Tapeworms are common parasitic afflictions that cats and dogs alike can come down with. These white parasites can be found around dog feces, in a cat's litter box or even on sofas and pet bedding. Tapeworms can look similar to little grains of rice or longer spaghetti-like segments.
In order to clean these items, you will need to wash them in hot water with bleach. Be sure to set the washer cycle for a long, hot wash and add bleach according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then, dry all of your linens and bedding on a high heat setting.
Tapeworms can live outside for months, waiting for a host to come along. You're most at risk if you work around livestock or travel to a country where hygiene is poor. You can also be infected if you eat or drink something that contains tapeworm eggs or larvae, like raw or undercooked beef or pork.
Tapeworms may live for several months on furniture. On the other hand, they cannot develop or reproduce without a host, though they can live for months on end on furniture while waiting for a suitable host.
close contact with someone who has a tapeworm – they may pass out eggs in their poo, which can get on clothing, surfaces, and food.
contact with poop that contains tapeworm eggs. People can pass tapeworm eggs to others when they don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. Tapeworm eggs in feces can then spread into food or onto surfaces like doorknobs.
Wash any pet bedding (or your bedding if the pet sleeps with you) on your washer's highest heat setting. Add one cup of white vinegar with the wash to further help kill any eggs. Toss into the dryer, again on the highest heat setting possible.
Tapeworm segments start off white and mushy when they leave the body and become more yellow and hardened as they dry out as time passes. You may also notice these tapeworm segments (essentially tapeworm eggs) in your bed, your cat's bed or in other common areas they like to sleep or lounge.
The most important thing to remember when detecting tape worms in your pet and in your house is that these tape worm segments, whether fresh or dry, also contain tape worm eggs. If these dried segments are ingested, it is possible to pass on the tape worm parasite.
You can easily kill tapeworms with anthelmintic drugs, including praziquantel (Biltricide®), albendazole (Albenza®) and nitazoxanide (Alinia®). Healthcare providers usually recommend praziquantel because it also paralyzes the worm, forcing it to dislodge from your intestinal wall.
– To clean your house after worms, you will need to sweep and mop the floors, as well as wipe down all of the surfaces.. – You will also need to disinfect the entire house by spraying a bleach solution everywhere. Then, wash everything that may have come into contact with the parasites in hot water and detergent.
Tapeworms can be contagious for humans and other pets. Humans rarely contract dipylidium caninum, as it requires ingesting fleas, but this parasite can spread to other household dogs through the intermediate flea host. Cats can contract some species of tapeworms, like taenia species.
You must do this straight away after getting up from bed. ❖ Change and wash underwear, nightwear (and bed linen if possible) each day. Avoid shaking clothes and linen as any eggs on them may be wafted into the air and be swallowed.
Change bed linen, towels and underwear daily for several days after treatment. Bedlinen and clothing should be machine-washed in hot water to ensure that all the eggs are killed.
Eat more raw garlic, pumpkin seeds, pomegranates, beets, and carrots, all of which have been used traditionally to kill parasites. In one study, researchers found that a mixture of honey and papaya seeds cleared stools of parasites in 23 out of 30 subjects. Drink a lot of water to help flush out your system.
Tapeworms cannot be directly transmitted from cats to people, but people can become infected if their cats are infested with fleas and those fleas carry tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum). Tapeworm infections occur most commonly in infants and children, who become infected by ingesting infected fleas.
Complications. The most serious symptoms happen when tapeworm larvae invade parts of your body outside the intestines. You may have serious problems with your nervous system, including seizures, or you could get headaches, masses or lumps, allergic reactions to the larvae, or problems with your vision.
The worms that are passed will be dead, but segments are full of eggs that could potentially hatch. You prevent reinfection by preventing exposure to intermediate hosts. Treat for fleas if there are any. If possible, keep your pet from hunting for mice and birds.
Ethanol and water destroyed the parasites within 5 min at concentrations of 15–17.5% and 80–90%, respectively.
Some mattress worms are simply parasitic worms, and will remain in their worm-form their entire life. Some common worms that might appear in your home are pinworms, roundworms, and hookworms. If you see tiny white worms crawling on your bed sheets, they could be any of the following: Bed bugs.
The tapeworm eggs can live in the environment in grass and soil, carpets and dust, so it is hard to eliminate the process of infection as we cannot keep this permanently clean.
If you have worms, a GP will prescribe medicine to kill them. You take this for 1 to 3 days. The people you live with may also need to be treated. Any worms in your gut will eventually pass out in your poo.
Pinworm eggs become infective within a few hours after being deposited on the skin around the anus and can survive for 2 to 3 weeks on clothing, bedding, or other objects.