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Can you buy tape worm medicine at the pet store?

I am pretty sure my cat has tape worm she has little pieces of what look to be rice grains around her but! So I was wondering if I can buy tapeworm med at the pet store or do I need to take a trip to the Vet?

Public Comments

1. You can't buy any that will work. Take your cat to the vet for Drontal wormer. It's inexpensive ($5 a pill at my vet) and it works. You'll also need to treat for fleas with a good flea medication like Advantage or Frontline. Cats get tapeworms from ingesting fleas while grooming.
2. You can buy it at the pet store, but it might be a good idea to ask your vet if there's a recommended brand. Otherwise, you might be able to pick some up at the vet w/o bringing the cat if she's otherwise healthy. I recently had to get some from my vet; he sent it to me by mail.
3. You can actually go to most vets & they will sell you Panacur wormer or Drontal over the counter.
4. I will assume two things. One is that you want to rid your cat of the worms; and second that you do not want to waste your money. That requires a trip to your vet, for a sure fire method of removing the infestation. It is one of the more inexpensive treatments, including the follow up tests to make sure everything is eliminated. Normally, one pill and a follow up fecal test three weeks later. Some severe infestations require two doses. Anything bought at a store will be of dubious effectiveness.
5. "Dewormer" from anywhere but your vet will only kill roundworms & hookworms - it will say so on the fine print on the box. Selling PERSCRIPTION dewormers without your pet having been seen is illegal for safety reasons. I hope there aren't any vets who do that!
6. Yes, the medicine that kills tape worms, praziquantal, is now available at the pet store. The brand name is Tradewinds. However, it isn't significantly cheaper than what you would get at the vet. Vets sell it under the trade name Droncit, praziquantal is contained in Drontal, a multi-purpose wormer, as well.
7. Yes you can safly buy Tape worm Medication from a Pet store . Fenbendizol ( Safe Guard ) if given for 3-5 days in a row will kill Tapeworms . Praziquantel is the prefered over the counter medicine to kill tapeworms, Do weigh your animal before giving a pill , and make sure to do it early in the day and watch them for salvation or weakness - as this can be a sign of a reaction. Dronal is great too , altho you have to get it from a Vet . Good luck ! P.S. to those who think its illegal to buy Pet medication over the counter - Wise up ! You can also Buy Pyrantal Paomate for your Children at any Pharmacy over the counter , at any time you suspect they have Pinworms . They have been selling Vaccines and Dewomers over the counter for decades! The FDA would ban it for sale OTC if it was more likley than not going to kill your pet, or if it was reported that people where using it for Non lable use .
8. Tape Worm Tabs with Praziquantel will work, can purchase that at 1800PetMeds or ValleyVet Supply. The medicine that is available at feed stores and pet stores is a waste of money.
9. You can purchase Tradewinds Tapeworm Tabs (active ingredient praziquantel - the same as Droncit which the vet would give the cat). I have used Tradewinds Tapeworm Tabs in the past and they are safe and effective. One pill kills the tapeworm, which is then absorbed into the cats system, causing no harm, and you won't see any more egg sac segments. You also need to treat the cat with Advantage for fleas. Cats get tapeworm from ingesting a flea while grooming. If you don't treat the fleas, your cat may become reinfected with tapeworm. Don't use cheap over-the counter flea treatments on your cat because not only are they ineffective, but they can cause serious health problems for your cat! Advantage is safe for your cat and effective in killing the fleas. It is applied once a month to the back of a cat's neck, so a 4-pack is a 4 month supply.
10. you can buy it from the vet