Do you love your dog? It’s probably one of your best companions at home. Imagine that it’s sick and is no longer playful. How does this make you feel?
There are various reasons your dog could be sick, one is being attacked by tapeworms.
A tapeworm hosts itself on your dog’s intestinal walls and feeds off it. It’s flat and looks like white rice, although it’s barely visible to the human eye. This begs the question; how will you know that your dog has tapeworms?
Suppose your dog has them. How will you treat it? Worried; you shouldn’t be. This article gives the signs and treatment options to adopt; read on.
Here are the signs:
- Itchy Perianal Area
The perianal area refers to the area around the anus. Tapeworms tend to leave the dog’s body through its fecal matter. Hence, your dog will likely get itchy around this area.
If this is the case, you’ll see your dog licking the area or dragging along the ground to ease the itchiness. However, even as you suspect this to be due to tapeworms, your dog can drag itself against the ground for other reasons. So, be sure to observe other signs to make sure the cause is tapeworms.
- Reduced Weight
Weight loss is another sign of tapeworm presence in your dog. Your dog might have tapeworms if they aren’t gaining weight, yet they’re eating a lot of food.
This is also another sign, especially since they’re losing considerable weight over a short period. It’s the only way to notice a difference and diagnose a tapeworm infestation.
When you confirm that the cause of weight loss is tapeworm, there’s a need for treatment since tapeworms eat the nutrients from your dog’s body, making it lack health.
- Vomiting
As stated earlier, tapeworms will position themselves along the intestinal walls of your dog’s stomach. As a result, there’s a likelihood of your dog feels irritated, especially after they eat. This kind of irritation can cause them to vomit frequently.
Hence, vomiting will be one of the tell-tale signs. However, your dog might not always vomit due to tapeworms in its body.
- You’ll Visibly See Them
From the description herein, tapeworms look like white rice to the naked eye, although they’re flat and segmented.
In some situations, you’ll see the tapeworms in your dog’s poop or around their perianal area. At times they’ll wiggle as worms do.
After knowing the sign, below are some of the treatment options for your dogs.
- Praziquantel
Praziquantel is medicine the vet will give your dog to help remove the tapeworms and is administered by injection or orally.
Medical practitioners say that this medicine will cause the tapeworm’s skin to leak, removing any nutrients in its body. With no nutrients, the tapeworms die, and your dog will remove them through egestion.
Others say praziquantel will dissolve the tapeworm until the remains become egested. It’s good to point out there are other medications you can use to treat tapeworms. Your doctor will advise you accordingly.
- Garlic
Garlic is a homemade treatment that keeps your dog healthy. Be sure to ground a sizeable amount of garlic and add it to your dog’s food. Doing this daily for two to three weeks will remove the tapeworms from your dog’s body, thanks to the sulfur content of garlic.
However, it’s best to be wary of the dosage. Small portions are advisable since, in excess, garlic can be toxic to your dog.
- Carrots
Carrots are another homemade solution you can adopt. Chop them into large and coarse portions and add them to your dog’s food.
On ingesting, the coarse nature of carrots will remove the mucus in your dog’s intestinal walls to which the tapeworms are attached. With nowhere to cling to, the tapeworms will end up in your dog’s fecal matter and get disposed of.
- Papaya
Papaya is the other solution you can add to your dog’s food to help eliminate tapeworms in your dog’s food.
This solution is rich in protein, enabling your dog to digest tapeworms in its intestines. Papaya is also beneficial since it’s anti-amoebic and will help keep tapeworms at bay in the future.
- Black Walnut Hulls
You might wonder how your dog will agree to eat hulls. Well, worry not. Black walnut hulls are available as capsules that you can feed your dog. You can do this independently or add it to their food such that they swallow the capsule unconsciously.
These hulls are acidic, which makes them powerful enough to eliminate any tapeworm in your dog, be it the eggs, adult, or larvae.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar will treat tapeworms by balancing the pH in your dog’s intestinal walls. Tapeworms will barely survive in these conditions, keeping them away and removing any that exist.
Add unfiltered apple cider vinegar to your dog’s drinking water, but be careful about the dosage. The dosage is related to your dog’s weight. For instance, you should add one teaspoon of vinegar if your dog weighs 14 pounds or less.
Conclusion
Tapeworms are parasites you don’t want your dog to have if it’s to remain healthy. The discussion above has given tips to help you pinpoint the presence of tapeworms in your dog and various treatments you can adopt, especially homemade ones, to eliminate the tapeworms.
As a dog owner, it’s best to be guided to keep your dog healthy. It’d also be helpful to consult your dog’s vet before administering any treatment. As a dog owner, it’s best to be guided and knowledgeable to keep your dog healthy.