Looking to understand when - and why - your dog needs tapeworm treatment? From regular worming to pre-travel tapeworm treatments, read our vet-approved guide.
Regular tapeworm treatments for dogs are recommended by most vets, not just for travel but throughout life. Whether you’re taking your dog to France or simply want to understand why they’re needed, this article covers what tapeworm treatment is for and when it should be given.
Key Points:
Tapeworms are a type of intestinal worm found in many species including dogs and cats. Other types of intestinal worm include roundworms, hookworms and whipworms.
Different species of tapeworm affect different species of animal. The most common type seen in dogs in the UK is Dipylidium caninum. This species can grow to 50 cm in length, living in the gut and absorbing nutrients.
It’s not uncommon for owners to notice single, egg-filled segments of this tapeworm in their dog’s faeces. These usually appear as approximately 1 cm long, narrow ‘tape-like’ white pieces, similar to a piece of rice, which often crawl short distances.
Other tapeworm species exist in the UK, but there is one important species that is not currently found here: Echinococcus multilocularis. This tapeworm can cause serious illness in humans so cases in the UK are notifiable to Defra.
Echinococcus multilocularis is present in many countries in Europe, which is why pet travel rules require a tapeworm treatment for dogs returning to the UK.
Surprisingly, most species of tapeworm require an intermediate host to affect dogs. Unlike roundworms, they can’t be picked up by dogs ingesting eggs directly from faeces.
There are two main routes for dogs to pick up tapeworms:
Note: your dog may ingest a flea containing tapeworm larvae without having a noticeable flea infestation. Regular flea treatment is recommended for most dogs, but if you’re not sure what your dog needs it’s best to speak to your vet.
Tapeworms are less likely to cause health issues than roundworms, although heavy burdens may cause clinical signs including:
Most dogs with tapeworms show few, if any, signs.
Both over-the-counter and prescription tapeworm treatments for dogs in the UK contain praziquantel. The exact mechanism of praziquantel is not yet fully understood, but it is believed to disrupt channels in the worms’ skin, leading to paralysis. This allows the worm to be expelled.
Tapeworm treatments work rapidly to get rid of worms within 2-3 days. Whole worms are rarely seen in faeces as they lose their ability to resist being digested after treatment.1
Unlike flea treatments, which often have persistent activity to prevent further infestations, tapeworm treatments only get rid of worms at the time they’re given. Dogs can pick up more worms shortly after treatment, which is why it’s important to prevent scavenging and keep them up-to-date with flea treatments.
Note: many prescription flea treatment products also treat other parasites, including roundworms. However, very few products treat both fleas and tapeworms, so a separate tapeworm treatment is recommended for most dogs.
How frequently your dog needs a tapeworm treatment depends on several factors. Dogs at higher risk of picking up a large number of tapeworms should have more frequent treatments to ensure they do not develop significant clinical signs.
Factors that increase dogs’ tapeworm risk include:
For many dogs, tapeworm treatment is recommended every 3-6 months. For some high risk dogs more frequent treatment may be needed. It’s always best to speak to your vet for tailored advice on your dog’s parasite treatments.
In addition to these usual preventative treatments, there are specific rules on tapeworm treatment for taking dogs to Europe.
Tapeworm treatment for dogs travelling to Europe is required to prevent the spread of Echinococcus multilocularis, which poses a risk to human health.
All tapeworm treatments given for travel must be licensed and contain praziquantel. They must be given in the presence of a vet who must then certify that the treatment has been given. This means they must fill in, stamp and sign the tapeworm treatment section of either their current Animal Health Certificate (AHC) or their valid European pet passport.
Note: Vets in Great Britain are allowed to certify tapeworm treatments in European pet passports but are not allowed to add or amend any other details, including rabies vaccinations.
Echinococcus multilocularis is not currently present in the UK but is present in parts of Europe. For this reason, it is a legal requirement for a licensed tapeworm treatment to be given to dogs returning from Europe between 24 and 120 hours (1-5 days) before dogs re-enter the UK.2
If you will be returning to the UK within 5 days of leaving, this treatment can be given before you leave the UK. For example, if you are taking your dog to France for the weekend, a vet in the UK can give them a tapeworm treatment before you leave, as long as you will be re-entering the UK 1-5 days after the treatment was given.
For most European countries, no tapeworm treatment is required for entry from the UK.
However, certain European countries have achieved ‘tapeworm-free status’ (referring to Echinococcus multilocularis only). These countries require that a tapeworm treatment is given 1-5 days before entry and certified in a dog’s AHC or pet passport as detailed above.
Tapeworm-free European countries requiring treatment prior to entry are currently:2
If you travel directly between tapeworm-free countries, you should not need an additional tapeworm treatment before travel. For example, if your dog is treated before entering Northern Ireland and you then travel on to the Republic of Ireland, your dog should not need an additional treatment before entering the Republic of Ireland.
Tapeworm treatment may be administered by a different vet after an AHC has already been issued, but it is often easier to combine the tapeworm treatment and date of AHC collection.
AHCs may be issued up to 10 days prior to travel, so if you wish to combine these two appointments you may need to adjust your AHC collection date to ensure the tapeworm treatment is given 1-5 days prior to entering the countries above. Your vet should be happy to discuss this with you in advance.
Find out more about Animal Health Certificates for pet travel.
