11/10/2023 0 Comments Tapeworm symptoms![]() The dried segments are small (about 1/16-inch), hard and golden in color. These segments look like grains of rice and contain tapeworm eggs, which are released into the environment when the segment dries. When terminal segments of the tapeworm break off and pass into the cat's stool, they can be seen crawling near the anus or on the surface of a fresh bowel movement. Most commonly, owners recognize that the cat has tapeworms and bring this to the attention of the veterinarian. When this happens, the cat may vomit an adult tapeworm several inches in length. The adult worm is generally not seen, but the white segments that break away from the tapeworm and pass outside the body rarely fail to get an owner's attention! Occasionally, a tapeworm will release its attachment in the intestines and move into the stomach. However, this behavior is much more common in dogs. ![]() Occasionally, the cat may scoot or drag his/her anus across the ground or carpet because the segments are irritating to the skin in this area. Though rare, tapeworms may cause debilitation and weight loss if they are present in large numbers. Tapeworms are not highly pathogenic (harmful) to your cat and few clinical signs are attributed to their presence. Lice are also reported as intermediate hosts for tapeworms, but they are relatively uncommon parasites of cats. As the flea is digested within the cat’s intestine, the tapeworm hatches and anchors itself to the intestinal lining. Next, the cat chews or licks his/her skin as a flea bites and the flea is then swallowed. Contact between flea larvae and tapeworm eggs is thought to occur most frequently in contaminated bedding or carpet. This process begins when tapeworm eggs are swallowed by flea larvae (an immature stage of the flea). ![]() In order for a cat to become infected with tapeworms, he/she must ingest a flea that contains tapeworm eggs. As the adult matures, the individual segments (proglottids) break off from the main body of the tapeworm and pass into the cat’s feces. Though tapeworms are actually made up of many small segments-each measuring about 1/8-inch long-adult tapeworms may reach up to eight inches in length. Tapeworms attach to the small intestinal wall by hook-like mouth parts. Because they are classified as cestodes, these worms belong to a different family than hookworms and roundworms, which are called nematodes. The most common tapeworm affecting dogs and cats is called Dipylidium caninum. ![]()
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