5 IMPORTANT FAQS ABOUT TAPEWORMS IN DOGS Tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) infestations are one of the most common intestinal worm infestations in dogs. With an average length of 8 inches, tapeworms are flat tape or ribbon-like segmented worms with each segment being 3–5 mm long. They attach themselves to your pooch’s intestinal wall and feed on your pooch’s blood and nutrients to grow into adults. They shed their rare-end segments (proglottids) in the course of their development, which is then excreted out with feces and appear like a rice grain or a cucumber seed and can also be seen at the end of the rectum of your pooch. Severe tapeworm infestations can cause vomiting, anemia, stunted growth, etc. Therefore, as a dog parent, you need to prevent and treat these segmented parasites. So, read on, the FAQs regarding tapeworms will be helpful.
1) How Does A Dog Get Infected By A Tapeworm?
➢ Dogs get infected by these parasites when they ingest a flea infected by a tapeworm larvae ➢ Tapeworm infection is only possible in dogs if tapeworms are passed through an intermediate host like fleas or rodents and rabbits who carry those fleas. ➢ Direct ingestion of tapeworm eggs doesn’t result in an infestation.
2) What Are The Symptoms And Diagnosis Of Tapeworms? ➢ Scooting, vomiting, anemia, stunted growth, intestinal blockage, and weight-loss are amongst the symptoms of severe infestations.
➢ Your vet will diagnose these worms by examining the white rice-grain-like segments in your pooch’s stool.
3) What Treats Tapeworms In Dogs?
➢ Treatments containing Praziquantel, like Sentinel Spectrum, Interceptor for Dogs and Profender for cats can be bought online at cheap prices from canadapetcare.com to treat tapeworms ➢ These treatments deliquesce tapeworms in the intestine because of which the tapeworms aren’t seen in feces.
4) Can You Prevent Tapeworms In Dogs? ➢ Effective products like Frontline plus, Nexgard Spectra and Simparica can be used for flea treatment and prevention. These products can be bought online at affordable prices from online pet supply stores. ➢ Keep your dog away from rodents and other hosts as ingesting such flea infested hosts can also infect your dog with tapeworms. Also, tapeworms like Taenia species and Echinococcus multilocularis can also infect your dog through the ingestion of rodents or partially or uncooked meat of wild animals like foxes, rabbits, and coyotes.
5) Are Tapeworms Dangerous? ➢ Taenia species is a type of tapeworm that is long and can stretch up to one meter, heavy infestations of these worms can cause intestinal blockage. ➢ Echinococcus multilocularis (1cm long tapeworms) is found in rodents and wild animals like coyotes and foxes can damage the liver by multiplying and penetrating like a tumor. ➢ These worms can also be treated with Praziquantel but in severe cases, surgical removal of the tumor-like cluster of tapeworm larvae is considered by the vets. I hope, these FAQs were informative and helpful for you. Also, ensure that you contact your vet when starting a new treatment for tapeworms.