Fenbendazole for Cats

Function

• Veterinarians prescribe fenbendazole, also called Panacur, as an anti-parasitic for cats and several other animals. Used to cleanse the animal of roundworms and hookworms, fenbendazole works by inhibiting the ingestion of glucose and other nutrients by the worm while it resides in the intestinal tract of the cat. Vets also commonly prescribe this drug for cats and kittens infected with the protozoal parasites coccidia and giardia, and it may be recommended for use against the relatively rare lungworm.

Disease Symptoms

• Cats can become infected with hookworms and roundworms by coming into contact with the feces of other infected animals. Roundworms, in particular, may be passed down in utero from a pregnant mother to her unborn kittens. Cats with intestinal parasites usually have diarrhea and may also be vomiting. Kittens will show a distended stomach and may not be able to thrive on mother's milk. Cats with particularly large numbers of parasites may become unable to eat and have severe weight loss. Veterinarians commonly run either a fecal flotation test or a centrifuged fecal test to determine which type of parasite a cat may be infected with. The kind of parasite will determine the type and duration of treatment.

Dosage

• Fenbendazole is normally available in an oral suspension. The recommended dosage is usually 1/2ml of the liquid drug per 2 1/5 lbs. of body weight in a kitten and double that for the adult cat. This means that a 12-lb. adult cat may get 6 ml in a dose. Vets prescribe giving the drug once a day by mouth for three days straight because the mildness of the drug will not kill all of the parasites within a single application.

Considerations

• Cats appear to tolerate fenbendazole particularly well, even though rare cases of vomiting and diarrhea have been reported. Parasitic infestations in animals often recur after treatment, so a veterinarian will usually recommend secondary fecal tests six to eight weeks after the initial dosage to determine if the worms have returned. Fenbendazole is safe for pregnant cats and can prevent the mother from passing parasites to her young while she is pregnant; however, once the kittens are born they may have to be treated more than once if they are infested

Warning

• Intestinal parasites in cats travel through the animal's gastrointestinal tract and attach themselves to the lining of the small intestine. While there, the worms will feed on the nutrients being digested in the cat's body and grow and multiply. Very large worm loads can cause the cat or kitten to become weak and anemic, and some animals may require a blood transfusion.