Dog Tape Worm

The dog tape worm is a parasitic wormlike creature that attaches itself on the inside of your dogs intestines and feed on whatever passes by, so whatever you are feeding your dog you are also feeding the dog tape worm. The parasite gets into your dog via infected fleas that your dog ingests as it tries to gnaw the biting fleas of its skin. Once inside the dog tape worm will grow and grow and grow, releasing segments and egg sacks as it does. When the egg sacks are carried out with the faeces, or simply fall out of the dogs anus, flea larvae eat the eggs and gets infected. The circle is complete and another dog can get infected.

Due to the fact that the dog tape worm actually steals nutrition from your dog an unexplainable loss of weight is one of the first symptoms of this disease. Your dog might also seem sick, showing signs of vomiting and lack of energy followed by an increased appetite. As the dog tape worm start to reproduce and release segments and egg sacks a more evident symptom will follow. Within your dogs faeces there will be small bits of something looking much like tape, these are the segments and the reason for the name of the parasite, and even egg sacks that resemble grains of rice. These egg sacks could also be seen falling out of your dogs anus or stuck in the hair around the backside. This will cause extreme anal irritation and it is common to see your dog dragging its anus across the floor in an attempt to still this nuisance. Once you are sure that it is dog tape worm you are dealing with, take your dog to the veterinarian for consultation and treatment.

As there really is nothing that you yourself can do, the veterinarian is actually the only answer. If someone else in your vicinity claims something else they are wrong, most other treatments will not cure dog tape worm but hurt your dog, therefore leave the curing to a professional. The veterinarian will probably hand you a folder full of information and an antiparasitic medicine that you somehow have to fool your dog into taking orally. The antiparasitic medicine will dissolve the dog tape worm and have it follow the rest of the dogs faeces to the end, therefore ending in a quite nasty but positive experience when walking your dog. More treatments might be needed after the first one since dog tape worm is quite hardy and wont give up that easily, you will also need to free your dog from fleas as these are the cause of the dog tape worm, maybe simply by buying a flea collar.