The Facts

• Tapeworms are transferred through dirt, feces and bug bites. A mosquito that bites an infected person or animal and then bits another creature may pass on the tapeworms. Puppies are especially prone to tapeworms when they have close contact with one another in a litter, and are consistently bathed by their mother. These parasites attach to the inner walls of the intestines, gather nutrition and can grow to several feet. They reproduce asexually within the gut.
  
  

Symptoms

• Tapeworm symptoms include signs that the dog is not taking nutrition from the food it eats. It will lose weight and become dehydrated. It may also become depressed and listless at the lack of nutrition, and take on a pot-bellied appearance. In advanced tapeworm infections, pieces of tapeworm may show up in an animal's vomit or waste. Worms in the feces are the most common way to diagnose a case of tapeworm.
  
  

Treatments

• Animals and people who have tapeworms receive deworming medication, which seeks to poison the tapeworms so that they dislodge from the intestines. As soon as they're dead, the body eliminates the tapeworms through the bowel.
  
  

Dichlorophene

• Dichlorophene is a commercially available dewormer for dogs. The medication comes in tablets that are fed to a dog per its body weight. This medication is used safely as a dewormer for active tapeworms, not as preventative medication.
  
  

Using Dichlorophene

• For Dichlorophene to be effective, all food must be withheld for at least 12 hours before treatment. Dogs shouldn't eat for another four hours afterward. The medication may cause diarrhea and is not manufactured for animals other than dogs. Owners should always consult with their vet before administering deworming medication, especially if their dog is very young, very old or weak.