tapeworms!! Hi, i just found out my puppy has tapeworms so i was wondering........ Is it true that tapeworms can be passed from a dog to a human?How does it happens? After reading some of the answers about tapeworms on this forum i found out that when they dry they look like brown rice and i found some of them on my sheets!!!! I am freaking out because she usually sleeps with me! I am washing my sheets right now!:eek: |
From what I have seen on Animal Planet a tape worm does not look like a grain of rice. It is white, flat and long. If it is cut in two pieces it can continue to grown. It looks the same in humans. I do not know if it can be passed from dog to humans. I would consult your vet. |
Tapeworms break off into small pieces which pass out of the dog. They are white, soft and wiggly. They move around and get into furniture, or anyplace they can reach until they dry up. That's when they look like pieces of rice. They squeeze out eggs during this process and that is what the fleas love to eat. If a flea that has eaten some eggs lands on a dog and the dog swallows the flea - voila - dog now has a tapeworm growing in him. So, it can happen over and over. Luckily, they are easy to treat and don't cause discomfort unles they become super infected with lots of tapeworms. Your vet can give you meds to kill the worms. Keep treating the dog with flea preventatives and make sure your bedding, and anywhere else you find the rice is cleaned. I don't think people can get the worms unless they eat the fleas. |
Yes! That's why I NEVER kiss my dogs on the lips! Yes, the tapeworms can be transmitted to humans. But it's NOT the eggs you saw that transmits them. The fleas that eat the eggs do. because the larva form in the fleas. The dogs eat the fleas when they are bit. If the dog has bitten a flea and a piece of the flea is still in it's mouth (with the eggs) the dog can lick the human's face/mouth transmitting the larva in the flea to the human mouth where it will turn into tapeworms. This is why I NEVER let a dog lick my face or kiss a dog on the lips! Even though my dogs are on frontline you don't know if it has a partially digested flea in it's mouth! http://www.drgreene.com/21_205.html |
Thanks for all the info. I never kiss my puppy on the lips neither but sometimes she licks my cheeks though.Can i still get infected if she ate a flea?What about licking feet,arms etc?I am definetely not going to let her lick me again,that's for sure!:smile: |
No, just kisses will transfer it Quote:
So it goes tapeworm eggs--->Fleas eat them--->dog eats fleas--->dog licks human mouth and transmits the dead flea w/tapeworm larva into the human. Of course it happens more with kids. Some kids like to eat dirt, sand, or bugs like fleas. This leaves the dog part of it out since the kid is eating the tapeworm infected fleas directly. Whatever happens, just get rid of the fleas. |
The risk of tapeworm transmission to humans is very low. You must actually ingest an infected flea (just like the dog did). I would take the pieces you found into the vet and a stool sample for positive identification - don't use over the counter wormers - a vet's medicine is much more effective and safer. Also, I have been kissing my Yorkies for 25 years and have never gotten anything passed along to me. I prefer not to "french kiss" them, but it seems like when they are puppies that tongue is pretty fast so yes, I've had it in my mouth, up my nose and in my ear! I also hug and shake hands with 100s of people every Sunday at church too! I know there is a risk, but in my opinion, I wouldn't give up Yorkie kisses for something that may happen. However, if any of them ever contracted giardia that would put kisses on hold at least for a little while! |
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