Koret Shelter Medicine Program
Change agents who inform & inspire shelter leaders to implement a humane, community-centered approach to animal care and shelter management focused on prevention and grounded in science
Topic: Infectious DiseaseSpecies: Canine, Feline
Intestinal parasites can cause mild to major health problems for shelter animals, and some can be spread to staff. This information sheet details types of parasites, the symptoms they cause, a range of treatments, and a suggested basic parasite control protocol for shelters.
Pyrantel Dose For Dogs Cats Horses Cattle Sheep Goats Swine Poultry And Other Domestic Animals
Pyrantel is a narrow-spectrum anthelmintic effective against gastrointestinal roundworms but not against those in the lungs or elsewhere in the host’s body. At higher doses it is also effective against certain tapeworms as well. It is ineffective against flukes . It is completely ineffective against external parasites.
Oral administration is the rule. It is used very scarcely in livestock but quite a lot in dogs and cats and also in horses . There are hundreds of generic brands worldwide, also in mixtures with other anthelmintics. It is also used as a human medicine. It is not used against agricultural or household pests.
Pyrantel is used in the form of different salts, e.g. chlorhydrate, tartrate and pamoate . Efficacy depends on the content of so-called “pyrantel base”. 10 mg pyrantel base correspond to 11.5 mg pyrantel chlorhydrate 17.22 mg pyrantel tartrate and 29 mg pyrantel pamoate . The tartrate is water-soluble but is unstable in solutions. The pamoate is not soluble in water.
In carnivores delivery with the food increases the bioavailability of pyrantel resulting in a better efficacy.
Pyrantel has almost no residual effect, i.e. it kills the parasites during a few hours after treatment but offers no significant protection against re-infestation.
The table below indicates some usual dosing recommendations for pyrantel issued by manufacturers or documented in the scientific literature. They may not be approved in some countries.
- P. Junquera
Pyrantel Pamoate For Cats
Although you may not be aware of it, many puppies and kittens alike are born with different types of parasites that they’ve acquired from their mother in order to prevent those parasites from threatening a young cat’s life, pyrantel pamoate is a good medicine to help mediate the problem. This medicine helps to deworm those animals and is recommended by most vets within the first few months of a cat’s life.
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Dosage: How Much Pyrantel To Give To Your Cat
Make sure you give the exact dose as directed by the vet. The dosage usually varies between 2.5 mg/lb and 5 mg/lb given once, and your vet may recommend repeating the treatment again in 2-3 weeks . If you are using the liquid form of the medicine, shake it well before each use .
Kittens between 2 to 12 weeks of age are sometimes routinely treated with pyrantel every 2-3 weeks, especially if they have a high infection risk .
When giving it to a nursing cat, make sure at least 2-3 weeks have passed since it has given birth, as this eliminates the chances of passing the parasitic worms on to its young ones .
It usually starts working within 24 hours of administering the initial dose. Follow-up deworming is sometimes needed to get rid of any remaining worms and their larva .
Overview Of Pyrantel Pamoate For Dogs And Cats
Pyrantel pamoate is one of the most commonly used drugs for de-worming puppies and kittens. It can also be used for parasite control in adult pets and is relatively safe when administered to sick or debilitated animals requiring de-worming. Pyrantel pamoate acts on the nervous system of certain parasites, resulting in paralysis and death of the worm.
Pyrantel pamoate is available over the counter but should not be administered unless under the supervision and guidance of a veterinarian.
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How To Give Doxycycline To Cats
Doxycycline can be given to cats in either tablet or liquid form. If you are using the tablet form, you will need to crush the tablet and mix it with food.
It is important to make sure that your cat eats all of the food, as leaving any doxycycline behind could cause them to vomit or have diarrhea.
If you are using the liquid form, you can simply give it to your cat directly from the syringe. It is important to follow the instructions on the medication label carefully, as giving too much or too little could have negative consequences.
How Pyrantel Pamoate Works
Pyrantel pamoate treats large roundworms and hookworms . The medication works by paralyzing worms, which are then expelled from the body in feces. Pyrantel only treats parasites found in the gastrointestinal tract because it does not absorb well into the bloodstream.
Because these worms can be large enough to see without a microscope, you may see them in your dogs feces after treatment.
Pyrantel Pamoate For Cats
Pyrantel pamoate by itself is not FDA-approved in cats. However, it is readily utilized in the veterinary field, and veterinarians can legally prescribe certain human drugs in animals in certain circumstances. This is called extra-label or off-label use because this use isnt described on the drug label
Pyrantel pamoate can be found in combination products along with other deworming medications. For example, Drontal®, which is FDA approved for use in cats and kittens, contains pyrantel pamoate and praziquantel. Follow the directions on the drug label or as directed by your cats veterinarian.
