Tapeworms in Dogs: What Tapeworms Are and How To Get Rid of Them

Published Jan. 15, 2025
tapeworms in dogs; a dog is examined by his vet.

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In This Article

Summary

Tapeworms are common intestinal parasites that infect puppies and dogs, with infection rates as high as 49% in the United States.

Key Takeaways

  • Tapeworms are common intestinal parasites that infect puppies and dogs.
  • Fleas are the most common reason for tapeworms in dogs. Tapeworms are found throughout North America and anywhere there are fleas.
  • If you see worms in your dog’s stool, find dried worm segments, or suspect that your dog has tapeworms, call your vet.

What Are Tapeworms in Dogs?

Tapeworms occur when a puppy or dog accidentally eats a flea, rodent, or other wildlife infected with tapeworms or tapeworm eggs.

If you find what looks like seeds (dried tapeworm segments) in your dog’s fur or where your dog has been resting—or if you see wiggly white worms in your dog’s stool that look like grains of rice—you might wonder if your dog has tapeworms.

Dogs can contract tapeworms by eating infected lice or a rodent or other wildlife infected with tapeworms or tapeworm eggs. 

It can be distressing to find these worms, but thankfully, tapeworms in dogs are typically not a medical emergency.

Types of Tapeworms in Dogs

Several tapeworms affect dogs. Common tapeworms in dogs include:

  • Dipylidium caninum (very common)—Dogs get these tapeworms when they eat infected fleas or lice when self-grooming.

  • Taenia (second most common)—Dogs get these tapeworms when they eat infected rabbits.

  • Echinococcus (less common)—Dogs get these tapeworms when they eat infected rodents.

Symptoms of Tapeworms in Dogs

Most puppies or dogs do not show any signs of illness when infected with tapeworms. If symptoms of tapeworms in dogs are shown, they can include:

  • Your dog is scooting their back end along the ground.

  • Your pup is licking or biting their tail area.

  • Your dog has tapeworm segments that look like rice (live worms) in their stool or seeds (dried worm segments) stuck in their fur under their tail and near the anus.

Rarely, puppies or dogs who are heavily infected with tapeworms might have an intestinal blockage, lose weight, or vomit entire tapeworms.

Causes of Tapeworms in Dogs

Fleas are the most common reason for tapeworms in dogs. Tapeworms are found throughout North America and anywhere there are fleas.

Dogs of all ages and breeds are at risk for getting tapeworms, particularly dogs who:

  • Have high exposure to fleas

  • Are kept outdoors

    • It's safest and best for a dog to live indoors with supervised outdoor time by their pet parents.

    • This provides them with protection against the weather and extreme temperatures, escaping, poisoning, other animals, and parasites.

  • Have hunting behavior

  • Live in crowded conditions

  • Live in the warmer southern states where fleas are known to thrive.

The infection starts when dogs groom themselves in response to flea bites and accidentally eat a flea.

Immature tapeworms live inside fleas, so when your dog swallows and digests a flea, tapeworms remain in the dog’s digestive tract.

There, they mature and grow to 15–70 centimeters (6 to 27.5 inches) in length, shedding small pieces about two to three weeks after infection.

Dogs can also contract tapeworms by eating infected lice or a rodent or other wildlife infected with tapeworms or tapeworm eggs.

How Veterinarians Diagnose Tapeworms in Dogs

If you see worms in your dog’s stool, find dried worm segments, or suspect that your dog has tapeworms, call your vet.

To diagnose tapeworms in dogs, your vet will need a stool sample. You can bring your pup’s stool sample from home, or your vet can get a sample during an exam of your dog.

To determine the type of worm your pup has, your vet can run lab tests. These include:

  • Fecal examination (also known as fecal centrifugation and flotation). This test detects microscopic parasite eggs and can be performed in the vet hospital or sent out to a reference laboratory.

  • Fecal antigen test. This test detects certain proteins from intestinal parasites and is sent out to a reference laboratory.

