Tapeworms are an unfortunate but common occurrence in all animals, but luckily they are easy to treat in dogs. An infestation of tapeworms in dogs is medically known as cestodiasis, and often contains organisms including Taenia, Dipylidium Caninum, Echinococcus and Mesocestoides, according to PetMD.com. These organisms settle in the dog’s small intestine and can be very dangerous to the dog’s overall health, as they leech nutrients from the dog’s system, causing deficiencies.
If your dog has been infected by tapeworms, you may find dead segments of the organism in the dog’s stool, since the worm breaks off into segments as it grows. Look for dried, white to cream-colord pieces of the worm in your dog’s feces or under its tail. Some may look like cucumber or sesame seeds, while others are too small to see. You may also notice your dog biting or licking its rear end or dragging it across the floor to scratch the itching sensation it feels.
Dogs get tapeworms by ingesting the immediate host that contains larvae. Tapeworm eggs are commonly ingested through adult fleas, while others live in rabbits, birds, rodents and other matter that a dog may ingest while scavenging. You can prevent this condition altogether with a treatment for heartworms like Iverhart Max. In addition to preventing heartworm, this monthly preventative tablet also keeps roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms at bay. Keep your dog flea free with discount pet medications like Capstar Fleas Treatment Tablets.
However, if your dog does have a tapeworm infection, your vet will diagnose it and give you a number of treatment options. The diagnosis is usually made easily with a stool sample from the dog, and treatment is usually in the form of an oral medication that will be administered at home.
Your veterinarian may recommend a broad spectrum parasiticide such as Panacur C to treat tapeworms in dogs, or a dog wormer like Dog Worms 3. This de-worming medication is the most comprehensive medication on the market that does not require a prescription and is commonly used to treat most worms in puppies and dogs. A natural dog wormer is HomeoPet Wrm Clear, which uses 100 percent natural ingredients such as pomegranate and kamala to relieve your dog of the parasites.
PetMD.com reports that owners should be sure to administer all of the recommended or prescribed medications to make sure that all worms are removed from the dog’s body.