If you find something similar to cucumber or pumpkin seeds in the dog's feces, then this should alert you and become a reason to deworm the animal. What appeared in the feces are segments of the dipylidium worm.

Pathogen and its segments

In the external environment, cucumber tapeworm has its own development cycle. Its segments, contracting, tend to move slightly along the tail or in the feces. Once in the external environment, the segments of the dipylidium lose their shell, and the eggs that were inside are scattered on the litter, fall on the animal's hair, in the cracks of the floor and other places.

Further, the life cycle of the cucumber tapeworm takes place in fleas that swallow eggs. In the body of an insect, a series of transformations of the dipylidium egg takes place over the course of 2-5 months, and a cat or dog, swallowing a flea infested with cysticercoid, becomes infected.

Dipylidium is considered a biohelminth, its life cycle cannot take place without the participation of one of the hosts, definitive (cat, dog, human) and intermediate (cat, dog flea, lice).

Cucumber tapeworm belongs to the representatives of tapeworms

That is why, by interrupting the cycle - by destroying fleas, we prevent the further spread of dipilidiosis.

Dipylidiasis is a widespread disease among stray animals, and also where sanitary conditions are not at the highest level.

In young animals, there is a strong emaciation, and the stomach seems large and round.

Since cucumber tapeworm mechanically affects the intestines, symptoms of inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract will sometimes appear. Diarrhea can be replaced by constipation, in cats from time to time there is an urge to vomit.

Dipilidiosis - a disease caused by the helminth cucumber tapeworm

Diagnosis of dipilidiosis is carried out by identifying segments in the feces of cats or dogs.

If mature segments are found, even if there are no other symptoms of dipilidiosis, treatment should be started immediately.

Cucumber tapeworm is perfectly treatable. According to experts, good results are shown by the use of drugs for dipilidiosis in cats:

• "Fenasal". Calculated at 0.1 g per kg of animal weight and mixed with feed, a single feeding will be sufficient to stop the symptoms. A starvation diet is not required.
• "Phenapeg". Release form - paste. The dose for treatment is 0.1 g per kg of the cat's weight.
• Praziquantel. The dose is 5 mg per kg of animal weight, fed with feed.

All drugs are used once, without starvation diets and laxatives.

For the treatment of dogs used:

• "Kaniquantel plus". One tablet per ten kilograms of live weight without prior diet and laxatives.
• Drontal plus. Meat-flavored tablet, perfectly eaten by the dog. Dose - 1 tablet per 10 kg of animal weight.
• "Prazicide". Suspension used to treat puppies from two weeks of age.

For treatment, specific therapy and symptomatic therapy are used.

Before taking this or that drug, weigh the animal, especially if it is a kitten or puppy. Carefully study the instructions for the drug and consult with a specialist.

Whichever of the medicines you choose for treatment, it must be combined with the use of insecticides. Treatment of the animal, bedding, resting places, to destroy all stages of flea development, is an integral part of the treatment.

If you are not confident in your knowledge and capabilities, seek help from experienced dog breeders, breeders, amateurs, and of course, a veterinary specialist.

Preventive methods

Strict observance of veterinary and sanitary conditions for keeping and walking pets will prevent infection with dipilidiosis by 80%.

Prevention of the appearance of fleas on animals can be carried out using insecticidal collars, drops on the withers, aerosols, shampoos.

It is advisable to carry out the processing of inventory, rug and floor in the place of rest of the animal with aerosols: "Perol", "Acrodex", "Actol". Bedding should be changed at least once every three months. But scalding it with boiling water and washing it is a weekly procedure.

Be vigilant, cucumber tapeworm breeds out of season, it is dangerous for both animals and humans.

Do not allow "communication" of your pets with stray dogs and cats. Preventive deworming of four-legged friends should be carried out with complex preparations and quarterly. Make it a rule to give your pet a deworming pill every first of January, April, July and October so you don't have to write it down or remember how long ago you took it.

