Re:Tapeworms
Trish Dowling (dowling@skyway.usask.ca)
Sat, 01 Nov 1997 18:50:42 -0800 (PST)
Horse tapeworms are completely different than dog and cat tapeworms; they are not exchangeable between
the species. The tapeworms that you get to see from dogs and cats are usually Dipylidium caninum - and it
requires the flea to complete its lifecycle. If your dog or cat has tapeworms, they have fleas. They bite to
scratch at the flea, and end up swallowing the flea and releasing the tapeworm egg. The tapeworm
segments that you miss and don't see, fall out of the rectum and end up in the dirt or your carpet, where flea
larvae ingest them. And the cycle repeats itself.
The horse tapeworms are Paranoplocephala mamillana, Anoplocephala magna and Anoplocephala
perfoliata. The tapeworm eggs that are passed in the horse manure are ingested by a mite, not a flea.
Horses are infected when they ingest the mite while grazing. While pyrantel (Strongid) is effective treatment
for horse tapeworms, it is not effective for dog and cat tapeworms.
Sorry to gross anyone out, but I wanted to end the confusion.
Cheers,
Trisha
Trisha Dowling, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM & ACVCP
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4
306-966-7359/FAX 306-966-7376