Cucumber tapeworm in cats: symptoms and treatment

The cucumber tapeworm is so named because the mature segments of this parasite are shaped like cucumber seeds (this is clearly visible in the photo and video).

The helminths of this species, which cause dipylidiosis, belong to tapeworms and have the scientific name Dipylidiidae Hymenolepidata. The width of the tapeworm is only 2.5-3 mm, but the length can reach up to 1.5 m. The color is grayish-white or with a pinkish tint.

What to do in such a situation? To get started, we recommend reading this article. This article describes in detail methods of controlling parasites. We also recommend that you consult a specialist. Read the article >>>

Life cycle

The cucumber tapeworm in cats and dogs goes through several stages of development, and it begins with the flea larva or lice eater swallowing the parasite's egg or a mature segment containing its eggs, which have a diameter of 0.03 mm.

The eggs of the parasite are contained in organic waste on which fleas and lice eaters feed; they become the temporary hosts of this parasite, from which this helminth ultimately reaches the main host - cats and dogs, especially often strays.

However, the eggs of the cucumber tapeworm, while remaining in the body of the flea and lice eater larvae, do not develop until the larva moves into a cocoon.

The temporary host grows and, together with the parasite, enters the gastrointestinal tract of the animal or person who swallowed such a flea.

Here, the migration of tapeworm larvae into the small intestine occurs, in which they turn into adult, sexually mature worms by the second month of life.

Individual segments - proglottids containing eggs - are released into the external environment along with the host's feces, and the cycle begins anew.

Cucumber tapeworm in cats: treatment and danger to humans

A helminthic disease caused by a pathogen in the form of an intestinal worm called Dipylidiidae Hymenolepidate is called dipylidiosis.

Cucumber tapeworm in a cat

Cucumber tapeworm is associated with cucumber seeds.

This species is popularly called cucumber tapeworm due to the similarity of the segments to cucumber seeds.

The length of the tapeworm varies from forty to seventy centimeters , but some individuals grow up to one and a half meters. The width is usually no more than three millimeters. The color is white or with a pink tint. On the head of the worm there is a proboscis and four suckers, with which it is securely attached to the intestinal walls using fastenings in the form of hooks.

The parasite is a hermaphrodite and has a full set of female and male genital organs. The body containing the ripe eggs is cream-colored. Each section contains approximately thirty future worms, and each section can move and develop quite independently.

Cycle of life

Cats are considered the permanent hosts of the worm.

The full life cycle of a worm takes place with the participation of two hosts - a temporary and permanent host.

Temporary hosts are fleas that live on the fur of animals, as well as human lice that swallow microscopic eggs of tapeworms.
Cats, fur-bearing animals, dogs and humans are considered permanent owners

The helminth reaches a cat when the animal licks itself and accidentally swallows insects.

Localization

While licking, your pet may accidentally swallow a worm.

Inside, the helminth is localized in the small intestine and is attached to its wall using suction cups.

It remains in this state for about four weeks until it grows into an adult worm. The segments come out along with the cat's feces and remain in the external environment in all places where the cat is, and also a certain amount settles on the fur.

Establishing diagnosis

You can detect helminths by examining your pet's litter box.

You can detect helminths at home if you look closely at the contents of your pet's litter box.

Larva of cucumber tapeworm.

Worm eggs are oval or round in shape, approximately 40–50 microns in size . Usually in feces they are in the form of a sticky group, up to twenty pieces. The larvae have six hooks on the surface.

Diagnostics

Before determining a treatment regimen for a cat, it will be necessary to undergo a number of important tests.

Diagnosis in a clinical setting is made by collecting anamnesis, visual examination, and laboratory tests.

A general blood test, a general urinalysis, and a biochemical examination are performed.
Cat feces are examined using the Fulleborn method, which involves mixing a small amount of feces with a solution of table salt.
The resulting emulsion is filtered through cheesecloth and left to infuse for one and a half hours.
After the allotted time, the eggs and larvae of helminths float to the surface.

Symptoms of cucumber tapeworm

At the initial stage of the appearance of helminths, the animal may behave as usual and not show any signs.

