Tapeworms are parasitic worms that infect the intestines of definitive hosts. They consist of the head, neck, and many segments which originate from the neck. Tapeworms are members of the Platyhelminthes family Cestoda. They look like ribbon so were named “tapeworms.”

Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Aro... Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Around

Dipylidium caninum is the common tapeworm that infects dogs when they eat the infected animals while scavenging. Tapeworms have hooks and suckers to suck nutrients from their hosts and feed slowly by stealing essential nutrients from the dog’s intestine. This article will elaborate on the appearance of tapeworms in dogs and how do they look like.

What Tapeworms Look Like In Dogs?

The body of tapeworms consists of a scolex (head) with four suckers, a neck, and various segments. The larvae of flatworms can attach to the dog’s gut before maturing into an adult white worm of a maximum of 11 inches in length. They can attach to the small intestines of the dogs with the help of their hook-like mouths (suckers). 

The flatworms have segmented bodies, and the flat segments (each 12mm long, 3 mm wide) are called proglottids. Each segment of flatworms has its reproductive organ and can grow into full flatworms as they contain at least 20 tapeworm eggs. Diagnosis of tapeworm infection in dogs can be made by finding tapeworm segments in your dog’s feces, on the rear end of dogs, or the place where your dog sleeps. 

These segments look like seed or rice grains and appear as white worms.

The dogs don’t show symptoms of the infection for a long time, but you can spot flatworms in your dog’s poop. However, dogs can be seen biting their bottom to relieve irritation caused by them. The tapeworm infection in dogs can be fatal in rare cases.