The worm is asymptomatic in the dog but, in man can produce severe anemia. Treatment is no different than other tapeworms in the dog. Diagnosis is primarily by microscopic fecal exam. Both worms are large, around 3 inches. Both are diagnosed by standard microscopic fecal exams.
False negatives occur when no eggs have been shed into the sample presented.
Infection occurs in both TC and TL by ingestion of eggs when contaminated feces are shed into the environment. However, the vast majority of TC infection occurs by transplacental migration from the bitch to the pup. Immature larvae from either method of transmission of TC undergo migration from the gut into various tissues. The majority of the larvae migrate through the liver, diaphragm, lungs and up the major airways. As they move up the trachea, occasionally several worms will be coughed up by the pup and discovered in the expectorant.