#Tape worms how to#

There are reliable and safe flea prevention options, so be sure to discuss with your veterinarian which flea control would be best. Just treating the tapeworm will lead to reinfection if the fleas are not completely eliminated and prevented. If your cat has fleas, you will need to treat both the flea issue as well as the tapeworm infection.

One of the most common things your veterinarian will check for are fleas. When your cat grooms and ingests an infected flea, the tapeworm cysticercoid infects your cat’s small intestine. The larval form of the tapeworm enters and lives in the stomach of the adult flea, then matures into a cysticercoid.

#Tape worms how to#

Let’s talk about how they get them and how to prevent them in your feline friend.ĭipylidium caninum requires an infected flea for transmission. The two common tapeworm species are transmitted very differently. Echinococcus and Mesocestoides are less prevalent in our domestic felines. In cats, Dipylidium caninum and the Taenia species are the most common. It is very important to prevent dogs from being infested by restricting them from eating raw offal or from scavenging on carcasses.When your cat grooms and ingests an infected flea, the tapeworm cysticercoid infects your cat’s small intestine. Hydatid tapeworms don’t cause harm to dogs but can cause disease in people. Flea tapeworm infestations can be prevented with rapid, effective flea control (e.g. Tapeworms are not usually harmful to dogs, although some dogs with a flea tapeworm infestation may develop an itchy bottom which may cause them to rub or scoot along the ground. Tapeworms can live for years in a dog’s intestine and so it is important to treat infestations with an effective product such as ParaGard. Scooting can also be caused by other problems, such as anal gland issues, so it is best to consult with your vet. However, some dogs with flea tapeworm may develop an itchy bottom which may cause them to rub or scoot along the ground. There are usually no obvious signs of tapeworms in dogs. Dogs at risk of hydatid tapeworm (access to raw offal or carcasses) should be treated with ParaGard every 6 weeks.ġ.

Hydatid tapeworm in dogs is 100% preventable if dogs are restricted from eating raw offal and from scavenging on carcasses.

To control existing flea tapeworm infestations, use ParaGard.

Flea tapeworm infestations can be prevented with rapid, effective flea control (e.g.

Preventing exposure to the intermediate host of the tapeworm can prevent tapeworm infestations:

Dogs at risk of hydatid tapeworm (those with access to raw offal or carcasses) should be treated with ParaGard every 6 weeks. Tapeworm treatment requires the administration of a deworming product which contains the active ingredient praziquantel, such as ParaGard ®. Humans can also become infested with flea tapeworm if they accidentally swallow a flea carrying the parasite. Symptoms may include diarrhoea, unexplained weight loss, a swollen abdomen and fatigue. Hydatid disease in humans is a potentially serious condition caused by cysts that form in vital organs such as the liver, lungs and brain. People can become infested with hydatid tapeworm if they ingest eggs passed in the faeces of an infested dog. Because of this, it primarily affects farm dogs fed raw offal or dogs which scavenge from carcasses.Ĭan tapeworms be passed from dogs to humans? Dogs become infested by eating raw offal (organs) which contain the hydatid cysts. Hydatid cysts develop in the organs of the intermediate host. An intermediate host (grazing animals such as sheep or kangaroos) may then ingest the tapeworm eggs. Worm segments containing eggs are passed in the dog's faeces and contaminate the environment. Adult hydatid tapeworms are small and live in the dog’s small intestine.Another host (a dog or cat) can then become infested after ingesting an adult flea containing flea tapeworm larvae. Fleas are the intermediate host, and flea larvae living in the environment ingest the tapeworm eggs. Egg-containing segments are passed in the faeces. Adult flea tapeworms live in the small intestine of infested dogs (or cats).The tapeworm life cycle always includes an intermediate host which varies depending on the species of tapeworm. The two most important species for Australian dogs are the flea tapeworm ( Dipylidium caninum) and the hydatid tapeworm ( Echinococcus granulosus).

Several species of tapeworms can infest dogs in Australia, although the prevalence is very low in the general dog population.