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Old 09-05-2010, 11:12 AM
 
17,526 posts, read 15,267,171 times
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From a dietary-only standpoint, one way to help a kitty's GI tract is to give them some plain canned pumpkin (make sure it's the type with no added sugar or anything else). It helps regulate things. So if your kitty is still eating it can be a useful thing to add.

Oh and the other thing that can help is to add some probiotics to their diet so they have the good kind of bacteria in their GI system. My vet advised this. Health food stores and some grocery stores have these. I prefer the kind that you sprinkle on the food and I buy the type that has to be refrigerated because it's more potent/fresh. A tiny bit (1/8 tsp) is all you need for a cat, a few times a week.

As for worms, it's best to know what kind of worm(s) the kitty has and treat for those, rather than try and guess. Look for vets in your area who will do low(er) cost vaccinations and fecal testing. There's one near me who has 'low cost' hours on 2 days a week. Part of their program is fecal/worm testing. Maybe there's a vet near you who will do the same at a reduced rate. Ask your local shelter for recommendations on where to get a cat tested.

 
Old 09-05-2010, 01:17 PM
 
11,183 posts, read 19,336,877 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lottamoxie View Post
From a dietary-only standpoint, one way to help a kitty's GI tract is to give them some plain canned pumpkin (make sure it's the type with no added sugar or anything else). It helps regulate things. So if your kitty is still eating it can be a useful thing to add.

Oh and the other thing that can help is to add some probiotics to their diet so they have the good kind of bacteria in their GI system. My vet advised this. Health food stores and some grocery stores have these. I prefer the kind that you sprinkle on the food and I buy the type that has to be refrigerated because it's more potent/fresh. A tiny bit (1/8 tsp) is all you need for a cat, a few times a week.

As for worms, it's best to know what kind of worm(s) the kitty has and treat for those, rather than try and guess. Look for vets in your area who will do low(er) cost vaccinations and fecal testing. There's one near me who has 'low cost' hours on 2 days a week. Part of their program is fecal/worm testing. Maybe there's a vet near you who will do the same at a reduced rate. Ask your local shelter for recommendations on where to get a cat tested.
Good advice. I use a probiotic called Probios that I get at the feed store. It's a gel that comes in a large plunge type tube. It's labeled for large animals, but a pea sized dose a day can work wonders and most cats love it. I know others who like benebac, also a gel form, I think.

What concerned me most about the kitty was the blood spotting where she sat. The OP did not answer my question (asked at least twice) about whether this cat is spayed.

An unspayed female spotting blood could be developing a pyometra, which is a deadly, and extremely painful, infection of the uterus. Very common in unspayed cats.

An emergency spay is the only treatment, and even then sometimes it is too late and the kitty dies.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 01:33 PM
 
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Hmmm feed store. I wonder how close I am to one.

And yes I agree, a kitty who might be spotting blood should be checked by a vet.

My cat is currently sitting on the back of a LR chair, arguing with the ceiling fan. The ceiling fan appears to be winning this debate. She does this almost daily.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Hookerville, formerly in Tweakerville
15,107 posts, read 32,119,385 times
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Buy an animal medication in a feed store in a farming community is totally different than buying one at Walmart. I used to live in Tucson, and you could buy cat and dog vaccines in any pharmacy without a prescription. You would have to ask to have the case unlocked, but you didn't need a prescription.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 02:43 PM
 
11,944 posts, read 14,724,059 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catsmom21 View Post
NO OTC anti parasite treatments for cats are safe, and I would not risk my own cats with them, and will continue to advise others the same. I don't need to provide "proof" to you.

When my cats are sick I take them to the vet, not play guessing games and follow advice from random people on the internet.
Do you ever listen to yourself? Note your own blatant contradictions by a mere change in order of paragraphs. Out of one side of your mouth you're the very internet quarterback you point at self proclaiming as expert on subject of wormer paste. Out of the other side of your mouth you're claiming no proof is necessary for your assertions, when the very basis of the vet profession & sound advice that's kitchen tested derives it's credibility from material evidence.