Attentive attitude to animals, timely treatment and prevention will not allow the appearance of tapeworm in the body.

Tapeworms in dogs are of great danger - cucumber tapeworm, bovine tapeworm, echinococcus and other worms.

Getting into the body of an intermediate host (flea, mosquito, tick), the larvae continue to develop, can reach the age of maturity and move into a mammal.

Sometimes a segment with mature larvae enters the animal, which settles throughout the body. This happens, for example, with echinococcosis. Not only is each larva able to create a bubble around itself, in this bubble there are daughter echinococci, i.e. helminth reproduction continues.

The fact that the dog is sick can be seen with the naked eye already about a week after the animal becomes infected.

Appearance changes:

• wool becomes dull, brittle;
• wool falls into clods, may fall out;
• dandruff appears;
• mucous membranes of the tongue become whitish, pale;
• bald patches, itchy dermatoses appear on the skin;
• eczema may occur;
• the abdomen swells and looks large;
• protruding ribs and spine.

The pet becomes lethargic, lethargic, activity on a walk decreases, interest in home games decreases. The work of the dog's digestive tract also changes.

There are symptoms of helminthic invasion:

• loss of appetite;
• increased appetite, accompanied by severe exhaustion;
• abnormal change in taste preferences: the desire to eat polyethylene, thread, nylon;
• violation of the stool: diarrhea, replacing constipation;
• vomit;
• straining cough;
• frequent hiccups after eating;
• spasms, a wave passing through the entire body of the animal;
• bloating, flatulence.

Since helminths can provoke anal itching, the dog can “ride on its tail”, choosing hard surfaces, bite its tail, hind limbs, and lick thoroughly for a long time. During an external examination, segments of tapeworms can be found in the animal's fur. Sometimes worms or parts of them appear in the feces. The appearance of blood in the pet's feces, a large amount of mucus is also swept aside.

• petty fluke- often affects the liver, bile ducts, pancreas. Sometimes penetrates into the heart muscle.

Depending on where the worms are located, additional symptoms may also occur:

• if helminths hit the heart - tachycardia, fatigue, shortness of breath;
• with the defeat of echinococcus lungs - cough with discharge of purulent sputum, with blood.

In the small intestine of a puppy, tapeworms can reach adulthood in 2-3 months. Tapeworm or echinococcus cestodes can live in the body of a mammal for years. Once in the circulatory system, cestodes penetrate into all organs of the animal, form cystic blisters. Bubbles grow, helminths excrete waste products, poisoning the host organism.

The pet's condition is rapidly deteriorating, as a growing tapeworm often takes up a lot of space in the intestines, gets tangled, blocks the gaps, and can provoke a rupture of the intestine. Echinococcal blisters can reach enormous sizes, disrupting the functioning of internal organs. The animal quickly gets tired, refuses to play, there are signs of severe exhaustion. From intoxication, a puppy can die in just two weeks.

Treatment of tapeworms in dogs, drugs and dosages

Like a person, a domestic dog must be treated carefully, using all the possibilities of traditional and traditional medicine.

Diagnostics

Traditional Therapy

For this, tablets and injections are used:

• antibiotics. They should be given to a dog if an inflammatory process has begun in the animal's body;
• adsorbents. To remove the general intoxication of the dog, remove the waste products of helminths from the body, as well as toxins released due to their death;
• probiotics. To restore the normal functionality of the gastrointestinal tract;
• rehydrants. To restore the water balance in the body of an exhausted animal;
• antiprotozoal agents. Prevent the reproduction of protozoa;
• immunomodulatory drugs, vitamins to maintain the body and speed up the healing process.

Preventive measures

Animals become infected when licking wool, through water or food containing an infected flea, which, while still in the larval stage, swallowed the larva of the cucumber tapeworm and became an intermediate host for it. The helminth is attached with hooks to the wall of the small intestine of the main host (animal or human) and after 24 days grows to a mature individual in the small intestine.

