Echinococcus Tapeworm

- There is growing concern that the parasite is becoming more established in Ontario (compared to a few years ago)

- This species of tapeworm has the potential to cause cysts in various parts of the body, particularly the liver, in dogs and people - this form of infection is called "alveolar echinococcus"

-  Dogs can pick up the parasite by eating contaminated wild canid feces (coyotes, foxes, etc) and small rodents - so dogs that eat feces and rodents would be considered higher risk for exposure

- People are generally exposed to the parasite through contact with contaminated feces (from either a wild canid or their own dog, if it's been exposed)

- The best way to prevent exposure is by preventing your dog from eating feces and scavenging on walks, and by carefully washing your hands after picking up your dog's stool

- If you're concerned that your dog may be at risk of exposure, please feel free to call us to discuss a deworming protocol that will help minimize the risk of infection

Here is a great article on the subject:


https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2019/01/articles/animals/dogs/echinococcus-multilocularis-ontario-canada/