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Is Doxycycline Toxic To Cats
No, doxycycline is not toxic to cats. However, it is important to give your cat the correct dosage of doxycycline, as giving too much or too little can have negative consequences. If you are considering using doxycycline to treat your cats illness, speak to your veterinarian about the correct dosage for your cat.
What Is Pyrantel Pamoate Dosage For Cats In Ml
Finding the correct and ideal dosage of pyrantel pamoate for your feline could be a little tricky. The safe dosage of the 50mg/ml pyrantel pamoate suspension for cats is 0.05 to 0.1ml/lb. Please only give a single dose of the medicine and repeat in 2 weeks with the vets advice. The liquid form of the medication is mainly used for kittens.
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Which Animals Should Be Treated For Intestinal Parasites
The Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends that all companion animals be treated year-round with broad-spectrum heartworm antihelminthics that have activity against parasites with zoonotic potential. Therefore, it would be ideal to make treatment for common parasites as widely available for all shelter animals as possible. However, limited shelter resources often necessitate compromises that are less than ideal.
However, some general guidelines for parasite treatment should apply to nearly all shelter populations. As stated above, roundworms and hookworms are extremely common in puppies and kittens, so it may be particularly important to prophylactically deworm all animals under the age of 3 or 4 months.
It should be noted that a national study of intestinal parasites in shelter dogs found parasites in dogs of all age groups. In this study, hookworms and whipworms were just as common in older dogs as they were in puppies, although roundworms and coccidia were less common in adults than in puppies. Thus the recommendation is to treat all animals at intake with a broad spectrum dewormer such as pyrantal.
Using Pyrantel Pamoate For Your Cat
Pyrantel pamoate is fully approved for use in both pets and humans. It comes in a variety of different formulations, with the primary difference between human and veterinary versions of the medicine being the mode of delivery and the size of the doses. Because of the gentle nature of pyrantel pamoate, it is highly recommended for deworming in cats that are very young. This property of the medicine also makes it suitable for animals that may be debilitated by other medical conditions or age.
Pyrantel pamoate comes in tablet form, as an oral suspension, and as a syrup. Most vets will recommend that you provide your pet with the medicine about once every three weeks. You’ll have to continue to monitor your pet’s health and stool samples after the duration of the medicine to see if additional treatments are necessary. If any eggs remain in your pet’s body, you’ll need to continue with follow up treatments as well.
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Diagnosis Of Intestinal Parasites
Protocols should be based on known prevalence of parasites for the region. The Companion Animal Parasite Council is one resource for such information, as are local practitioners, veterinary schools, diagnostic laboratories and the scientific literature.
Diagnostic testing for parasites may provide additional information specific to the shelter either to refine general treatment protocols or direct the response to an increase in symptomatic animals. Additionally, diagnostic tests are sometimes indicated to direct treatment in an individual.
Note that several of the available tests are prone to false positives or false negatives. In addition, due to the parasites life cycle the test may be negative even in an infected animal.
Finally, many internal parasites can be found in clinically normal animals. Simply identifying a parasite does not mean it is the cause of the animal’s clinical signs, nor does it necessarily require treatment. In some cases, it is more appropriate to simply treat likely infections based on the animal’s history, signalment , clinical signs, and known risks in the population. Additional testing is indicated in severely ill animals, those that fail to respond to empirical treatment, or in the event of an outbreak..
There are many types of diagnostic tests available to diagnose intestinal parasite infections:
Instructions for performing a fecal flotation with centrifugation:
Benefits Of Doxycycline For Cats
Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, which means that it can be used to treat a variety of cats infections. It is often used to treat respiratory infections, skin infections, and urinary tract infections.
It can also be used to treat certain types of Lyme disease. In some cases, doxycycline may also be used as a preventative measure to protect kitties from infections after they have been exposed to potentially contaminated areas.
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Which Intestinal Parasites Should We Treat
Ideally, a shelters deworming program should be based on a knowledge of which parasites are present in your particular shelter population. However, there are some general guidelines for deworming that could apply to nearly all shelter populations. For example, in puppies and kittens, roundworms and hookworms are ubiquitous. These are particularly important because they can be transmitted from mothers to puppies or kittens through the placenta and/or the mammary gland, so infections are extremely common in young animals, and can be severe. Up to 80% of puppies are infected with roundworms, but typically only about 20% of these infections are detected on fecal exam, so they should be treated regardless of fecal exam results. Also, roundworms and hookworms are both zoonotic, another reason that great care should be taken to control them.
Lastly, environmental contamination with roundworm eggs is practically impossible to get rid of, another reason to treat animals prophylactically to prevent shedding. Whipworms are less common than roundworms or hookworms, and are also generally less of a concern in a shelter environment. Thus it may not be necessary to treat for whipworms unless whipworm eggs are found on a fecal exam. However, like roundworm eggs, whipworm eggs are also very resistant to disinfection, so it is not a bad idea to treat all dogs over three months of age for whipworms too.
