How to treat roundworms in cats. Cat roundworm. Preventive measures and prognosis

Roundworms are common

What is toxocariasis?

Each egg is covered with a special shell, which reliably protects it from most negative influences. external influences. It is noteworthy that it can remain without a host for a very long time and still remain viable. As soon as the egg is in the cat’s intestines, the process of roundworm development begins.

Adult roundworms can reach a length of two tens of centimeters, which is quite a lot, considering the rather modest size of the cat itself. These are round worms of white or yellowish color, which usually live in the animal's small intestine.

Routes of infection

As already mentioned, living exclusively inside the house, without the opportunity to go outside, does not protect cats from infection. Of course, this significantly reduces the threat, but still roundworm eggs have the opportunity to get into the room, for example, on the soles of shoes, with some objects, on dirty hands. From there, little remains to be done. A curious cat catches the eggs on its paws or fur, then licks them off and swallows them while cleaning.

A cat can become infected while hunting

Naturally, street animals are almost constantly at risk of infection. Another risk factor for them is hunting, as a result of which they catch, for example, mice, which also act as carriers of pests.

A kitten can become infected with roundworms while in the womb. They are able to cross the placenta and thus be transmitted to unborn babies. It is worth noting that this is extremely dangerous for them, even life-threatening.

Signs of the disease

For a cat, it is important to diagnose ascaris in a timely manner, so owners should closely monitor their pet and, at the first suspicion of the presence of a pest, contact a veterinarian.

One of the symptoms of the disease is watery eyes.

It has a number of signs, but many of them are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, so examination of the animal by a specialist is very important. In any case, the owner should be alerted to any of the manifestations listed below:

• stool disorders;
• vomit;
• refusal to eat;
• weight loss or slow weight gain in a kitten;
• development of seizures, pneumonia, anemia;
• watery eyes;
• lack of shine in the coat, its unhealthy appearance.

Kittens experience bloating, often very severe. Adult animals become sedentary and nervous. Also characteristic feature diseases - “riding” the anus on the carpet. This occurs due to itching that bothers the animal.

Diagnostics

For more accurate diagnosis you can get tested

Why, in this case, should you go to a veterinary clinic if you can purchase the drug yourself and use it? The thing is that calculating the required dosage is not always easy; much depends on the condition of the animal. In addition, you need to choose the right product.

Treatment

the cat must be given a prescribed anthelmintic drug in the required dosage

Roundworms in cats: symptoms and treatment

The causative agents of toxocariasis differ morphologically and also externally.

Table 1. Types of roundworms

It has been clinically proven that roundworms in cats and dogs cannot cause helminthic infestation in humans.

Dog or cat roundworm eggs will not be able to develop in the human body, even if they are purposefully “planted” there. This is due to the fact that human roundworm develops in the intestines at a temperature of 36.6 degrees, and roundworms of cats and dogs develop at a temperature of 38.5 - 39 degrees.

A person can become infected with other worms from animals, so pets need to be examined once every 3 months. full course deworming, and when diagnosing helminthic infestation - adequate treatment.

Ways of infection of pets

Even if your pets are constantly at home, the possibility of ascariasis in cats cannot be ruled out. An animal may “just for a second” jump out onto the landing, or may sniff and lick your outdoor shoes, which almost always contain worm eggs.

Puppies and kittens can ingest eggs in their mother's milk or become infected in utero from a sick mother. Before mating, animals must undergo anthelmintic treatment.

Treatment must be carried out in several stages to kill adults and larvae.

Symptoms of the disease

Signs of ascariasis in cats:

• Digestive disorders, vomiting, diarrhea;
• Pneumonia;
• The animal practically does not gain weight, the cats look thin and emaciated;
• Pale nose, tongue, sour eyes, tousled dull fur;
• Itching of the anus.

In dogs, the main signs of ascariasis are:

• Insatiable appetite. Despite regular complete feeding, the animal greedily “swallows” food;
• Intestinal disorders, diarrhea, constipation, sometimes vomiting;
• The abdomen is unnaturally distended with gases;
• The wool is dull, “lifeless”;
• The breath has a sweetish odor;
• Coughing, the animal makes sounds as if clearing its throat.

How dangerous is ascariasis for pets?

Ascariasis in cats and dogs causes severe consequences in animals:

It is impossible to make a diagnosis on your own; if ascariasis is suspected, it is necessary to undergo examination and appropriate treatment.

We are responsible for those whom we take into our home. While living with us, animals should receive our love and adequate treatment when necessary.

Features of the treatment of toxocariasis in cats

Males of Toxocara reach a length of 5-10 cm, females are much larger - from 9 to 18 cm. The body is predominantly light yellow in color. The head end has clearly defined formations - “lateral wings”.

The eggs of the cat Toxocara are round in shape and have a thick shell. Their size is about 85 microns. The embryonic phase lasts from 10 to 15 days.