As for the symptoms of the disease, at the initial stage they are almost absent.

Being in the small intestine, helminths feed on nutrients that enter the animal's body. Their actions cause a significant irritant effect on the mucous membrane. The released toxins can cause severe allergies.

As a result of a lack of nutrients, there is a risk of bleeding or intestinal obstruction , volvulus. During the migration of the helminth, bacteria multiply in the pet’s body, which cause various diseases.

Signs

The main signs of cucumber tapeworm manifestation:

disheveled hair; disheveled hair may indicate the presence of helminths in the cat’s body.
itching near the anus;
nausea and vomiting;
alternation of increased and decreased appetite;
alternating diarrhea and constipation;
oppression;
abdominal pain;
eye discharge;
convulsions;
increased salivation;
nervousness. A cat's nervousness can also be associated with the appearance of worms in the pet's body.

Cat behavior

The larvae located on the surface of the cat's hair make it impossible to tidy the coat , which is why the pet looks disheveled and unkempt, and has a sleepy appearance.
As a result of severe itching in the anus, the pet constantly fidgets on its butt .
Redness and irritation are often observed in this area. The cat's anal area may be irritated and have characteristic redness.
The intoxication caused by the worm leads to severe retching and vomiting itself .
Increased appetite occurs due to the fact that all the nutrients are absorbed by the worm, and the cat constantly feels hungry. Loss of appetite due to severe intoxication of the body. This is why the alternation of manifestation and lack of appetite occurs.
There is copious discharge from the eyes , it seems that the cat is constantly crying.
At the same time, the pet is depressed, lethargic, and periodically experiences dizziness. Dipylidiasis is often accompanied by convulsions and increased salivation. The pet becomes nervous and often shows aggression towards its owners. If you notice heavy discharge from your cat's eyes along with other symptoms, it's time to sound the alarm!

Complications

Sick kittens often die.

If treatment is not timely, complications occur in the form of gastritis, chronic pancreatitis, cholecystitis. Chronic enteritis and colitis may develop.

Treatment

When starting treatment, it is necessary to focus on the degree of helminth damage and choose the optimal combination of drugs and dosage.

The prescription of drugs containing praziquantel : canikquantel plus, drontal, quantum in a dose of one milligram per kilogram of weight.
The veterinarian may prescribe Drontal, which helps get rid of helminths in a cat.
Acceptable medications are those containing niclosamide : phenagel and phenasal. In this case, phenagel is used in the form of a paste, given to the animal before meals, after mixing it with a small portion of food. They place it on the root of the tongue and force the cat to swallow it. Dosage – 0.1 g/kg body weight. Fenasal is used in powder form and can be given with food. Approximate dosage 0.2 g/kg body weight.
The drug mebendazole is prescribed at a dose of 40 mg/kg.
Acceptable during meals. In addition, therapy may include the use of the drug Mebendazole
It is advisable to prescribe bunamidine . Dose – 35 mg/kg. Beforehand, do not eat anything for three hours.
Antibiotic treatment is recommended to destroy pathogenic microflora caused by cucumber tapeworm.
In case of severe exhaustion and dehydration, IVs with physiological solutions are given and immune support therapy is carried out.

The danger of cucumber tapeworm to humans

Dipylidiasis is also dangerous for humans. Adults usually heal fairly quickly. In children, complications are possible due to the body’s still poorly developed protective properties.

Source: https://mykoshka.ru/ogurechnyj-cepen-u-koshek-lechenie-priznaki-i-simptomy/

How does dipylidia infection occur?

Dipylidiasis can affect both domestic and wild animals (wolves, foxes, jackals, etc.). Most often, homeless animals become infected with it.

The question is often asked: can a person become infected with cucumber tapeworm?

Yes, this parasite is also dangerous for humans, as it is transmitted through parasites that live on the fur of pets, with whom we constantly come into contact: we stroke, squeeze, pick up and take into bed.

Pets sit and lie on the same sofas, beds and armchairs as we do, and therefore it is quite natural that an almost invisible flea or whipworm, which has a pork tapeworm, can enter our body through the mouth, as, indeed, and other parasites.