Human infection is rare. However, cases of morbidity have been described when an infected flea is accidentally ingested during contact with animals. Children under 8 years of age are most susceptible to the disease, as they most often stay in very close contact with pets, without adhering to hygiene rules.

Epidemiology

Dipylidosis is ubiquitous. It is found in wild and domestic animals. Cases of human infection have been recorded in different countries of the world, including the territory of the former USSR. The highest level of morbidity is observed in places with a large concentration of stray animals and under unsanitary conditions of their maintenance. Infection can occur at any time of the year. But cases of infection with dipilidiosis of people are recorded very rarely - on average, no more than one case per year over the past 20 years, while a third of them fell on children under 6 months old. Although there are certainly more real cases of infection.

Symptoms and signs

Symptoms in Animals

The proglottid of the cucumber tapeworm comes out of the anus of the dog, while it moves and resembles a fly larva

The disease is most severe in young animals. With a strong invasion, they may lag behind in growth. As a result of a decrease in immunity, the body's resistance to infectious diseases decreases.

Symptoms in humans

The disease is mostly asymptomatic. With a large accumulation of helminths, digestive disorders occur, which are manifested by abdominal pain (especially during palpation), diarrhea. Patients complain of loss of appetite, itching around the anus. Perhaps the appearance of allergic reactions, accompanied by itching. In children, parents may notice proglottids in underwear or feces. They look like small white larvae and can move around for a while. Very rarely, only with massive invasion, there is intestinal obstruction, pallor of the skin.

Cucumber tapeworm proglottids taken from a stool sample of a 9-month-old girl in Spain. In this case, the veterinarian found that the pet dog was also infected.

Diagnostics

Cucumber tapeworm proglottids in cat excrement

To determine the disease in humans, the following types of tests are performed:

• general blood analysis;
• general urine analysis;
• blood chemistry.

As in the case of animals, eggs (under a microscope) and parts of worms (with the naked eye) can be found in human feces.

Treatment

The treatment regimen is selected by the doctor, focusing on the degree of invasion, symptoms, concomitant diseases and the individual characteristics of the patient's body. It is important to adhere to the prescribed dosage so as not to get an undesirable effect from taking medications.

Animal treatment

For the treatment of cats and dogs, drugs containing praziquantel (Drontal, Kanikvantel plus, Quantum, etc.), niclosamide (Fenasal powder for animals, Fenagep, etc.) and less often mebendazole or arecoline are used.

Praziquantel-based preparations are given with food, maintaining a dose of 5 mg per 1 kg of animal weight.

Mebendazole is used at a dosage of 40 mg per 1 kg of body weight, mixing the drug with food.

Fenasal is mixed with food. The dosage is set on the basis of 0.2 g per 1 kg of body weight for dogs and 0.15 g per 1 kg of body weight for cats. Pre-fasting is not required.

Fenahep is presented in the form of a paste, which is placed in a tube. Dogs need 0.1 g of the drug per 1 kg of body weight. Before eating, it is necessary to apply a medicinal paste to the root of the tongue, mixing the drug with a small amount of porridge.

Arecoline is an odorless crystalline substance dissolved in alcohol and water. This drug is indicated for dogs and is not used to treat cats. First you need to endure a starvation diet, the duration of which is up to 14 hours. The medicine at a dosage of 0.004 g per 1 kg of body weight is mixed with meat feed or milk. To avoid vomiting, it is necessary to give the dog a couple of drops of iodine a few minutes before taking the drug, dissolving it in a tablespoon of water.

Bunadimin is used to treat cats and dogs. It is prescribed at a dosage of up to 30 mg per 1 kg of body weight after a three-hour fasting diet.

In order to get rid of pathogenic microflora, it is necessary to use antibacterial drugs. In addition, drugs are prescribed that will help eliminate the consequences of the mechanical effects of helminths and restore the mucous membranes of the digestive system. In case of loss of appetite and dehydration of the animal's body, it is recommended to use subcutaneous droppers. Immunomodulators are used to restore immunity.

