The Tapeworm and Your Pet Dogs and Cats

The most common tapeworm that dogs and cats can get is the Dipylidium caninum (DIE-pih-LID-ee-um K-nine-um).

Your pets get the tapeworms through the ingestion of fleas, usually while grooming themselves. Once they swallow a flea that is infected with a tapeworm larvae, the larval tapeworm is free to develop into an adult tapeworm.

One sign that your pet dog is infected with tapeworms is when you see your pet do the scooter dance across your floor. When your pet is dragging its anus across your carpet, it is because the tapeworm segments are irritating the skin in this area.

The adult tapeworm is made up of many small segments, called proglottids (pro-GLOT-ids), each about the size of a grain of rice; adult tapeworms may measure 4-28 inches in length. As the tapeworm matures inside the intestines, these segments (proglottids) break off and pass into the stool.

Sometimes, the segments that do break off get caught in the animal's fur, causing irritation.

Because the Dipylidium tapeworm eggs are rarely released into the feces, the tapeworm is not usually detected by routine fecal exams performed by your veterinarian. So, it is important that you watch for any signs of tapeworm infection.

Tapeworm infection is usually diagnosed when the moving segments are seen crawling around the anus or in a bowel movement. Occasionally, a portion of the tapeworm will be passed when your dog vomits. If this happens, a worm several inches in length may be seen.

If you suspect that your pet dog or cat may have tapeworms, call your veterinarian.

Treatment for both animals and humans is simple and very effective. A prescription drug called praziquantel is given, either orally or by injection (pets only). The tapeworm medicine causes the tapeworm to dissolve within the intestines. Since the worm is usually digested before it passes, it may not be visible in your dog's stool. The drugs are generally well-tolerated.

It's a Tapeworm!

Yes, the tumor really was a tapeworm.

In case you missed the post, read more about the tumor that was actually a tapeworm, Doctors Find Worm In Woman's Brain?.

A lesson to all of us - Wash your hands before you handle food!!

Doctors Find Worm In Woman's Brain?

Fox News recently reported a story that could possibly be considered someone's worst nightmare come true.

Doctors in Arizona believed they were removing a tumor from a woman's brain. What they found was quite gruesome. It was not a tumor causing the blurry vision or the numbness in her left arm. Instead, they found a tapeworm.

It is believed the woman was infected by eating undercooked pork or unwashed food that was infected with human feces. The parasite can also be spread by people having the parasite in their body, and not washing their hands after using the bathroom.

Fortunately for this woman, the tapeworm was removed from her brain.

Watch the video here It's a Tapeworm!.

Tapeworms - The Menace Living in Your Intestines

By Dennis Paguio

What has been known to grow to a hundred feet long and yet lives inside you, most probably without your knowledge or consent? Welcome the tapeworm. Although the hundred foot specimen was found inside the intestine of a whale caught near Catalina Island, tapeworms can reach amazing lengths inside the bodies of humans.

An adult tapeworm has a scolex or 'head' that clings with hooks and suckers to a host's intestines. Below this head is a neck that expands and grows continually. They are filled with eggs and sperm as they mature. The younger segments are usually the male segments and fertilize eggs released by other, older segments upstream. All it takes is a single worm to produce a billion eggs in its lifetime.

Eggs usually find their way into the world through fecal matter. Many of the eggs don't survive but those that do usually become very active as adults. You can get tapeworms from eating undercooked meat, raw fish or sometimes by petting dogs. You can get the most dangerous tapeworm to man--the beef tapeworm-in this way. People from Scandinavia are particularly at risk because of their love for raw fish dishes. In some parts of Finland, it is said 80% of people are infected.

Some experts say that having tapeworms has a very minimal effects on their hosts. They are however very uncomfortable to have. People infected with tapeworms usually feel abdominal pain, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, vertigo, headaches, tiredness, anorexia, muscle pain, vitamin deficiency, weight loss, rectal flutters, depression and psychosis. In very rare cases, tapeworm infestations have been fatal. Doesn't sound very minor, eh?

Tapeworms can become a serious problem, especially if you allow them to reproduce unchecked inside of you.

If you want to know more about the effects of tapeworms and more specifically how to get rid of them, visit: http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-tapeworm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Paguio
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tapeworms---The-Menace-Living-in-Your-Intestines&id=1358449

Tapeworm Segment

Tapeworm Symptoms

A man who contends he got a 9-foot tapeworm after eating undercooked fish has sued a Chicago restaurant. In the lawsuit, Anthony Franz said he ordered salmon salad for lunch in 2006 and fell violently ill. He later passed the giant parasite, which a pathologist determined came from undercooked fish, such as salmon.
After hearing reading about this man, you can't help but be a little concerned about tapeworms.
But, just how would you know if you became infected with a tapeworm. What would tapeworm symptoms be like?
According to the Mayoclinic.com, most people do not show symptoms.
Tapeworm symptoms vary widely, as do the treatments. Symptoms can include:

• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Inadequate absorption of nutrients from food

You may also notice segments of the adult tapeworm in your stool. So, you will have to keep an eye on your stools to notice that one!
You can prevent tapeworm symptoms by making sure you wash your hands before eating.
And, unlike the Chicago man, avoid eating raw or undercooked meats.

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