Considering the widespread prevalence of pork tapeworm eggs and fleas as their carriers in the environment, they can reach us through contaminated meat, vegetables, and herbs.

A person cannot become infected directly from a domestic animal infected with pork tapeworm unless there is an intermediate host - a flea or whipworm.

Human infection

Over the entire observation period, 16 reliable episodes of the presence of cucumber tapeworm in the human intestine were recorded. Almost all of those affected were children who had close contact with their pets. These cases have been reported in different countries. The fact is that the cucumber tapeworm has a wide distribution area, and the degree of infection of animals is quite high. The disease is transmitted from sick animals to humans.

People become infected through close contact with sick pets. Through dirty hands, helminths enter the digestive tract.

The development cycle is the same as in the animal body. It also does not cause serious disorders or severe symptoms. Pallor of the skin appears due to intoxication with waste products of parasites. Sometimes there is abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, increased salivation, itching in the anus when proglottids come out. Small segments of the worm can be seen in the stool. A person quickly loses weight for no reason and feels weak.

Infection with helminths is dangerous for humans, especially for young children. Helminthiasis leads to delayed physical development. Children grow and develop worse due to a lack of nutrients that tapeworms living in the intestines feed on.

With their waste products they poison the host’s body, causing allergic reactions and decreased immunity. Children more often suffer from colds due to a weakened body. Attention decreases, children become irritable. Headaches, fatigue, and abdominal pain occur periodically. There is an unpleasant odor from the mouth.

Reinfection is also common for people due to helminth eggs getting on their hands. If hygiene rules are followed, reinfection does not occur. Adult worms live for about a year. But there is no need to wait for natural sanitation, especially if pets are infected. This disease requires immediate treatment.

Symptoms of dipylidia

In both humans and cats, the parasite causes the development of dipylidia, which is manifested by the following symptoms:

vomiting and disruption of the digestive tract;
lack of appetite and, as a result, general exhaustion;
nervousness and anxiety.

The most interesting thing is that the symptoms of dipilidia in humans are approximately the same, only they are added to:

pale skin;
insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sharp decrease in performance;
itching in the anal area;
“big belly” from which the peritoneum protrudes.

Cucumber tapeworm causes an individual reaction in humans and animals—an immune response that depends on the level of immunity of that particular organism.

If the immune system is strong enough, the body will be able to cope with some of the symptoms of the disease. On the one hand, this is good, but on the other hand, it makes diagnosis difficult based on characteristic symptoms.

In any case, if a person is suspected of having dipylidiasis, he should consult a parasitologist and/or an infectious disease immunologist, and take the cat for a consultation at a veterinary clinic.

Take a test for the presence of cucumber tapeworm in humans

Main clinical signs, diagnosis and therapy

What are the symptoms that indicate the likelihood of cucumber tapeworm infection? Adult tapeworms cause relatively little harm to their final host, but this is only true in cases where there are no more than two adult cestodes in the cat’s intestines. Then everything is bad, since the toxins of the parasites cause severe seizures and seizures similar to epilepsy. From the digestive system - constipation and/or diarrhea. In young animals, the volume of the abdominal cavity increases significantly with general emaciation. In some cases, intestinal obstruction occurs, but this is rare. Active, moving segments are often found in the stool.

Accordingly, to make an accurate diagnosis, the veterinarian only needs to perform a stool analysis. In some cases, it may be necessary to find out the exact species of eggs. To do this, a mature fecal segment is placed in a normal saline solution, after which “birth” occurs. But such “perversions” are rarely resorted to, since examining a segment with a magnifying glass is usually enough: its characteristic shape provides all the necessary information.

So what is the treatment for dipylidia in cats? There are no difficulties with it: fenasal, bunamidine, praziquantel (the suspension is especially good) and other drugs of domestic and foreign production will help the cat. Simultaneously with the expulsion of the intestinal form of the parasite, it is necessary to combat fleas. seeking their complete destruction. After about three weeks, both treatments are repeated to prevent re-infection. This is how to treat this disease.

