomen that is hard when pressed is not filled with fluid. The bloating is caused by gas or air due to poor digestion. He recommended gastrointestinal cat food and also to give smaller meals. He also suggested to feed the cat alone so he doesn’t feel that he needs to compete with food with my other cats. In this way, he will eat slowly. Just for peace of mind, he conducted FIP test and it came back negative. What a relief! We will come back again after 5 days to check his abdomen.
 

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Great news!
Did the vet prescribed any treatment to "discharge" this gas?
There are things like drops to be given orally or even activated charcoal pills. In the past I used the latter for a kitten who had gas in her belly.
 
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pringandpan

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Great news!
Did the vet prescribed any treatment to "discharge" this gas?
There are things like drops to be given orally or even activated charcoal pills. In the past I used the latter for a kitten who had gas in her belly.
Yes, the second vet injected ranitidine (to calm spasm in the colon) and tolfine (anti-inflammatory). I will ask about oral medications my kitten can take at home when he is bloated with gas.

Vet also said I might be overfeeding my kittens. So he asked about their diet.
 
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