How To Use Pyrantel Pamoate Suspension
If you are taking the over-the-counter product, read all directions on the product package before taking this medication. This medicine comes with a Patient Information Leaflet. Read it carefully. Be sure you understand how to identify pinworms, understand the symptoms of pinworm infections, and how to prevent becoming infected again. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
Shake the medication well before using. Take this medication by mouth with or without food or as directed by your doctor.
Take this medication by mouth with or without food, usually once as a single dose or as directed by your doctor. This medication may be taken with milk or fruit juice. It is not necessary to take a laxative with this medication.
Dosage is based on your weight, type of infection, and response to treatment. Do not take more than a total of 1 gram in a single dose. If you are self-treating for pinworms, take the medication once only. Do not repeat the dose without talking with your doctor first. Depending on the type of worm infection you have, your doctor may direct you to take the medication only once or for several days. Your doctor may also direct you to repeat the dose in 2 weeks.
If you continue to see worms in your stool or if symptoms persist or worsen, or if you think you may have a different type of worm infection or a serious medical problem, seek immediate medical attention.
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Usual Adult Dose For Pinworm Infection
11 mg/kg base orally once as a single doseMaximum dose: 1 g/doseSome Experts Recommend: 11 mg/kg base orally once as a single doseMaximum dose: 1 g/dose
- Recommended as a regimen for E vermicularis infection
- This dose should be repeated in 2 weeks.
- Since family members are usually infected, the entire household should be treated retreatment after 14 to 21 days may be necessary.
- Current guidelines should be consulted for additional information.
How Many Milligrams Of Gabapentin Can I Give My Cat
They had good experiences with this technique and felt that the medication was very safe. As with any medication given to effect, weve learned that doses vary with different cats. In smaller, older or sick cats, we generally prescribe 50-75 mg in larger cats, 75-100 mg.
Is ml same as ml?
mL is international standard. It was accepted to use a capital letter if the unit is represented by some proper name like Joule. So, the right unit is ml, not mL.
What concentration is 1ml?
100 mg in 100 mL of solvent gives 1 mg/mL.
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Uses Of Fenbendazole In Cats
Fenbendazole is an effective drug for removing various types of intestinal parasites from animals. This includes roundworms, hookworm whip worms, tapeworms and species called strongyles. The Fenbendazole can also be used for the treatment of Aelurostrongylus and Paragonimiasis which infect the bronchial and lungs.
Side Effects And Risks Of Pyrantel Pamoate
The single most common side effect of pyrantel pamoate is vomiting. This occurs rarely, if at all. The overall safety of this medicine is what makes it one of the best choices for cats of all ages and health levels. Still, you should not provide a very old or debilitated cat with pyrantel pamoate unless there is a very specific reason to suspect that he may be suffering from parasites.
The dosage of the medicine is typically about 2.5 to 5 milligrams per pound. Given in this appropriate dose, any side effects and negative reactions are quite uncommon. However, you should always work with your vet in order to determine the best way to provide your pet with this medicine as well as the proper dosage and administration schedule as well. Take your cat to the vet if you notice any adverse effects.
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What Is The Suggested Basic Deworming Protocol
The most practical dewormer to use for treatment of roundworms and hookworms is pyrantel . Puppies and kittens should be treated immediately on intake , and again every 2-3 weeks until 8-12 weeks of age. Re-treatment is very important!
For deworming of adults, two doses of pyrantel are recommended: one immediately on intake, another 2-3 weeks later if still in the shelter.
If whipworms, tapeworms, Giardia, or coccidia are diagnosed, or other parasites are a common problem, a protocol should be developed with a veterinarian.
What Is Pyrantel Pamoate
Pyrantel pamoate is a common parasiticide used to treat intestinal parasites in puppies, dogs, horses, and other animals. This liquid medication helps to deworm pets against a few common parasites such as large roundworms and hookworms. Manufacturers also blend pyrantel pamoate with other types of antiparasitic medications that target a larger variety of internal parasites. As a component of several popular heartworm preventative medications, including Heartgard® Plus and Tri-Heart® Plus, many dogs safely receive pyrantel pamoate on a monthly basis.
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Pyrantel Pamoate Dosage For Kittens
Fortunately, you’ve selected a very safe dewormer that’s also very effective. For a 1 lb kitten, I would use .10 . For a 5 lb kitten, I would use .50 of the medication. This is a safe dosage that will be effective on the worms. It’s also an easy dosage to remember. For these babies, it would probably be easiest to get a tuberculin syringe to measure the dosage in as a 3 cc syringe would be somewhat difficult to use.
Please let me know if I can help further in any way.
You are most welcome! Have a wonderful evening!
Can I Put Pyrantel In Cat Food
Yes, you can give the tablet form of Pyrantel pamoate by rolling it in the food or cat treat. You can also add the liquid form of the medicine into the healthy feline food. Give only the recommended dose and avoid overdosing. To prevent the choking hazard of the tablet, you can divide the table into small pieces.
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