Köpeklerde Ekinokokkozis: İnsanlara da Zarar Verebilen Şerit Kurdu

How dogs catch it

The hydatid tapeworm needs two kinds of animals to complete its life cycle. Dogs and some wild canids, such as wolves, carry the adult worm. Farm animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs carry the larval stage. In them it forms fluid-filled cysts, mostly in the liver and lungs.

A dog becomes infected when it eats raw organs that contain these cysts. This often happens when dogs are fed offal after home slaughter, scavenge carcasses, or roam near farms and slaughter sites. One cyst can hold a very large number of tiny tapeworm heads, so a single meal can lead to many worms.

About five to eight weeks later, the worms start to release eggs. The eggs pass out in the dog's stools and can infect farm animals and people right away. A dog gets the intestinal worm only by eating infected organs, so it cannot catch it from another dog's stools.

The parasite is most common where livestock are raised and dogs can reach raw organs. In Europe it is found mainly in the south and southeast, and it is an important public health problem in much of the Balkan region. Bulgaria and Romania are among the most affected countries, and Bulgaria regularly reports one of the highest rates of human cases in the EU.

A related species, the fox tapeworm, lives mainly in foxes in central Europe. Dogs can catch it by eating infected mice and voles. In people it causes an even more serious disease, and human cases have recently been found in Croatia and Serbia as well.

What owners may notice

Most dogs with the hydatid tapeworm show no signs at all, even with many worms. The worms and their segments are so small that owners almost never see them in stools or around the tail. When signs appear, they tend to be mild and vague. Heavy tapeworm infections can sometimes cause these signs.

• A rough or shaggy coat
• Poor condition or weight loss
• An appetite that comes and goes
• Low energy or irritability
• Mild diarrhea, occasionally with blood

These signs are shared with many other problems, including other worms. A dog that looks well can still be shedding eggs. For this reason, vets base tapeworm treatment on the dog's risk, whether or not it shows signs.

Rarely, a dog develops cysts in its own organs, mostly in the liver. This usually follows swallowing eggs of the fox tapeworm, for example by eating the stools of an infected animal. It can cause a swollen belly and general illness and needs specialist care.

When to see the vet quickly

Echinococcosis is rarely an emergency for the dog itself. Contact your veterinarian promptly if your dog has bloody diarrhea, a swollen or painful belly, repeated vomiting, marked weakness, or weight loss without a clear reason. These signs have many possible causes and need a proper examination.

It is also worth calling the vet soon if you know your dog has eaten raw organs from slaughtered animals or a carcass, especially in an area where the parasite is common. Treating early may clear the worms before they start to shed eggs. Your vet can advise whether to treat now and how to handle stools in the meantime.

If a family member has ongoing belly pain, a lasting cough, or other unexplained symptoms, they should see a doctor and mention close contact with dogs. In people, cysts often grow for years before they cause any symptoms.

Veteriner hekimler nasıl teşhis ve tedavi eder

A routine stool test can find tapeworm eggs, yet it often misses Echinococcus. The eggs are passed only now and then, and the segments are almost invisible. Under the microscope, Echinococcus eggs also look the same as the eggs of Taenia, a more common dog tapeworm. Specialized laboratories can tell them apart with a DNA test (PCR), and some offer a stool antigen test. Where the parasite is common, vets treat any tapeworm eggs found in a stool test as possible Echinococcus.

In many cases the vet will simply treat the dog, because the same type of medicine also works against the common dog tapeworms. It is a tapeworm dewormer given by mouth or by injection. When Echinococcus is confirmed, European parasite guidelines advise two treatments 24 hours apart, a bath after each one to wash eggs off the coat, and strict hygiene. A follow-up stool test one to two weeks later checks that the treatment worked.

Stools passed in the first few days after treatment may still contain eggs. Your vet will usually advise picking up every stool at once while wearing gloves, sealing it in a bag, and washing hands well afterward. Treatment does not protect against future infection. A dog can pick up new worms the next time it eats raw infected organs.

Risks for people and other pets

People catch cystic echinococcosis by swallowing eggs from an infected dog's stools. The eggs can reach the mouth through contaminated soil, food, or water, or from hands that have touched an infected dog's fur. People are a dead end for the parasite, so it does not spread from one person to another. Parasite experts advise extra care in homes with small children, who play close to the ground and often put their hands in their mouths.

In people, cysts form most often in the liver and lungs. They can grow quietly for years. Later they may cause belly pain, nausea, vomiting, a chronic cough, or chest pain. Treatment can be long and may include surgery. This is why vets and public health experts put so much weight on deworming dogs.

Among pets, dogs are the main source of eggs. The eggs a dog sheds infect farm animals and people, which keeps the cycle going wherever dogs eat raw offal. Other dogs in the household can catch the intestinal worm only the same way, by eating infected organs.

Prevention at home

Prevention has two parts. Keep the dog away from raw organs, and deworm it regularly with a product that covers tapeworms. Parasite experts also recommend a few everyday habits.

• Avoid feeding raw offal, especially liver and lungs from sheep, goats, cattle, or pigs. If organs are fed at all, they should be boiled thoroughly first.
• Keep dogs on a leash or in a fenced area near farms, pastures, and slaughter sites.
• Pick up stools every day and put them in the household waste, never in compost.
• Wash hands after handling dogs and before eating, and teach children to do the same.
• Wear gloves when gardening, and wash fruit and vegetables that are eaten raw.
• Groom the dog regularly, since eggs can stick to the coat.

How often to deworm depends on the dog's lifestyle. The World Health Organization recommends deworming dogs at least four times a year where the parasite is common. European parasite experts advise treatment at least every six weeks for dogs in endemic areas that can reach offal or livestock carcasses, and monthly for dogs at high risk, such as dogs fed raw meat or offal. A city dog with no access to raw organs may need a different schedule. Your veterinarian can set the right plan.

Hydatid eggs are tough. They can survive for months in cool, damp conditions and resist most household disinfectants. Drying and sunlight damage them over time. Picking up stools promptly works better than trying to clean the ground afterward.

Rescued and newly adopted dogs

Street and village dogs in parts of the Balkans may have scavenged carcasses or been fed raw offal. At Paw Squadron, the first stops after every rescue are the vet and a bath. Each animal gets a checkup, deworming, and treatment against fleas and other parasites. Before adoption, every animal also has a checkup, treatment, vaccinations, and a microchip.

Once a rescued dog is home, ask your own vet about tapeworm deworming and a schedule that fits the dog's new life. European parasite guidelines advise that a dog brought in from an area where the parasite occurs sees a vet soon after arrival for a tapeworm treatment. Some countries, including the UK, Ireland, Finland, Malta, and Norway, also require a vet to give a tapeworm treatment one to five days before a dog enters. Rules can change, so check the current ones for your country with your vet.

You can read more about parasite care in PawPedia. If you have questions about a specific dog, send us an adoption inquiry.