Cestal Cat with liver flavor: the last supper of worms

Composition and release form

Cestal Cat with liver flavor was developed by Lavet Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd./ LAVET Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. (Hungary).

Cestal Cat with liver flavor is an anthelmintic drug in the form of tablets for cats that can be used both for the prevention and treatment of helminthic infestation. The tablet weighs 390 mg, has a round shape and flat surfaces, on which a dividing groove is applied to facilitate division of the tablet. Color: yellow-gray.

The tablets are packaged in 2 pieces in aluminum blisters made of foil and polyethylene. Each cardboard pack contains 5 blisters, as well as an instruction on the use of the product.

The Cestal Cat blister contains 2 tablets, made of polyethylene and foil

The blister is marked with the following in Russian:

• name of the drug;
• trademark;
• name and weight of the active ingredients contained in one tablet;
• series number;
• shelf life of the drug;
• additional explanations: “for animals” - the product is intended exclusively for veterinary use;
• “1 tablet/4 kg” - dosage.

Each cardboard pack is marked with the following in Russian:

• manufacturing company;
• her addresses;
• brand;
• names and weights of the active ingredients contained in one tablet;
• the number of tablets contained in a cardboard box;

  The number of tablets is indicated on the package

• series numbers;
• date of production of the product;
• shelf life of the drug;
• conditions necessary for its storage;
• PVI registration number;
• information on confirmation of quality conformity;
• explanations “for animals”.

Composition of Cestal Cat with liver flavor

Each tablet of the product contains:

• active ingredients: praziquantel 20 mg;
• pyrantel embonate 230 mg;

Mechanism of action of the drug Cestal Cat

Cestal Cat has a pronounced destructive effect on round and tape helminths in all phases of their development. The activity of the product extends to:

• Toxocara cati (cat's toxocara);
• Toxocaris leonina (Toxocara);
• Ancylostoma caninum (canine hookworm);
• Uncinaria stenocephala (Narrow-headed Uncinaria);
• Taenia spp. (Bull tapeworm);
• Dipylidium caninum (Dipylidium);
• Echinococcus spp. (Echinococcus tapeworm).

Praziquantel is aimed at destroying tapeworms - cestodes. It helps to increase the intracellular content of calcium ions in the tissues and organs of parasites, which leads to:

• generalized muscle spasm of helminths, turning into irreversible paralysis and leading to death;
• vacuolar degeneration in the surface tissues of the helminth, which destroys them.

Praziquantel almost completely enters the systemic bloodstream from the intestines, evenly distributed in organs and tissues. It is excreted by the kidneys - with urine in the form of a metabolite.

Pyrantel embonate affects round helminths - nematodes.

Pyrantel embonate also leads to irreversible paralysis and persistent contraction of the muscles of the parasite - contracture, causing:

• blockade of nerve impulse transmission from nerve cells to muscle cells;
• disruption of the permeability of cell membranes of parasites;
• suppression of the action of the enzyme cholinesterase.

Pyrantel embonate acts quickly; within 2–4 hours after administration it reaches its maximum concentration in the blood. Excretion from the body is carried out by the kidneys and intestines within 24 hours after feeding the drug.

Features of taking the medicine

Before you give the drug to the animal, it is imperative to feed it properly, since the effect of the drug is quite rapid and therefore taking it on an empty stomach is strictly prohibited.

In addition, a couple of hours after consuming the medicine, it is also better to feed your pet again.

Indications for use

Cestal Cat is used for helminthic infestations both for treatment and for prevention in:

• nematodes - their causative agents are roundworms: toxocariasis - occurs frequently, the adult form of the pathogen parasitizes in the intestines, the larvae are carried through the bloodstream to all internal organs and can be transmitted through the placenta in pregnant cats, infecting kittens; the symptoms are not specific specifically for Toxocara, but allow one to suspect helminthic infestation;
• toxascariasis - most often found in cats and is easily transmitted to their owners, asarides can be found in the excrement and vomit of the animal, have a characteristic body shape pointed towards the tail and can reach 10 cm in size, predominantly live in the intestinal lumen, but can be found in ducts of the liver and pancreas;
• uncinariasis - caused by a small roundworm that lives in the intestinal lumen; some of the larvae use the lungs during their development cycle, damaging their tissue;
• hookworm - adult worms reach 2 cm, feed on blood and tissues of the intestinal wall, significantly damaging it;
• trichocephalosis - the pathogen parasitizes the large intestine;

Helminth infections, as a rule, do not have specific symptoms characteristic of infection with a particular parasite. There is a group of symptoms that are likely to suggest the presence of worm infestation:

• weight loss;
• general oppression;
• decreased growth rates in kittens;
• decreased or increased appetite;
• stool instability - diarrhea alternating with constipation;
• nausea, sometimes vomiting;
• dull coat;
• a swollen belly in an exhausted pet;
• cramping abdominal pain;
• intestinal obstruction and even rupture of the intestinal wall;
• coughing attacks;
• anemia;
• avitaminosis;
• the desire to eat inedible things.

