Does anyone know if there is medicine you can buy for treating your cat for LUNGWORMS?

Question

Well my cat has been very weak and listless for these past few days.Also he has been drinking a lot of water,and not eating so much food,couple this with a rasping cough he seems to have to have developed,from what I can ascertain is that he has lung worm.I was just wondering if anyone out there knows if you can buy lungworm medicine for him until I can get him to see the vet?

Answer 1

Sounds much more like your cat has asthma or a respiratory infection. Cats typically do not cough. I would not assume this is lungworm right off the bat. Please go to the vet. They may want to do chest x-rays, bloodwork (including heartworm test), a fecal exam (lungworm larvae shed into the fecal matter in some stages of the life cycle.)
Giving a broad spectrum dewormer generally will not hurt your cat even if there are no parasites present, but why spend the money on something like that when you should save it for the diagnostics that your cat should really have for this problem?
These are some other things to consider:
1.) How old is your cat? Older cats are more at risk for serious lung problems like pneumonias, cancer, fungal infections, etc. Younger cats/kittens who live primarily outdoors may be more likely to contract internal parasites (from poor conditions, from their mom, from eating infected stool, etc...)
2.) When was the last time your cat expelled a hairball? Cats can get quite glum when they have a hairball stuck in their tummy. Giving your cat some Laxatone or a similar "hairball remedy" for a few days may help. It should generally be used weekly, or per the package instructions.
3.) Is your cat allowed outdoors? Is it vaccinated? Does your cat have access to outdoor cats who seem ill? Most of the viruses in the FVRCP vaccine are transmitted by respiratory secretions. Some of these viruses may cause lethargy, inappetance, and upper-respiratory symptoms.
4.) Has your cat ever had seasonal allergy signs before? For example, coughing, sneezing, over-grooming, rashes, runny eyes... If so, this may be asthma.
5.) Where do you live? Lungworm is more common in certain parts of the country, but it is not that common of a parasite in cats, to the best of my knowledge. Heartworm is much more common in the U.S., especially in humid areas in the summertime, as it is transmitted through a mosquito bite. At any rate, if he has a heavy enough parasite load to be causing coughing, giving a dewormer could be dangerous. A high die-off of internal parasites entering the blood stream could cause septicemia.
In short, I'd really hasten to the vet with your lethargic, inappetant, thirsty, coughing boy. Sounds like he needs someone to diagnose this properly. And please, when you go in, just tell them the symptoms. Let the vet do the diagnosing. Giving your diagnosis may lead the staff down the wrong track, wasting valuable time and money for you and your fuzzy buddy. Good luck, and please let us know what was found.

Answer 2

Take your kitty to the vet now. If you cannot see your normal vet, then take him to an emergency animal hospital. Your cat could have lungworms, but depending on if he is an indoor/outdoor cat, how old he is, and other factors, there could be a more serious problem. I had a cat with similar symptoms where the cat actually had internal injuries and it was very bad. It is best to go get him checked out.

Answer 3

I definitely do NOT recommend that you self diagnose this kitty! Take him to the vet. Lots of problems can leady to a raspy cough...upper respiratory infections, kitty allergies, feline herpes, feline distempter, leukemia, etc. I worked at an animal hospital for 5 years and I never saw a case of lungworms. My guess is that your kitty has a bacterial infection and needs meds that only the vet can prescribe. Good luck! Also, if you are worried, there are emergency vet hospitals that are open on Sundays!

Answer 4

Call your vet. I don't believe it is available over the counter. You need a perscription.

If you call your vet and he agrees with your diagnosis he could provide you with some. But he would want to see the animal in any case before doing that.

Answer 5

You cannot decide things like this without a veterinarian's help. See an emergency veterinarian. This kitty could have a life threatening situation going on. If it is an old one, it could have kidney problems, if young, like mentioned above, maybe an upper respiratory infection.

Answer 6

Strongly consider calling your vet.

Answer 7

the vet can actually answer this question better then anyone . good luck