Tapeworm Infection in Dogs
Introduction
Tapeworm Infection in Dogs Guide: Veterinary reviewed information that explains Tapeworm Infection in dogs. Get started and see what choices you and your vet can make to successfully manage Tapeworm Infection in Dogs.
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Tapeworms in Dogs - Definition
Tapeworms are internal parasites that live inside of the small intestines of their mammalian hosts. They can range from less than an inch to several feet in length. Surprisingly, tapeworms usually don’t cause serious harm to their canine hosts, other than occasional abdominal discomfort, anal itchiness, weight loss and general ill thrift. The main tapeworms that infect domestic dogs are Taenia pisiformis, Dipylidium caninum, Echinococcus spp., Diphyllobothrium spp. and Mesocestoides. The medical name for infection with tapeworms is “cestodiasis.”
Dogs become infected with tapeworms by eating an intermediate host that contains tapeworm eggs, larvae or cysts. Intermediate hosts are organisms that other organisms, usually parasites, live inside of while they are going through some transitional stage of development. For example, the parasite may hatch from an egg into its larval form inside of its intermediate host. The intermediate host may or may not also act as the carrier, or vector, that transmits the parasite
In most cases, dogs with tapeworms do not show many signs of discomfort or distress. Frequently, they act (and presumably feel) completely normal, even if they have a severe tapeworm infection. It is very common for owners to be astonished, and usually disgusted, when they find out that their dogs are carrying a heavy tapeworm load. While these parasites survive by sucking blood and key nutrients out of their canine hosts, they tend to do
Tapeworm infection in dogs is not particularly difficult to diagnose. The most common way to detect tapeworms is by fecal flotation. This procedure involves processing a fresh stool sample and examining the end-product under a microscope for tapeworm eggs, which are quite large and usually are readily distinguishable from the eggs of other intestinal parasites. Sometimes, a dog will have tapeworms, but the particular stool sample will not contain any eggs, or at least not
A dog should be treated for tapeworm infection when eggs or egg packets are detected in its fecal sample or when worm segments are detected around its perianal area. Treatment should also take place in the less common case where tapeworms are diagnosed in a dog that presents to a veterinarian with symptoms of weight loss, abdominal pain and general ill-thrift. The goals of treating tapeworms are to remove adult worms from the gastrointestinal tract,