Yuck! Yuck! Double yuck! I saw a small white worm about the size of a grain of rice crawling around the underneath side of my dog’s tail. Worse yet he sleeps on my bed. What do I do?
It sounds like you’ve had the opportunity to view a tapeworm segment or proglottid (tapeworm egg sack). Dogs and cats both can pick up various species of tapeworms from eating raw meat such as venison, rabbits, mice or hamburger. They can also get them from ingesting fleas off of their bodies while grooming. Most pets are asymptomatic but diarrhea, poor hair coat, weight loss, and anal irritation can be seen.
Tapeworms can be transmitted to people with children especially being at risk. Praziquantel is the drug of choice to treat tapeworms and can be purchased through most veterinary offices. Treatment will need to be repeated as often as the pet re-infects itself.
