Question:
I'd like to know if flat white worms can hurt dogs. Our vet says they don't. Both of our dogs have them, and I saw one about 1/2-inch long come out of one. I read your column and will be watching for an answer.
D.W., Dinuba, CA Dec 04, 2005
Answer:
I am amazed by your complacency, and I wonder, when you saw worms crawling out of your dogs, why you didn't seek immediate veterinary treatment.From your description, I surmise you're seeing mobile tapeworm segments. They are full of eggs that eventually will be eaten by developing flea larvae in dirty carpets and on the ground, especially in the cracks between floor boards. They stay dormant inside fleas, and when a dog catches and swallows a flea, the tapeworm eggs develop quickly and attach to the dog's intestinal wall from which they feed, drawing nutrients from the dog's digestive system. The tapeworms grow quickly and produce segments filled with eggs (through self-fertilization) that pass out in dogs' stools or crawl out of the rectum.Your dogs must be treated for both tapeworms (which can occasionally cause severe intestinal blockage and feed off of your dog, robbing the animal of essential nutrients) and for fleas (to break the tapeworm cycle). Cats can be infected, too, but not humans. Young animal
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