Diagnosis of dipylidia

Before determining how to treat a person or cat, it is necessary to test feces to find out whether it contains these worms, or rather, their eggs, because the types of worms are extremely numerous.

Modern laboratory equipment (powerful microscopes, reagents, etc.) make it possible to accurately determine the presence of certain helminths in the human or animal body.

The Fulleborn method is considered the most effective for identifying tapeworm eggs: feces are treated with sodium chloride solution and then centrifuged. Tapeworm eggs are very light, so they appear on the surface and are easily recognized.

Possible complications

When helminths live in an animal’s body for a long time, there is a risk of developing complications. This is because:

immune status decreases, which means the body loses its ability to resist infections;
exhaustion progresses, resulting in disruptions in the functioning of organs and systems;
intoxication increases, which, among other things, worsens the condition and well-being of the animal.

With delayed treatment, in addition to the main therapy, doctors have to pay attention to inflammation:

gastric mucosa (gastritis);
large intestine (colitis);
small intestine (enteritis);
pancreas (pancreatitis);
gallbladder (cholecystitis).

Once a year, for preventive maintenance, the cat must be taken to the veterinarian

Attention! Of great importance is the restorative diet, which is prescribed to the furry patient after recovery from helminthiasis. It is recommended to feed the animal a balanced diet rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. The best option would be ready-made food for weakened cats in the premium and super premium segment.

How to treat dipylidia

Treatment for a disease caused by cucumber tapeworm must necessarily be accompanied by treating animals with insecticidal preparations to destroy parasitic insects, only then treatment at home will give the desired effect and avoid re-infection.

After this, you need to put a flea collar on the animal. In addition, you need to very carefully treat the animal's bedding, the places where it likes to lie, and the equipment that is used to care for it.

The remedy for cucumber tapeworm is the anthelmintic drugs fenasal, quaniquantel, drontal, azinox and their analogues.

The only difference for people and animals is the dosage - it is selected individually, depending on the patient’s weight, so the dosage for a cat will be less than for a dog.

During the period of taking anthelmintic drugs, it is advisable for both people and animals to follow a diet: eat food mainly in liquid form, significantly reduce the amount of fat in food and fatty foods.

As a rule, after taking the drug recommended by the doctor, a laxative containing salt is taken, which makes it easier for the tapeworm to detach from the intestinal mucosa.

This was the main course, and a month later a repeat course is carried out, since this is the period necessary for the remaining eggs of the cucumber tapeworm to mature and the body to finally be freed from this parasite.

Treatment with folk remedies for humans and domestic animals is carried out using an infusion of tansy, which worms cannot tolerate at all, and an enema with garlic.

True, it will take more time, and in any case it is worth consulting a doctor.

For people, a good remedy against the parasite is to include regular onions, garlic, radishes, pumpkin seeds, raw beets and carrots in the diet; Juice from sauerkraut and fresh cabbage and rosehip infusion also help.

Now you know what to do if your pet has a cucumber tapeworm and how to get rid of this parasite. However, there are situations when the issue is complicated by the cat’s pregnancy.

If a pregnant cat exhibits characteristic signs of helminthic infestation, then the optimal period for treatment is the last trimester of pregnancy (if the mating was planned, then 6 weeks after it). Otherwise, the fruit(s) may suffer due to the toxic secretions of the worms.

Basics of Effective Treatment

The removal of the parasite from the intestines of the host animal is carried out with drugs that contain the substance praziquantel. Pay attention to the drugs “Quantum” and “Kaniquantel”, they have virtually no side effects for the animal and expel the parasite from the host’s body.

The dosage of this substance should be calculated as follows: 1 mg of praziquantel per 1 kg of cat’s weight. In case of serious infestation and the need to eliminate the tapeworm as soon as possible, drugs containing niclosamide are used, for example, Phenasal, Bunamidine and Phenagel.

"Fenasal" is available in powder form. It is added to pet food at the rate of 0.2 g of powder per kilogram of animal weight. "Phenagel" can be bought in tubes - this is a medicine in the form of a paste, which must be given strictly before feeding.