Mechanism of infection and routes of infection

Cats become infected with toxocariasis by ingesting mature roundworm eggs, inside of which there is a larva in the first stage of development. Getting into digestive tract, the larvae emerge from them in the second stage. After this, penetrating the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and its blood vessels, they make a sequential migration to the liver, heart, then to the lungs.

Getting into Airways, the larvae are expectorated and swallowed by the animal again, again ending up in small intestine. Some of the larvae that enter the heart further spread not to the lungs, but to big circle blood circulation, after which they can enter all organs and tissues. The larvae that do not enter the organs or muscles re-enter the intestine, where they molt and re-emerge into the wall of the small intestine.

Ascaris larvae that entered the systemic circulation during the animal’s pregnancy as a result of hormonal changes, are activated directly in the blood vessels, which is why they can penetrate into mother’s milk and infect kittens during their feeding.

Infection with cat roundworms is also possible through eating rodent meat. However, invasion by both mature forms of the helminth and larvae by mother's milk or with rodents leads to the fact that roundworms produce eggs in the intestines of cats, which are excreted along with the feces. IN environment the eggs mature, after which they are able to infect the next host.

Signs of toxocariasis in cats

Symptoms of toxocariasis are always most pronounced in kittens, since toxocariasis in adults is often asymptomatic. Symptoms that appear when infected with feline roundworms include:

• Decreased or lack of appetite.
• Dull and tousled fur.
• Chronic cough.
• Vomiting followed by diarrhea (diarrhea).
• Dehydration (dry skin and coat).
• Sunken eyes.
• Cover eyeballs third century.
• Enlargement of the abdomen, which occurs due to flatulence (increased accumulation of gases).
• Presence of roundworms in feces.

Advice: It is not always possible to notice roundworms in a cat’s feces. Quite often they appear in secretions at intervals of several days, which is associated with their migration throughout the animal’s body. It is better to collect feces in the morning - the chance of finding roundworm eggs in this case is much higher.

Diagnosis of toxocariasis in cats

To confirm toxocariasis, a scatological examination (stool analysis) is performed to determine the presence of Toxocara eggs. At the same time, this diagnostic method should be carried out repeatedly - 2-3 times with an interval of 1-1.5 weeks, since the feces for the first study may not contain ascaris. This is due to the fact that the roundworms at this stage have not yet released eggs or have not reached the required degree of development.

However, in practice, most veterinarians recommend giving anthelmintics right away. This is due to the fact that this step will help to quickly confirm or refute the diagnosis, since the very next day you can find dead roundworms in your pet’s feces. At the same time, this will allow treatment to begin much earlier, even in the absence of helminth infestation.

Treatment of toxocariasis in cats

To treat toxocariasis, like other helminthic diseases of cats, anthelmintic drugs are used. It is better to use agents that act on a specific pathogen in order to avoid unnecessary influence pharmacological drugs for a pet. In practice, in most cases, anthelmintic medications are used. wide range actions, since often the exact pathogen cannot be immediately determined.

“Universal” anthelmintic drugs include the following drugs:

• Milbemax.
• Drontal.
• Stronghold.
• Advocate.

These tablet preparations are used according to the instructions and technique of use. The recommended dosage is 2 times a day with an interval of 14 days.

Advice: at the present time in veterinary pharmacies There are analog remedies in the form of drops on the withers. This solution is suitable for those who do not know how or cannot properly give deworming tablets to cats.

It is worth noting that frequent infestations and permanent treatment their similar drugs causes addiction and resistance (insensitivity) cat worms to them. Therefore, it is important to use different medications each time. In this case, medications must be different not only in name, but also in the main active ingredient.

Complications of toxocariasis

Toxocariasis itself rarely causes any complications. Life-threatening conditions for a pet can occur with a high degree of infestation, since a large number of helminths, including dead ones, release a huge amount of toxins that cause a state of severe intoxication.

Often serious violations in the animal’s body occur when the dosage of the drug is violated or its incorrect choice.

An extremely rare pathological phenomenon allergic reaction for helminths. However, it is easily controlled by taking antihistamines.

Disease prevention

The main point of prevention is periodic deworming of a pet, even if it is constantly in the house/apartment. It should be carried out at least once every 3 months. However, for extremely clean pets who never leave the apartment or cats that do not tolerate similar drugs, the frequency of this procedure can be reduced to 1 time every six months to a year.

Also to preventive measures It is worth disinfecting all items with which it comes into close contact a pet: beds, toilets, feeders, toys, etc.

Possibility of human infection

The risk of contracting toxocariasis from a cat for humans is extremely small, since this requires specific conditions, which can be easily prevented by observing normal hygiene measures.

Roundworms in cats: routes of infection, treatment and prevention

Ways of infection with roundworms

Such worms in cats enter the body in different ways:

• through poorly processed fish or meat;
• in utero;
• through swallowed fleas or other insects;
• upon contact with a sick animal;
• through the wearer's shoes.