Human treatment

To cure a person from dipilidiosis, symptomatic and specific therapy is used.

To relieve patients of the symptoms of the disease, the doctor prescribes antispasmodics, probiotics, enzymes, iron-containing preparations, and vitamins to patients.

There is no specific diet for dipilidiosis. The doctor recommends that patients eat a good diet. It is necessary to include cereals (especially buckwheat), vegetables, fruits, veal and beef in the diet.

Prevention

Preventive measures for dipilidiosis are the timely treatment of animals from fleas and worms. To do this, you can use special collars. Medications and shampoos will help get rid of fleas.

Adults should teach children about the need for personal hygiene, especially after contact with dogs and cats.

General preventive measures are as follows:

• periodic examination of animals in veterinary clinics for the timely detection of dipilidiosis;
• conducting deworming of pets;
• flea control in pets;
• compliance with the rules of personal hygiene.

The prognosis for dipilidiosis is favorable.

Symptoms

With a large number of cucumber tapeworms in a cat, the following clinical manifestations are observed:

• Oppression.
• Anemia of mucous membranes and sclera.
• Tearing.
• "Acute belly".
• Digestive disorder.
• Semi-conscious state.
• Convulsions.
• Tousled wool.
• Nausea.
• Gluttony.
• Profuse salivation.
• Diarrhea is replaced by constipation.
• Nervous excitement.
• Cachexia.

Cucumber tapeworm is dangerous for kittens, up to death.

Treatment

Dipilidiosis is diagnosed by microscopy of helminth eggs isolated from cat feces using a saturated NaCl solution using the Fülleborn method and a combination of clinical symptoms. The treatment strategy includes the following steps:

Rules for the use of anthelmintic drugs for cats prescribe the following restrictions:

• Do not deworm in the following cases:

1. The kittens are less than three weeks old.
2. Pregnancy.
3. first three weeks of lactation.

It is impossible to carry out deworming if the animal is exhausted.

It is forbidden to give medicines in tablet form to kittens and animals that have not reached half a kilogram weight. Suspension should be recognized as the best form of anthelmintic: it is easy to inject it to the animal from a syringe without a needle, and it is convenient to dose it. It is recommended to use single-use preparations so as not to create stressful situations. Deworming is duplicated after 2-3 weeks.

Feeding tablets is a certain difficulty. Use force or deceit. Before processing, in order to avoid problems, fasting is necessary. The cat is securely fixed, a tablet is placed on the base of the tongue, and the medicine is observed to be absorbed. Cunning cats spit out an unpleasant-tasting object.

To rid the animal of diphyllobothria, the following anthelmintics are convenient:

• Troncil K.
• Praziquantell.
• Caniquantell.
• Azinox.
• Dironet.
• Poliverkan in the form of sugar cubes.

Complex drops on the withers "Profender" or "Inspector" are convenient because they act against helminths and fleas.

To prevent complications, after treatment with anthelmintics, it is useful for the animal to give a sorbent capable of inactivating toxins - Polyphepan or Enterosgel. A preventive injection of an immunomodulator - immunofan, maxigan or gamavit - will not hurt.

The main causes of intoxication after deworming are the decomposition of worms inside the animal. Poisoning can be caused by an overdose, the use of an adult anthelmintic for a kitten, intolerance to ingredients.

In this position, pre-prepared detox preparations help:

• Immunofan, Maxigan Gamavit are injected subcutaneously.
• Orally, if there is no vomiting, sorbents are prescribed - polysorb or enterosgel.
• After the symptoms of intoxication disappear, digestion is restored with probiotics. These are active microorganisms of the normoflora of the large intestine that perform the following functions:
• Maintaining optimal PH.
• Destruction of putrefactive bacteria.
• Synthesis of vitamins - K and B 12 .

