Segments can be passed in small groups connected to each other, leading the owner to describe a worm that sounds larger than a grain of rice. Tapeworm segments are also quite flat. Some people will mistake maggots in the stool for tapeworms. Maggots are not seen in freshly passed stool and are not flat.
What do tapeworm fragments look like?
These segments look like grains of rice and contain tapeworm eggs, which are released into the environment when the segment dries. The dried segments are small (about 1/16-inch), hard and golden in color.
What does a tapeworm maggot look like?
Tapeworm infections are usually diagnosed by finding segments—which appear as small white worms that may look like grains of rice or seeds—on the rear end of your dog, in your dog's feces, or where your dog lives and sleeps.
How do you identify a tapeworm segment?
Diagnosis for tapeworm infection is usually done through detection of eggs and proglottids (worm segments) via a stool test, although many patients' tapeworms are detected when they find proglottids in their own stool or in the toilet. It's not possible to determine which species of tapeworm is present without testing.
What do tapeworms look like when they come out?
When segments of the tapeworm break off and pass into the cat's stool, they can be seen crawling on the surface of the feces. These proglottid segments look like grains of cooked white rice or cucumber seeds. Less commonly, segments are seen moving around the cat's anus.