Quote:
Originally Posted by catsmom21 View Post
Do your own searches and find out how many cats have been killed or disabled when people tried to "save money" by avoid going to the vet. The money they saved by using cheap OTC crap is nothing compared to what they spent at the vet trying to save their cat afterward.
I cannot afford to take every stray in the neighborhood to the vet for every sniffle. Neither can most, and even medical doctors complain about patients bombarding them for a cure for the flu. Some things just have to run their course and demanding optimal health through over medication results in antibiotic resistance. By your own logic, generic asprin is toxic because bayer, a brand you worship, didn't make it. Madison ave marketing owns your brain. Every link I posted evidenced drugs that were IDENTICAL, if not better, than what vets are prescribing. If you feel better paying $40 for rabies vaccine when the same product can be purchased for $15 by other means, knock yourself out. Let's hear the audience find the right characterization of a woman believing herself superior by promoting the PT Barnum atmosphere dominating vet. medicine today.

Quote:
Originally Posted by catsmom21 View Post
That's too bad that you feel inconvenienced that you are being forced to provide proper care to your cat. Why would a vet risk his or her license prescribing a medication to a pet they've never seen? Vet bills and health care and inconvenience are part of having pets.
I've paid more for animal care (the lions share to those who were/are not my own) this year than most Americans have on their mortgages. You were saying?
FACTS were already posted but your spin is really grasping at straws. He was already an established patient. I did not take it upon myself to diagnose him, or fake a prescription, or deny him care. They've seen him regularly (without conjunctiva because I don't let it slide) and are already aware of his vaccine history because they called to verify. The formal diagnosis was already made, already paid for, and could be verified in a minute the same way his vaccines were (they'd rather not believe the documentation I brought with me) by a mere phone call one admin clerk to another admin clerk. Proof in writing could have alternatively been a Fax, which naturally will justify administrative largess. It's more profitable for them to charge me a separate fee presuming I'm a forger or stole someone else's documentation. Is it really when I can now less afford to offer one more 4-1 vaccine to yet another stray I've brought to the very same office? As per your attitude the only important cat is the one in my house, I ought to ignore all the waifs pressing their nose at my door because I've got mine to hell with everyone else. You've deliberately ignored all facts so feel free to go right ahead and find a characterization for your own self. Everyone's 'cheap' because they'd rather not endure the gauntlet of a snake pit? To your sensibilities, which everyone must blithely accept as fact you endorse without qualifications, it's perfectly natural that medical practice and snake pit are now synonymous.

Prolonging the suffering of an animal or needlessly risking contagion defeats the objectives of any medical profession. That's far beyond a mere inconvenience but you'll stand here and defend what rots the core principles of what was once a respected noble profession. The only opinion that counts is a qualified one. You've materially demonstrated you're more committed to willful ignorance than you are to animal wellbeing. The sooner you embrace that particular fact, the sooner your rear end will cease to be hanging out for all to see. Patronizing people only drives my point home with an exclamation point, but know this- you've done it to yourself at the expense of animals. It's no mistake a scapegoat is an animal in our culture. The only thing that's changed as tradition in western culture is the faces of the abusers.

----------------
I challenge any vet to address every word I've said and fully explain their side of the politics & commercial forces that have disrupted the profession. Denying that disruption has occurred doesn't hold water and only exacerbates the dysfunction, and concomitantly, the suffering of innocents. Medical professionals for all creatures; we most need you to heal yourselves.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 02:47 PM
 
11,944 posts, read 14,724,059 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cantthinkofaname View Post
I have to say Catsmom21 is absolutely right here. I wouldn't purchase OTC medicine for myself at Walmart therefore I wouldn't for my cats either. There was only one time, when I didn't know any better, I had a cat who got really bad diarrhea. It was constant and I remember it was only diarrhea nothing else that was pink or red. The first time I gave her a small piece of Imodium for diarrhea with gas that make her vomit. The next time, after waiting nearly to the next day, she was exhausted and I could see how miserable she was. I then took a chance and gave her a half of the tiny Imodium pill I had for people. It was such a small piece I looked like it would be for a tiny fly. I used the regular Imodium not the one that included gas problems. Well the diarrhea stopped and she looked so happy. She came up to me making her little sounds rubbing against me so happy and she drank a lot of water then took a long time bathing herself then slept straight through for almost 2 days.

