Miniature monsters not seen by the naked eye could be lurking in your pets or even in you. Dipylidium Caninum is a cestode, otherwise known as a tapeworm. It is considered to be zoonotic since it has the potential to infect humans if it is accidently swallowed. Their main hosts are dogs, cats, and foxes. This specific tapeworm cannot affect cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, or poultry. This common parasite is found worldwide and uses an intermediate host like a Flea or even lice. The prepatent period is around two to three weeks, which means it is the time between infection and the very first egg shedding. Knowing the life cycle, symptoms and diagnostics, and the treatment methods will ultimately help you better understand how to get rid of …show more content…
This is where a tiny little tapeworm egg about 35 to 40 micrometers in size sits. This little egg is then ingested by a tiny little flea larva and once inside it begins to incubate. The egg than hatches and becomes a oncosphere which has hooks that tear a small hole into the flea larva’s gut entering into the blood stream. Once inside of the bloodstream the oncosphere is fed and protected where it then grows into a cysticercoid larva. During this development inside of the flea larva, the flea goes through a metamorphoses and changes into an adult flea. Still infected with the cysticercoid the flea jumps on to a dog or other house hold pets and begins to feed. The fleas bite will trigger the dog to start itching, and when the dog starts to bite at his side to relieve this sensation he/she accidentally swallows the flea and becomes infected. During the dog’s digestion the flea is broken down releasing the cysticercoid. The cysticercoid uses its hooks and suckers on its scolex (head) to attach to the small intestinal wall where it will begin to feed and grow. The strobila (body) can grow about 50-150 segments. Each individual segment is a hermaphrodite (containing both sexes) and is capable of ingestion, excretion, and movement. As each segment becomes gravid (pregnant) with eggs the womb takes over the segment. Once the segment is filled with numerous mature eggs it breaks off from the …show more content…
Dogs may even be seen scooting and biting or licking their anus. Diagnosis may be performed by collecting a fecal sample. Some fecal samples may have visual signs such as small rice-like segments that appear to be white or cream in color. Sometimes the visual signs alone are enough to get treatment, but only by using microscopic examination of the fecal samples can we identify and confirm the presence of this parasite and its