Cat owners will be interested in reading about cat foods such as Gourmet, Proplan, Gina, Royal Canin, Hills, FortiFlora, Purina and Kitekat. To prevent the animal from resisting application to the tongue, you can mix the paste with a small portion of food and put it in the animal’s mouth so that it swallows the resulting mixture. "Bunamidine" is given at 30 mg per kilogram of live weight.

It is accepted by the body only on an empty stomach, so do not feed the animal for three hours before starting treatment. If you delay treatment and your pet suffers from severe dehydration, the veterinary clinic will put him on a drip to restore his water balance.

Did you know? Cats have an uncanny ability to sense bad things to happen. This has not been scientifically proven, but many cases from life serve as clear confirmation of this. In May 1914, the cat Emmy, who had never missed a single voyage of the Empress of Ireland, refused to board it. Of course, the ship left without its furry passenger and sank the next day on that voyage. As for humans, they are treated for infestation with anthelmintic drugs, which create an unfavorable environment for the parasite. Enzyme preparations and probiotics may be needed to stimulate the growth of your own healthy intestinal microflora and improve poor digestion.

Prevention

Prevention of infection involves the following measures:

even if the cat/dog is healthy, for preventive purposes they need to be given anthelmintic drugs once every six months;
7-10 days before the planned mating, treat both the cat and its partner for helminths;
use an anti-flea collar;
prevent contact of pets with stray cats and dogs;
regularly carry out disinfestation of the apartment/house using special preparations;
Regularly process and sterilize the bedding, feeder and patches, and even better, replace them with new ones twice a year;
regularly scald the cage with boiling water, and in winter, at low temperatures, take it out into the cold.

Prevention of infection in a person largely depends on how accurately he follows the above recommendations so that his pet does not infect him with helminths.

Well, of course, he must observe the rules of personal hygiene, wash his hands more often and carefully monitor the health of his pet.

Preventive measures

The risk of catching cucumber tapeworm always exists, since its carriers are homeless animals that live in abundance around garbage cans.

Domestic cats, which are let out to walk by their “caring” owners, are most at risk. Much has been said about the fact that the street is a source of increased danger for stray pets, but well-fed and well-groomed cats can still be found in the company of dumpster regulars. Every time a cat comes home, it brings a bunch of infections to other pets and its owners.

The street is a source of increased danger for stray pets

To protect yourself and your tailed zoo from helminths, it is recommended:

periodically check the fur of pets for the presence of fleas, and if found, fight them until complete victory;
provide pets with anti-flea collars or periodically bathe them with preventative pet shampoo;
wash or wipe your shoes every time after returning from the street;
maintain cleanliness and order in the home;
ensure proper hygiene of bowls and trays for animals, including their periodic treatment with household antiseptics;
exclude unfrozen meat, stale food, unwashed vegetables and fruits from your pet’s diet;
periodically give your animals antihelminthic drugs: for those visiting the street - every 6 months, for homebodies - once a year;
wipe the floor, upholstered furniture, window sills and other surfaces where furry pets like to sit with disinfectant solutions;
Do not forget about the prevention of helminthic infections in family members, because an infected person is a source of infection for others.

If you suspect helminthiasis in a cat or other domestic animals, you should seek help from a veterinary clinic.

Video - Worms in cats and dogs

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Bibliography

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brucellosis. Parasites. Link
Corbel MJ Parasitic diseases // World Health Organization. Link
Young EJ Best matches for intestinal parasites // Clinical Infectious Diseases. — 1995. Vol. 21. - P. 283-290. Link
Yushchuk N.D., Vengerov Yu.A. Infectious diseases: textbook. — 2nd edition. - M.: Medicine, 2003. - 544 p.
Prevalence of parasitic diseases among the population, 2009 / Kokolova L. M., Reshetnikov A. D., Platonov T. A., Verkhovtseva L. A.
Helminths of domestic carnivores of the Voronezh region, 2011 / Nikulin P. I., Romashov B. V.

An article for patients with a doctor-diagnosed disease. Does not replace a doctor's appointment and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.

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