If I had to do it all over again knowing that I was just plain lucky the Imodium didn't kill her or make her worse I would have done what catsmom21 advises and got her to the vet immediately. Truthfully thought I think if she did have something pinkish coming out I would have freaked and got her to the vet right away or searched for an affordable one, made arrangements to make affordable payments to a reputable vet instead of self medicating. I was lucky it was just plain diarrhea and not a symptom of something else. She is long gone now and I have two sweet little one's now I make sure they well taken care of. Vet bills mean nothing to me when it comes to caring for them.
You are the singular person who has suggested anyone give an animal human medicine. OTC does not mean changing species medicine. It's never been suggested or referenced until you spoke it. If that's what this presumption of OTC means, than I concur, absolutely not. To make the claim that all animal OTC meds are useless, toxic, or ineffectual, is false. Again, we're not talking about people medicine. Pepto Bismol never came out of anyones mouth.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 04:23 PM
 
11,944 posts, read 14,724,059 times
Reputation: 2772
Quote:
Originally Posted by moved View Post
Buy an animal medication in a feed store in a farming community is totally different than buying one at Walmart. I used to live in Tucson, and you could buy cat and dog vaccines in any pharmacy without a prescription. You would have to ask to have the case unlocked, but you didn't need a prescription.
How exactly does the brand change based on where it's sold? What's regularly in stock at San D's Walmart isn't necessarily the same elsewhere. Ex. Some states they're selling canning jars year round and sporting goods includes hunting equipment. Others are strictly season, or don't carry at all whether by lack of demand deciding or ordinance prohibitions. I don't think any of them go as far to carry hay for horses but the one here has 3 aisles dedicated to pet products. The only thing that should matter... is the content of a brand the same or is it not?

Plenty of fans of wellness core in this forum-- if walmart stocks it did it change? when I buy horizon organic milk outside a health food store, is it less organic? Is the formula for revolution the same if I buy it in Canada vs USA? Is (whatever) generic equivalent of anything really the same? Is there a different version of revolution for online sales vs the vets office? If I take that same prescription and fill it elsewhere, what makes it less than or more than as all too many have alluded? I'd see the point if you were talking about a mexican pharmacy that doesn't have the same standards, or even the track record we've had with chinese goods, but I have yet to see any evidence the standard of quality is different from one retail outlet to the next.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 08:39 PM
 
Location: Hookerville, formerly in Tweakerville
15,107 posts, read 32,119,385 times
Reputation: 9689
The laws in AZ are different than the laws in CA. Therefore, in AZ at the time that I lived there (1988-1989), you were able to walk into any pharmacy and buy pet vaccines. I don't know if it's still like that, and you can't do that in CA.

As for mexican pharmacies, I do not have medical insurance, and go across the border to buy medication when I need it. You can also buy medication for your pet in the mexican pharmacies if it's been prescribed by your vet, you take the prescription with you, and they'll sell you the medication. I have a friend that did this, and it was a difference of $300.

I don't see Walmart, Target or any other store carrying Droncit for tapeworms. But if they did, and the price was lower than buying it online, I would have no problems buying it there.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 09:07 PM
 
17,526 posts, read 15,267,171 times
Reputation: 26340
It all comes down to the ingredients. You have to look at the fine print and then determine (by asking a vet, optimally) if the ingredient is safe and effective to use on your pet. Most vets will give you an honest answer. They may also tell you that *their* medicine is better/more effective/wider spectrum, etc. But at the very least you want to make sure that whatever you give your animal isn't going to harm them. And of course one doesn't want to guess at what might be wrong with a pet and start giving them meds willy nilly. A vet should always be consulted for a Dx.
 
Old 09-05-2010, 09:45 PM
 
11,183 posts, read 19,336,877 times
Reputation: 23905
Quote:
Originally Posted by moved View Post

I don't see Walmart, Target or any other store carrying Droncit for tapeworms. But if they did, and the price was lower than buying it online, I would have no problems buying it there.
Droncit (for flea induced tapewoprms) and Drontal (a broad spectrum dewormer) are sold by prescription only, via the vet, you will not see them on store shelves.

The ones on store shelves are OTC and not safe for cats.

Droncit and Drontal are dosed by weight, most vets will need to know the cat already or examine the cat if they have not already, before they will prescribe these de-worming medicines. I would not trust a vet who would do otherwise.

If you buy them from an online store you need a prescription from your vet. Because of bringing in a rescue recently, all my cats had to have a drontal. I paid $4.50 per tablet at my vet. Fostersmith.com is selling them for 5.99 per tablet.

Don't always assume that things are cheaper on line than at your vet. It's worth checking, first.
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