Tapeworms, though not as lethal as hookworms can be equally debilitating in the long run.
A bit about the tapeworm
If ever there was an organism built to survive, it is the tapeworm. This parasite is truly an anatomical wonder. Its head is armed with several layers of rose-thorn shaped hooks, so that the worm can fasten itself onto the wall of the small intestine. And, as if this were not enough, suckers on the head assist with the attachment. Linked to the head are individual segments. Each of these is a self-enclosed packet with its own male and female reproductive organs and means to acquire nutrition. Even if we kill the segments, we are doing no real damage to the tapeworm, until its head is removed. Tapeworms can be small in length (less than an inch), but they can also be many feet long. The ripe segments are expelled with the stool or they may leave the dog or cat spontaneously. You can sometimes actually see these segments contracting and expanding on the surface of the faeces. The eggs from a moving segment are disseminated as the segment crawls along.
How do pets acquire tapeworms?
There are two routes for tapeworm infection. Firstly, and probably to a lesser degree, dogs and cats can develop a tapeworm infestation by eating carrion or fresh contaminated meat from infected animals.
You know how housepersons (housewives, househusbands, and other domestics) like to throw scraps of meat trimmings to the dog or cat lurking in or near the kitchen. Well, therein may lie the source of infection. Anyway, since most pets have owners who prepare food separately for them, there is a restricted likelihood of the pets getting raw meat to eat. In the case of hunting dogs which catch and begin to tear their prey apart before the hunter arrives on the scene, the possibility of the dogs picking up adult tapeworms or cysts or eggs is greater.
The more probable method of tapeworm infection in the dog is via fleas! The immature stage of the flea ingests the tapeworm eggs and thus becomes infected. The dog/cat then swallows the flea when nibbling at its own skin
trying to dislodge the fleas. I should mention, in passing, that in rare cases children could be infected if they accidentally swallow an infective flea while playing with their pets. Of course, that is highly unlikely, though remotely possible.
While I am in this vein, perhaps I should venture – very superficially – into the area of human medicine as it relates to tapeworms. These human infecting types of tapeworm are not generally and primarily found in dogs and cats. Rather, they are to be found in horses, cattle, sheep and pigs.
The human acquires the infection via direct contact with the eggs or with the cysts of this worm. Interestingly enough, the eggs of this specific tapeworm do not produce adult worms in humans, since man is not the natural host. Instead they could produce large cysts in the brain, liver and or lungs. This is a serious, even fatal, matter.
Next week we’ll deal with the symptoms of a tapeworm infection, as well as treatment and control.
Please implement disease preventative measures(vaccinations, routine dewormings, monthlyanti-Heartworm medication, etc) and adopt-a-pet from the GSPCA’s Animal Clinic and Shelter at Robb Street and Orange Walk, if you have the wherewithal to care well for the animals.
Do not stray your unwanted pets, take them to the GSPCA Clinic and Shelter instead. If you see anyone being cruel to an animal, get in touch with the Clinic and Shelter by calling 226-4237.
