The Veterinarian's Notebook: deworm your kittens

A six-week-old kitten came in today very weak and very thin. The owner said it was doing fine a few days ago, but now it didn’t want to do anything but just lay around as if in a permanent state of sleep.

On examination, we found the kitten was pale and its pupils were constricted.  There was also diarrhea on its fur.

We immediately took the kitten to the treatment room and started giving it nourishment orally. We wanted to increase its blood sugar level and keep the kitty alive until we can find out what was wrong.

We ran a fecal test, which revealed that the kitten had roundworms and coccidia. Roundworms are the "spaghetti" worms that can cause a severe diarrhea and weight loss. Some kittens and puppies can die from a large load of roundworms. Coccidia are microscopic parasites that causes severe bloody diarrhea.

We of course started treatment immediately for these two parasites. The oral nourishment that we were giving was already starting to work, and the kitten was feeling better by the day’s end.

It is important to remember to deworm young kittens and also to have your veterinarian run a fecal test. Catching things early before your kitten gets too weak and debilitated will save money and grief.

                         -- Rob Santos DVM, Monte Vista Small Animal Hospital