Putlands Veterinary Surgery, Caring for pets, horses and farm animals

Lungworm: Questions and Answers

Saturday, May 24 2008

What is Lungworm and Why dose it matter?

Angiostrongylus vasorum is a worm that lives in the heart and lungs of dogs and foxes. It can cause serious disease. Although it has been present in parts of the UK for 30 years, the parasite seems to be spreading and there have been increasing numbers of outbreaks in endemic areas. The worm is especially common in southern part of the UK.

Angiostorngylus vasorum is commonly known as Lungworm by vets in the UK. It is important to note that this is a completely different species to Dirofilaria immitis,  a mosquito-transmitted heartworm that is common in continental Europe but so far absent from the UK.

 

What clinical signs should I look out for?

Although it lives in the heart, the worm can cause lung disease. This can be seen as a persistent cough and breathing difficulty. However, a wide range of signs is possible, making the disease difficult to identify. These include poor blood clotting, bruising, seizures, lameness, abdominal pain, lack of energy and stunting in growing dogs.

 

How can my dog become infected?

The parasite is transmitted from dog faeces to slugs and snails, where it develops to the infective stage (see diagram). Dogs are infected by eating or having close contact with infected slugs and snails. There is a lot that we do not know about the infection process. It is not advisable to try to eliminate slugs and snails using slug pellets. This is unlikely to work and slug pellets are extremely toxic to dogs.

 

How can my vet make a diagnosis of Lungworm?

There are several test that can help your vet to reach a diagnosis including taking a faecal sample to check for Larvae.

 

Can Lungworm infection be treated?

There are drugs available to treat Lungworm. However, in spite of treatment this disease can be fatal. It is therefore important to watch for clinical signs in your dog and consult your vet as soon as possible. Routine worming is not 100% successful at preventing Lungworm infection, and some wormers are more effective than others. Seek your Vet's advice on the best worming regime for your dog.

 

For more Information about worming to protect your pets and your family go to www.wormfree.co.uk

 

 

 

 

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Comments

#1 E V Davies on 03 Jul 08 at 6:12 PM

good article Doron!