Tapeworm eggs might be seen in a stool sample through a microscope, but their absence in a fecal sample does not necessarily mean your dog is negative for tapeworms.

Studies have shown that because eggs are not always shed in the stool and are too heavy to consistently float in a fecal test, tapeworms are dramatically underdiagnosed because they are often missed.

Even if you highly suspect tapeworms, your veterinarian will likely want to run fecal (stool) tests to ensure the worm is correctly identified.

Your vet will also want to check for eggs of any other worms, since dogs can have several different types of worms at once.

Treatment of Tapeworms in Dogs

Tapeworms in dogs (most commonly Dipylidium caninum) are generally treated with a highly effective deworming medication called praziquantel.

Praziquantel is available as an injection given by your vet and in prescription and over-the-counter formulations.

Prescription formulations include:

Over-the-counter formulations include:

In certain situations, or if your vet suspects or diagnoses another type of tapeworm in your pup, they might prescribe other deworming medications, such as fenbendazole (like Panacur) or epsiprantel (like Cestex).

Recovery and Management of Tapeworms in Dogs

Puppies and dogs generally feel well and recover quickly after being treated for tapeworms. Tapeworm treatment for your pup must be combined with appropriate flea control; otherwise, your pup can be reinfected as soon as they eat another infected flea.

In certain situations, or if your vet suspects or diagnoses another type of tapeworm in your pup, they might prescribe other deworming medications, such as fenbendazole (like Panacur) or epsiprantel (like Cestex).

To prevent tapeworm eggs from contaminating your environment, make sure to remove your pup’s stool immediately from your yard.

Prevention of Tapeworms in Dogs

Here are three simple ways you can help prevent tapeworms in dogs:

  1. Administer year-round flea preventative. Keeping your pup on year-round flea medication is the best way to prevent tapeworm infections, since tapeworms are spread through fleas.

    • Speak with your vet to determine which flea preventative is the best fit for your pet (tablet, chew, or topical formulation) considering your pet’s age, lifestyle, and health.

  2. Choose a prescription parasite preventative that contains praziquantel. Some monthly parasite preventatives also contain praziquantel (Sentinel Spectrum, Interceptor Plus, and Iverhart Max).

    • These combination medications offer protection against heartworms and common intestinal parasites, including tapeworms. Sentinel Spectrum also protects against fleas.

  3. Prevent your pup from ingesting wildlife. Keeping your pup on a leash or in a fenced yard limits their opportunity to ingest rodents, rabbits, and other wildlife infected with tapeworms.

Tapeworms in Dogs FAQs

How do I get rid of tapeworms in my dog?

Tapeworms are generally treated with a dewormer called praziquantel.

Speak with your vet before administering any medication to your dog—they’ll determine which treatment and formulation (injection or oral) is appropriate for your pet.

Can tapeworms be passed from a dog to a human?

Dogs can’t pass the most common tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum, directly to people, but people can become infected with this tapeworm if they eat an infected flea (rare but possible).

Do I need to clean my house if my dog has tapeworms?

Yes. To keep your dog from getting reinfected, you must completely get rid of fleas and tapeworm eggs in your home by washing all bedding (including your pup’s); promptly picking up stool in your home and yard; vacuuming furniture, carpets, and rugs; and steam cleaning furniture and floors if possible.

All pets in the house need to be on flea preventative, since tapeworms are spread through fleas.

References

Dipylidium caninum. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Updated November 22, 2022.

Echinococcus spp. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Updated September 13, 2022.

Little, S., Braff, J., Duncan, K., et al. Diagnosis of canine intestinal parasites: Improved detection of Dipylidium caninum infection through coproantigen testing. Veterinary Parasitology. 2023;324: 110073.

Taenia spp. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Updated September 12, 2022.

References


Molly Price, DVM

WRITTEN BY

Molly Price, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Molly Price has practiced small animal medicine for over 20 years and is a graduate of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. She...


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