Photo gallery: pathogens of helminth infections in cats exposed to the drug Cestal Cat

Roundworms are the most common in cats and are easily transmitted to people.

Hookworms attach to the intestinal wall and feed on blood as well as tissue

Whipworms live in a cat's large intestine.

The wide tapeworm reaches large sizes, causing exhaustion of the pet, as well as intoxication

The cucumber tapeworm is a parasite in the small intestine; Children are usually infected from cats; adults - rarely

How to use Cestal Cat correctly

Cestal Cat is used once for both treatment and prevention. The use of the product does not require prior keeping the pet on a starvation diet or the use of laxatives.

There is no anthelmintic drug that can rid your pet of worms in just one dose. But for some reason, the instructions for some drugs continue to write about a single dose for therapeutic purposes.

Methods of giving the drug to a cat:

• mixing with food after preliminary grinding;
• injection of crushed and mixed with water medicine into the pet’s mouth with a syringe;
• Force-feeding by placing a tablet on the root of the cat's tongue.

For therapeutic purposes, the use of Cestal Cat is carried out according to indications - in case of infection with species of helminths sensitive to the drug. To prevent helminthic infestations, the drug is given quarterly.

When using Cestal Cat, you should strictly adhere to the dosages specified by the manufacturer.

Table: dosage of Cestal Cat

Video: how to properly give a pill to a cat

Features of use in kittens and pregnant cats

The use of Cestal Cat is permissible in pregnant cats, since it has neither a teratogenic effect leading to the formation of gross malformations in the fetus, nor an embryotoxic effect causing miscarriages and intrauterine death of the embryo in the early stages of pregnancy.

However, in this particular case, for some reason, the annotation for the drug does not warn about the possibility of using the drug only in the last third of the cat’s pregnancy, as manufacturers of medications containing similar active ingredients do in their instructions, and also no recommendations are given for the use of the drug during breastfeeding . For example, the manufacturer of Pratel (Novartis) in the instructions indicates the inadmissibility of using Pratel when a cat is breastfeeding earlier than 2-3 weeks after lambing.

The instructions allow the product to be given to kittens for the purpose of deworming, starting from 3 months of age.

Optimal storage conditions

Since Cestal for cats contains quite strong antiparasitic components, the storage conditions recommended by the manufacturer must be followed exactly, since otherwise the therapeutic effectiveness of the product will inevitably suffer. To prevent this from happening, the following rules must be followed:

• The storage temperature must be maintained in the range from +15° to +25° Celsius. Short-term frosts are not recommended, but nothing bad will happen. Again, the medicine is not afraid of short-term “warming up” above 25°C, but for no more than three days. In other situations, the active components begin to deteriorate, and the therapeutic effectiveness drops significantly.
• Cestal should be stored in places completely isolated from the access of small children and pets.

Contraindications and side effects

When using the product in accordance with the instructions reflected in its instructions, no side effects were noted. Contraindications include a ban on combined use with medications containing piperazine.

For some reason, the natural caution about the possibility of an allergic reaction in a pet is not reflected, and a contraindication is not prescribed to warn against taking the product in cats that are hypersensitive to its ingredients.

Reviews

Marina from Moscow: our treating veterinarian recommended that we purchase an anti-helminth drug as a preventive measure. Clear and understandable instructions helped me calculate the correct dosage; no problems arose. Everything was fine with the cat, her appetite remained normal, her activity remained, which was very pleasing.

Yulia from Kazan: I can only leave a positive review of this drug, as it helped us remove helminths from a British cat. We use it as a preventive measure every few months, everything according to the instructions. There was one problem - the cat did not want to swallow the pill. I had to get creative - grind the tablet and give her the resulting suspension. No negative effects were noticed.

Approximate cost and existing analogues

It makes sense to consider Cestal Cat as part of a group of drugs both containing similar active ingredients and more modern ones.

Table: analogues of the drug Cestal Cat

When comparing instructions for use of drugs, attention is drawn to the absence of any indication of contraindications for Cestal Cat. The price of this drug exceeds the price of Pratel by more than 20 rubles and several times the price of Prazicide. We can only hope that the cat will appreciate the taste of the drug after the owner independently figures out whether the product is contraindicated for his pet - after all, this is not indicated in the instructions.

Newer anthelmintics contain components that, along with the destruction of roundworms and tapeworms, make it possible to prevent dirofilariasis in those regions where it is needed. Their prices are higher, but if cases of dirofilariasis in animals are registered in the region where you live, they should be used. Mosquitoes are carriers of dirofilariasis, and it is impossible to completely protect your pet from their bites.

Photo gallery: anthelmintics - an alternative to Cestal Cat

Pratel is a good product at a fair price from a reliable manufacturer, but does not prevent dirofilariasis

Prazicide is an effective remedy at an affordable price, which allows it to be used in shelters and nurseries; does not affect heartworms

Milbemax has a wide spectrum of action, it has well-written instructions, is a reliable manufacturer, prevents dirofilariasis

A new domestic product for the treatment and prevention of nematodes and cestodes with activity against heartworms - Helmimax