The tiny tapeworm looks for a place to latch on to the host's intestine so it can grow a full body. Tapeworms are not spread from pet to pet directly; they are spread by swallowing fleas.
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 may find tapeworm segments stuck to the fur under your pet's tail, or on whatever surface your pet has slept on. The segments are small and white and resemble a grain of rice, except they may wiggle and move on their own, much unlike a grain of rice.
Tapeworm medications are highly effective at eliminating these parasites. However, if your cat continues to hunt and eat prey, reinfection can occur with passage of tapeworm segments in 6-8 weeks. In cats that hunt frequently, regular deworming may be needed.
How Long do Tapeworms Live? Depending on the species, tapeworms can live for up to 20-30 years. Many times, people can be infected for long periods of time without even knowing they have a tapeworm infection.
Tapeworms are not contagious, like a cold, per se, but they are transmittable — through fleas — from animal to animal and in rare cases to humans. Just like your cat, if your dog eats an infected flea while chewing his skin, he can get tapeworms.
Tapeworms are not usually harmful to your pet. Weight loss may occur if your pet is heavily infected. Sometimes, an infected dog will “scoot” or drag its anus across the ground or carpet because the segments are irritating to the skin in this area.
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.
The sac, called a "proglottid," is passed from the host's rectum and out into the world, either on the host's stool or on the host's rear end. The segment is the size of a grain of rice and is able to move. Eventually the segment will dry and look more like a sesame seed. The sac breaks and tapeworm eggs are released.
Larvae hatch from the eggs in your small intestine and then go through the intestinal wall to travel to the heart and lungs via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. After maturing for about 10 to 14 days in your lungs, the larvae break into your airway and travel up the throat, where they're coughed up and swallowed.
The larva burrows into the wall of the intestines and forms a larval cyst. This becomes an adult dwarf tapeworm. Some eggs from the tapeworm pass in stool. Other eggs hatch in the intestine to make a repeating cycle.
Occasionally segments are seen crawling around the dog's anus. Tapeworm segments are only passed intermittently and therefore are often not diagnosed on routine fecal examination. If you find any segments, white or golden color, bring them to your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis.
Like other parasites, the mature tapeworm can only survive inside the host animal, feeding off of the host's own nutrients. The head attaches to the inside of your intestines and absorbs nutrients from the food digesting there. Meanwhile, the body continues to grow and lay 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.
In general, the mode of tapeworm transmission from pet to person is due to close physical contact such as allowing a pet to lick you or letting it sleep on your bed which causes accidental ingestion of the tapeworm eggs. Contact with cat or dog faeces also carries a risk, as is eating unwashed wild foods.
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.
Tapeworm infections are usually diagnosed by finding segments—which appear as small white worms that may look like grains of rice or seeds—on the rear end of your cat, in your cat's feces, or where your cat lives and sleeps.
Tapeworm segments detach from the end of the adult tapeworm and are shed in the pet's feces. Each segment contains numerous tapeworm eggs. Once in the environment, the segments break open, releasing the eggs, which eventually develop into tapeworm larvae.
Most dewormers will fall in line with those mentioned in this article, requiring an initial period of only 2-3 weeks to eliminate worms; however, some treatments will also require a second dosage to eradicate the second wave of parasites.
Left untreated, adult tapeworms can live in a host body for up to 30 years.
The adult tapeworm has up to 1,000 segments called proglottids, each of which contain 30,000 to 100,000 eggs. A proglottid separates from the adult and travels out of the intestines with the stool. The segment is about 0.5 to 1 inch in length and can sometimes be seen moving in the stool or on the anus.
Regardless of how regal they may seem, cats can carry worms and kissing your pet on their fur or head can lead to the transfer of worms to people.
It's important to note that some tapeworm infections don't require treatment. Sometimes, the tapeworm leaves the body on its own. This is why some people never have symptoms or only have mild symptoms. If a tapeworm doesn't leave your body, your doctor will recommend a treatment based on the type of infection.
Tapeworms can live up to two years if untreated, but often do not cause great harm to their host. These worms can grow up to 20 inches long, however, they are usually smaller. Tapeworm infestations are fairly common in cats, and veterinary treatment is very effective at eradicating them.