Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Mar 17

Lungworms - The Unknown Parasite

We all know about roundworms and tapeworms and even heart worms and whip worms - but what on earth are lungworms and how would my dog pick them up? 

Well, apparently, you can get them from slugs and snails!  And there are plenty of them in my garden at the moment!!  It can also be ingested by eating infected rodents and birds (that have eaten the slugs or snails in the first place) and from the faeces of already infected cats, dogs and foxes.

What Are Lungworms?
They are members of the nemetode group of worms that can infect all sorts of animals from cows to rabbits, and live in the heart and main blood vessels leading to the lungs when parasitizing dogs.

Outside of their victims, they live in their intermediary hosts - and this includes slugs and snails for the dog specific lungworm.  They can easily be ingested by eating grass, puppies being nosy and of course, by catching and eating the live hosts of the Lungworm.

As with most internal parasitic worms, their eggs are passed out in the animals faeces and so can easily spread where there is a high concentration of dogs or cats or where owners are not disposing of their pets waste sensibly.

How Do They Affect My Dogs Health?
Symptoms can include the following groups of classic signs, but of course these can be associated with other illnesses, but if your dog eats things it finds or is particularly young and nosy, then they are possible at a greater risk of picking up lungworm.

Infected animals may well just show signs of being unwell. This can include mild sickness, loose stools, random vomiting and possibly a reduced interest in food.

As a result of general ill health, your dog could seem ‘out of character’. The infection could bring about a change in the way your dog reacts to you and everything in general really. They could become listless and uninterested in things that they used to enjoy.

They may tire more easily than normal when exercising or playing enthusiastically.  It is also possible that they start to cough as well, whether they are exercising or not.

There is no point trying to self-diagnose, as many animals don’t even show any symptoms at all.  The best treatment is prevention - as with most parasites - so discuss the likelihood of your pet having lungworms with your vet at your next visit and find out your best treatment options.

Treatment:
Lungworm isn’t treated with a standard wormer from a pet shop or supermarket - you need to go to the vets for effective diagnosis and treatment.  Most wormers only treat round worm and tapeworm (check the packaging to find out what yours do).

However, treatments are changing, and the re are a whole host of new ways to apply the treatments.  For example, you no longer need to worm you pets with a giant table!  There is an easy product now available that vets can offer that is just a drop on the back of the neck.  Not only does it treat lungworms - it also treats the standard worms as well as fleas and mites!

Great news all round!