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My Orange tabby has little worms in his stool. They are less than a 1/2 inch long, very thin, and white in color. What type of worms are they in can they be treated with OTC medication?

My Orange tabby has little worms in his stool. They are less than a 1/2 inch long, very thin, and white in color. What type of worms are they in can they be treated with OTC medication?

Updated On July 12th, 2020

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Answered By David Darvishian

Veterinarian

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Hello and thanks for using PetCoach! Sounds like you are seeing tapeworms or more specifically tapeworm segments. The tapeworm stays inside the intestinal tract and the segments break off from the adult worm. These segments are loaded with tapeworm eggs and this is how they spread tapeworms to other hosts. Most common tapeworm is from ingesting fleas that are on the pet. The tapeworm eggs then hatch inside the intestinal tract and develop into adult worms and the process starts all over. Other tapeworms can come from pets eating certain prey animals outside like mice. Yes an OTC medication is available. Praziquantal is the actual drug that you want to use and it is available OTC in many forms. Pet stores usually have these products. One thing to remember is you must use flea/tick medicine on your cat which will kill fleas/ticks and stop the transmission of tapeworms. If your cat goes outside, this is critical and most outside cats should be dewormed with a broad spectrum dewormer at least every 3-4 months if not monthly depending upon where you live. I hope this helps and good luck with your cat! Thank you again for using PetCoach!!!!

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