Dog Tapeworms Life Cycle

Tapeworms are parasites that affect and feed off dogs. Typically, a dog becomes infested by eating fleas that are infected with tapeworm eggs. Tapeworms can grow rather large inside the dog's intestine. The segments of the tapeworms break off and pass through dog by crawling out its rectum or through its stool, which usually alert the dog's owner of their presence. Worming medications are effective against ridding the dog of the infection. Applying flea preventative on your dog is effective in protecting against tapeworm infestations. In order to fully understand how a dog becomes infected with tapeworms, it is helpful to understand the parasite's life cycle.

  1. Eggs

    • Once the segment, which looks like a piece of rice, leaves the dog's body and enters the environment, it will become dry and start to resemble a sesame seed. The segment's sac will break and will release the egg.

    Flea Larvae

    • While tapeworms and fleas are separate entities, the life cycle of the tapeworm depends on the flea. Flea larvae typically hatch in the general vicinity in which tapeworm eggs are laid, states MarvistaVet.com. The flea larvae will come upon the tapeworm eggs and ingest them. In general, the fleas do not realize what they are eating and consume anything in sight, not knowing they are eating the eggs.

    Flea and Tapeworm Development

    • As the flea matures, the tapeworm egg inside its belly grows as well. When the flea becomes an adult, the tapeworm is mature enough to infect a dog. According to MarvistaVet.com, the tapeworm is only infectious to its mammal host at this stage of its life. The tapeworm life cycle continues to proceed when a dog licks a flea off of itself and swallows it.

    Adult Tapeworms

    • Once the infected flea is ingested, it's body will begin to break down, where the tapeworm eggs are then released. The egg will attach itself to a wall in the small intestine and begin to live off the nutrients it absorbs there, states PetEducation.com. The adult tapeworm can grow up to 20 inches and will begin to break off its segments, continuing the cycle. On average, it takes about three weeks from the time the flea is ingested to when the segments start to leave the dog's body.