Live microorganisms of probiotics prevent diarrhea, stimulate the formation of immunocompetent cells. Biological supplements Bifitrilak and Vetom have been popular on the market for a long time.

Treatment of dipilidiosis in pregnant, lactating and kittens

In order not to harm future offspring, it is possible to expel the cucumber tapeworm only in the last third of the pregnancy, 40 days after mating. Lactation is also not the best time for deworming. If an anthelmintic enters the baby's body with milk, it can cause intoxication. The bans are lifted when the offspring are 21 days old.

Prevention of dipilidiosis consists of the following actions:

• Disinsection.
• Systematic disinfection of the tray.
• Quarterly deworming of all animals simultaneously.

Ways of infection with dipilidiosis

Basically, dogs, foxes, wolves, jackals suffer from dipilidiosis, as do most cats. A person, most often, becomes an accidental carrier of the disease.

In addition, infection occurs when eating contaminated meat, vegetables or plants. It is fleas and withers that are the last owners of the cucumber tapeworm.

Humans are not directly infected from infected animals.

Pets whose owners regularly deworm their pets, buy anti-flea collars, keep their pets clean, are less susceptible to the possibility of infection than homeless cats and dogs.

• general exhaustion;
• vomiting not associated with food intake;
• dysfunction of the digestive system;
• lack of appetite;
• disorder of the nervous system, manifested in insomnia, general fatigue and disability;
• pale appearance of the skin;
• sensation of itching around the anus;
• an increase in the volume of the abdominal cavity, with bulging of the peritoneum;
• a sharp weight loss against the background of a lack of appetite.

The reaction of each organism to infection with cucumber tapeworm is individual and depends on the strength of the immune system, respectively, on the strength of the immune response. In some cases, both humans and cats and dogs may develop all the symptoms at the same time, while the body with a strong immune system will independently fight the manifestations of the disease, preventing toxic shock and making it impossible to diagnose the disease, given main symptoms.

With the manifestation of signs of the disease, similar in symptomatic picture to infection with dipilidiosis, you should immediately seek help from a qualified specialist.

How to identify dipilidiosis

The only reason to confirm the diagnosis - cucumber tapeworm, is a positive stool test for the detection of a worm egg. In modern laboratories equipped with powerful microscopes and reagents, today research is carried out quickly and efficiently. But it is believed that the Fülleborn method is the most effective for detecting cucumber tapeworm.

The essence of the method lies in the treatment of feces with a solution of sodium chloride, as a result of which, during centrifugation, the eggs of the worm, light in specific gravity, come to the surface, easily diagnosed, as in the photo.

How to treat cucumber tapeworm

Regardless of who is diagnosed with the disease: in cats, in dogs or in humans, treatment is prescribed on the basis of the drug fenasal, drontal, quaniquantel, azinox and others.

In each case, the dosage is selected separately. For cats, the dosage will be less than for dogs only because these animals are much smaller in size and, accordingly, in weight.

A low-fat liquid diet is recommended for humans, cats, and dogs while taking anthelmintic drugs to eliminate cucumber tapeworm. Take the recommended daily dose of the drug at a time before the first meal. A couple of hours after taking the drug, take a laxative based on salt. Salt is an irritant for the mucous membrane of the epithelial layer of the intestine, to which the cucumber tapeworm is attached.

When treating humans, cats and dogs, a second course is given one month after the main course. During this period, the remaining helminth eggs ripen. With a repeated course, laxatives are not prescribed as an accompanying treatment.

After treating cats and dogs with insecticidal preparations, it is better to put on a collar on the animal that prevents the appearance of fleas and ticks.

How not to get cucumber tapeworm

The first and only way to avoid infection with dipilidiosis is to prevent the disease. If there are pets in the house, they should have their own sleeping places, cats should have a litter box.

Our health is in our hands. If there is an animal in the house, then regular examinations at the veterinarian are the key not only to his health, but also to the well-being of all family members.