# Mesocestoides



## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Here's one for you Connie. A pup was taken into to be spayed, She is about 6 mo old. Vet opens her up and found the peritoneal cavity full of worms. None of the five vets had ever seen anything like it before. This was in Phoenix. The vet bagged worms and sent them to a couple of universities. I don't have all the particulars yet but apparently the mesocestoids can be contracted from eating infected birds and vermine...or carcasses of same. Seems it is mostly found, but rarely, in N Calif. You had any experience with anything like this?


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I forgot to mention that the dog was worm free in the intestines and stomach.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Don Turnipseed said:


> Here's one for you Connie. A pup was taken into to be spayed, She is about 6 mo old. Vet opens her up and found the peritoneal cavity full of worms. None of the five vets had ever seen anything like it before. This was in Phoenix. The vet bagged worms and sent them to a couple of universities. I don't have all the particulars yet but apparently the mesocestoids can be contracted from eating infected birds and vermine...or carcasses of same. Seems it is mostly found, but rarely, in N Calif. You had any experience with anything like this?


That's a kind of tapeworm?

I don't understand how the GI tract was worm-free. Do the worms perforate the walls? But still, wouldn't there be some stage of them in the intestines?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Well, this is bizarre:
_
The worm .... has a stage of tissue invasion which may cause peritonitis._

(Saunders Vet Dictionary)


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

The stomach and intestines were worm free. Pretty interesting but un fortunate for the dog which is 7 1/2 mo.. The vet hypothesised that the dogs may have brought some carion in and ate it. I told the fellow the dogs all have their specific yards and are raised in packs. Rarely does anything come in the yard, but, they have still been eating squirrels, pack rats, lizards and anything else that does for years so I don't think it is anything local. He thought I should have all my dogs checked...especially the sire and dam. Keep on mind, this is rare. I went out to clean the yards while I was thinking about this. When I was in the yard this pup came out of, I happened to notice a dried up hummingbird hanging on the electric fence. Those bright yellow insulators attract a lot of hummingbirds. I ussually just knock them off behind the hotwire and let the ants have them. This wire is high enough in spots for the pups to walk under it. The hummingbirds come through here on their way back from Mexico and SA. I am betting this pup ate one of those hummingbirds.


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

OMG, , :-&, and 

Did the pup survive or no??


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Anna Kasho said:


> OMG, , :-&, and
> 
> Did the pup survive or no??


So far the dog has survived. I told the guy to quit throwing money at the dog and have it put down and I would replace her. Can't do that, but, he doesn't know if she will be worm free or anything. She may not survive.....but then again she may.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

This is one topic I would like to see Maren's input on.


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

Wow, this interesting and a bit scary. Glad it is quite rare, but still......Were there any signs of the worms in the pup? Larger abdomen/condition issues? Just wondering if there was a way to tell if another dog was affected with out surgery.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

From http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1696771/pdf/canvetj00398-0038.pdf,


> The life cycle of Mesocestoides spp. is incompletely known. For the completion of the cycle, two intermediate hosts are required. The first larval stage (oncosphere) probably develops in an arthropod (oribatid mites have been incriminated). The second stage (tetrathyridium) is found in various vertebrates such as mature forms of amphibians, reptiles, birds (including chickens, guinea fowl or partridges) and small mammals. These tetrathyridia may survive for months. They are ingested by the final host and complete their development in the intestine. The intestinal wall can be penetrated and the larvae enter the peritoneal cavity and organs.


I read on one site that praziquantel could be used to treat mesocestoides, but could not find any treatment information on any other of the sites I looked at.


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## Sidney Johnsen (May 31, 2009)

Wow. Scary but facinating. Do you happen to know if the vets took pictures to document this?


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

The man said the vets and the University's may be getting in contact with me.


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