Through insufficiently processed beef meat, it can enter the animal’s body. bull tapeworm, which uses it as an intermediate host. Roundworms pose a great danger to small kittens, as they cause severe intoxication of the body or blockage of the intestines. This often causes death.

Signs of ascariasis in domestic cats

Treatment of ascariasis in cats

Any medications for worms in cats are prescribed only by a veterinarian after determining the underlying cause of the disease. To do this, it is worth taking a stool or vomit test for examination in advance. This is due to the fact that the treatment of ascariasis in children or adults has its own characteristics, and animals should absolutely not be given drugs such as decaris or pyrantel.

The basis of treatment for ascariasis in domestic cats is anthelmintics. All anthelmintics are available in different dosage form: tablets, drops, injections. During treatment, it is necessary to carry out wet cleaning of the room with disinfectants and treat all objects with which the animal has been in contact: feeder, toilet, etc.

Advice: Too frequent infestations can cause addiction to the drugs, so it is advisable to use other anthelmintics over time.

To prevent the development of ascariasis in cats, it is recommended to promptly treat the animal’s fur from fleas, keep the tray clean, maintain hygiene and periodically administer anthelmintic drugs.

Only after ripening in the soil can they enter the human body, for example, by eating unwashed strawberries. First, the eggs penetrate the intestines; they have five protective shells, which are subsequently disposed of. Larvae hatch from the eggs, penetrate through the intestinal walls into the blood vessels, and then spread throughout all organs.

Then they penetrate into the lungs, and from there, along with sputum, they enter the pharynx, are again swallowed by the patient and re-enter the intestines. Here they already become adults and begin to actively reproduce. The eggs are released along with the feces, but they are still immature, as they ripen only in the soil. That is why roundworm is transmitted only through food contaminated with soil, as well as when hygiene rules are not followed. The answer to the question whether this type of worm is transmitted through household contact with a sick person is negative.

How are roundworms transmitted?

Is ascariasis transmitted from dogs and cats?

Many people seeing white in their pets' stool long worms, they think that these are cat or dog roundworms. But in fact, this is an erroneous point of view; this disease cannot be transmitted from dogs and cats, because the source of infection is humans. This type of worm has no intermediate hosts.

There are known cases when they found in the body of animals human roundworms. But they cannot live in the body of animals. Such a worm will most likely simply pass out in the feces and will not be able to develop outside the human body.

The only animal in which adult roundworms capable of reproduction have been found are pigs. But so far no one has proven whether such a worm can live in human body, no one has checked this.

Anthelminthic treatment for pets is recommended twice a year, regardless of whether the pet goes for walks or not. Roundworms can be transmitted from pets if the pet is lying in the ground and particles of soil remain on its fur, or the cat is lying on the floor in the hallway in a place where the owners walk dirty shoes. In other cases, you cannot get this disease from pets.

When a pet meets its owner, it can rub against its legs, and the helminth eggs transfer to the animal’s fur. WITH cat hair they are transferred into his body through oral cavity. To protect your pet from this, you should wet clean the room more often using antibacterial agents.

A kitten can catch this pathology in utero if its mother’s body is infected with roundworm. The larvae are able to migrate throughout the adult body, and also migrate through the placenta, localizing in the body of the unborn baby. For children, ascariasis can be deadly. Roundworms in a cat develop to a mature individual in 30 days.

Symptoms

• loss of appetite, and it can either decrease or increase;
• weight loss;
• lethargy of the pet;
• the appearance of bloating in the abdominal area;
• the appearance of loose stools;
• dulling of fur;
• inflammation of the eyes.

These symptoms are characteristic not only of ascariasis, but also of other dangerous diseases, therefore, if any suspicion arises, the owner should take the animal to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

To diagnose pathology, feces are taken from cats three times for analysis. Based on all the results, a positive or negative diagnosis is made.

Sometimes veterinarians prescribe universal treatment, which is capable of fighting different types helminths at the same time. Usually Drontal or Milbemax is prescribed, which are introduced into the cat's body through the mouth. The course of therapy is based on 2 appointments medicine, between which 14 days must pass. During treatment, all objects with which the animal comes into contact should be disinfected:

• tray;
• sleeping area;
• bowls.

It is also necessary to carry out wet cleaning using antibacterial agents.

If the first course of treatment is ineffective, the veterinarian should prescribe another medication for repeated therapy, based on different active ingredients. IN otherwise roundworms develop immunity to the components of the drug, reducing their effectiveness.

Possible complications

Complications occur extremely rarely, only if people caring for the pet give him the wrong dosage of the medication. Death possible only when the pathology has been detected on late stage. In this case, the cat may die due to severe intoxication, since helminths that die from the drug begin to produce large amounts of poison that enters the blood.