I think my pet has tapeworms. How can I be sure?
Diagnosis is usually made by observing the white mobile tapeworm segments in the feces or crawling around the anus of your pet. They often look like grains of rice about 1/8 inch long.
Are tapeworms dangerous to my pet?
Tapeworms do not normally cause serious health problems in pets. Occasionally they will drag their bottoms on the ground (scooting) in order to allay the irritation but this behavior can be for other reasons such as impacted anal sacs in dogs, for example.
What is the treatment?
With today’s remedies, treatment is safe, simple and effective. The parasiticide may be given either in the form of drops, tablets or by injection. It causes the parasite to dissolve in the intestines so you normally will not see the tapeworm passed in the stool.
All-natural treatments are very safe and should not cause vomiting or diarrhea or other adverse side effects that are commonly associated with other forms of treatment.
The use of an all-natural remedy can be very convenient and cost effective. Tape-Eze (made famous in the Martin Zucker "Natural Pet" medicine books), will eliminate tapeworms. In addition, using Tape-Eze on a monthly basis is an excellent, preventative medication for pets who are prone to become reinfested (cats and dogs are particularly prone). This treatment can be safely repeated as often as necessary. Click here to learn more about Tape-eze.
Is there anything else I should do?
Because tapeworms develop from infected eggs ingested by fleas which in turn are digested by your pet, control of fleas is very important in the management and prevention of tapeworm infection. Flea control involves treatment of your pet and the environment. If your pet lives in a flea-infested environment, re-infection with tapeworms may occur in as little as two weeks. Since tapeworm medication is so effective, recurrent infections are almost always due to re-infection from fleas and not failure of the product. Click here to learn more about flea control.
