Mature adult Dipylidium and Taenia reach 50cm. Signs of Dipylidium and Taenia infestation are unapparent. These parasites seem to be innocuous in the dog. Their only threat is their repugnancy and the potential to further debilitate a compromised pet. Treatment for these two tapeworms is either oral or by injection under the skin.
Several drugs are available.
They include praziquantel, epsiprantel, fenbendazole and mebendazole. Prevention of Dipylidium consists of good flea control. Prevention of Taenia is difficult if your dog is a good rodent and rabbit hunter and may require prophylactic tape worming several times a year. Echinococcus multilocularis is a small tapeworm that lives in the arctic fox, wolf, domestic cat and dog as the final host. Diagnosis in the dog is primarily by microscopic fecal exam.