I was uneasy when my cat ate dog dewormer a few years ago, but it didn’t eat much and nothing critical was damaged.
Cats are nosy and can get into trouble by exploring the house, like when my cat became caught in a recliner.
Stress from work and other responsibilities or emotional burdens can cause us to forget to safely store or throw away pet-harming items like Gravol or lemon pepper chicken.
Dog dewormers are not suitable for cats for several reasons, including the fact that dogs and cats have different worms. We’ll soon explore the other reasons your cat shouldn’t eat or be given dog deworming drugs and what you can do to avoid significant issues.
Can You Use Dog Dewormer On Cats
Many over-the-counter companies promote that “Their drugs could be used for both cats and dogs.” Though cheap, this is a bad pick.
Although all these worm medications contain active components like praziquantel, they may not be suitable.
Your dog may have roundworms, and your cat may have tapeworms (worms that look like rice in cat stools). A treatment that works for roundworms may not work for tapeworms.
Dogs and cats can safely share various dewormers, but cats may overdose if given dog dosages.
As two different species, dogs and cats require separate dewormers, which can be hazardous.
You may notice lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, seizures, and diarrhea, and in rare cases, it could lead to fatality.
Is Cat Dewormer The Same As Dog Wormer
Not all cat dewormers and dog wormers are identical.
Cats and dogs have comparable worms, but their biology and metabolism differ, thus deworming treatments vary.
Cat deworming solutions use eprinomectin, praziquantel, piperazine, and other ingredients to treat roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms.
These therapies include oral pills, liquids, and topicals. The cat’s weight and health determine the drug dosage.
Pyrantel Pamoate, piperazine, fenbendazole, ivermectin, praziquantel, or a combination of them treat dog heartworms, roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Due to dosages and ingredients, giving a cat a dog wormer or vice versa may be hazardous or ineffective.
For pet safety, consult a professional before deworming. Doctors can accurately detect your pet’s worm type and offer the best dewormer to enhance efficacy and reduce side effects.
My Cat Ate Dog Dewormer – What will happen?
Before you panic and fret that your cat ate dog dewormer or that you gave them and are worried about the results. Your cat may not have overdosed, so no more than vomiting and diarrhea.
We need to know how many milligrams of each active ingredient in dog dewormers are poisonous to cats to determine when they may cause side effects. This helps you decide what to do next.
Pyrantel Pamoate Unapproved for cats, but used off-label to treat worms. Kittens 2–8 weeks old should receive 5 milligrams per pound. For cats over 8 weeks, 10 mg/lb is typical.
For it, “single oral dosages of less than 110 mg/kg in dogs and cats can already result in mild drug reactions; doses greater than 800 mg/kg can result in neurotoxic symptoms”. According to Parasitepedia. Piperazine dosage for cats ranges from 25 to 50 mg per pound.
Praziquantel’s dosage for cats is 12mg/kg. Anything beyond that will likely spur toxicity in your cat.
Ivermectin’s lethal dose for cats is between 100 and 2,500 ng/kg (0.1 to 2.5 mg/kg).
As a stand-alone, most of these drugs will be used in the milligram described above, while in combination, they may be used in lesser milligrams which may not be able to trigger toxicity in small amounts, your cat will have to surpass the advised milligram above before they experience toxicity.
What should I do?
If your cat accidentally ingested lots of dog dewormer, the very first course of action is to avoid panicking, you need to be as coordinated as much as possible so you could provide adequate information to your vet.
Contact your vet
The vet will quiz and advise you better on if the cat should be brought over or if there are things you could do at home to resolve any serious symptoms. Usually, you might be asked to use activated charcoal for decontamination.
Final Thoughts
Dog dewormers may appear like a quick remedy for cat worms, but their active ingredient may only work for certain dog worm diseases.
Whether accidentally or intentionally, dog dewormer can harm your cat if they swallow more than their system can handle.
If you can’t store safely and your curious cat eats some, measure the amount and tell your vet. They can determine if it was an overdose based on the brand.
