Dog Internal ParasitesNormally, to fight against them is a simple procedure, cause there is a great number of drugs. Internal parasites can expand in very different ways. How can I recognize tapeworms? Tapeworms are called that way because of their flattened shape, similar to a piece of white ribbon that stretches towards the end of the head. They hold of the intestine by the head, and segments of the body mature towards the tail. Pieces separate and are expelled with excrements. However, th ese segments are not infectious by themselves, cause they require intermediary guests. In case of the Dipylidium caninum tapeworm, these can be lice or fleas. The dog gets the infection when eating an external parasite that has been parasitic of the immature tapeworm. It is possible to find segments of the tapeworm around the dog's anus; they look like rice grains, and some times they seem to move.Other tapeworms use as intermediary guests the herbivorous. Dogs are infected when eating raw meat that contains the tapeworm's cyst. One species in particular, is the Echinococus granulosus, which is generally associated to sheep, but can also infect humans, and if the eggs are eaten, cysts of about 15 cm of width, can be developed in the body, with disastrous consequences. In this case, the adult tapeworm is extraordinarily small, reaching a maximum of a half centimeter, and does not causes major damages to dogs, even if their weight is bigger. Are intestinal worms important parasites? |
