How can you tell if a dog has tapeworms?

Tapeworms are long, segmented worms that attach to the lining of the intestines. As individual segments mature, they break off from the worm and travel on through the rest of the digestive tract to exit with the feces. These segments are white and about the size and shape of a grain of rice. The difference is they move and rice doesn't. These segments are full of eggs for new tapeworms, making the feces very dangerous to handle, so be sure to wash your hands thoroughly to prevent infecting yourself with tapeworms.

Tapeworms are often transmitted to dogs who have no contact with the feces of other dogs either through the accidental ingestion of fleas, or flies. When fleas bite, dogs will naturally bite and scratch to relieve the itching and they sometimes swallow whole fleas in the process. Many dogs also like to "snap" flies out of the air for sport.

If you suspect tapeworms, or any sort of internal parasite, take a sample of your dog's feces to your vet for examination under a microscope. Your vet will mix the feces with a solution that makes parasite eggs float to the surface. Then he'll touch the top surface of the test tube with a glass slide and the eggs will adhere to it. Next it goes to the microscope for examination. The species of parasite can actually be identified by the characteristic size, shape, and markings of the eggs that appear on the slide.

Once your vet has diagnosed which species of parasites are present, he'll know which dewormer medication to prescribe. Even if you don't suspect parasites, it is a good idea to take a fecal sample with you to your annual vet visit and have it checked for good measure.