Most common tapeworm of dogs (and cats)?
Most common tapeworm of dogs (and cats)?
I have to admit that I write these article "on the fly", which means that my organization may be lacking, as is the case this month. When I realized that I forgot TAPEWORMS, one of the most common feline intestinal parasites that I see in our practice, I knew I must backup and talk about this worm. Tapeworm is an infection as a consequence of flea infestation. A common way for cats and dogs to get tapeworms is by ingesting tapeworm infected fleas. The other way to become infected is by eating rodents that carry tapeworms. And because cats will be cats, this is another common means of infection.
The most common tapeworm of dogs (and cats) is called Dipylidium caninum. This parasite attaches to the small intestinal wall by hook-like mouthparts. Adult tapeworms may reach 8 inches (20 cm) in length. The adult worm is actually made up of many small segments about 1/8 inch (3 mm) long. As the tail end of the worm matures, the terminal segments break off and pass into the stool. Occasionally, the mobile segments can be seen crawling near the anus or on the surface of a fresh bowel movement. These segments look like grains of rice and contain tapeworm eggs; the eggs are released into the environment when the segment dries. The dried segments are small (about 1/16", or 2 mm), hard and golden in color. These dried segments can sometimes be seen stuck to the hair around the dog's anus.
There are several different kinds, or species, of tapeworms that can infect your dog, each with stage(s) in a different intermediate (in-between) host, which the dog eats to become infected. Dipylidium caninum is a tapeworm that uses fleas as its intermediate host, whereas Taenia and Echinococcus species use small rodents (mice, rats, squirrels), rabbits, or large animals (such as deer or sheep) as their intermediate hosts. A less commonly found tapeworm, called Echinococcus, also occurs in dogs.
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