Tapeworm Parasite
Hunting cats are at particular risk of being infected by the 'cat' tapeworm, which uses mice and other small rodents as intermediate hosts. Scavenging dogs can also be affected by tapeworm.
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Tapeworm look like long flat ribbons or tapes divided into segments and live in the small intestine.
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Once mature, the tapeworm releases eggs via the cat or dog's poo.
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Cats and dogs contract tapeworm by ingesting an infected intermediate host.
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Animals may need tapeworm treatment more often if they frequently hunt or scavenge.
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The flea is the intermediate host for the most common tapeworm of dogs and cats, so even indoor cats can become infected by ingesting fleas.
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If your pet has a tapeworm infection, you may not realise as infected cats and dogs often show no symptoms.
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Tapeworm segments in the poo can cause irritation and pets may "scoot" across the ground, symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea can also occur.
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In extreme cases, if humans inadvertently ingest some types of tapeworm eggs- cysts can develop within body tissues.
