Most dogs don’t eat snails and slugs – but then there are some dogs who eat anything. The problem is that the slugs you find in your garden carry the lungworm larvae, if your dog ingests them, and this can happen accidentally when they pick up toys, there is a real danger that this killer parasite will hatch out in your pet’s lungs. Dog dishes are another danger zone, snails like them because of the traces of food, so watch out for trails of slime and wash carefully. Drinking from ponds, rummaging through undergrowth all present potential lungworm infection.What are the signs? General ill health, weight loss and even paralysis, other symptoms include lack of appetite, diarrhoea, vomiting and cuts that bleed a lot. That isn’t the only bad news, dogs extrete the larvae which can then be picked up by other dogs, so the parasite can spread at an alarming rate. The ‘Be Lungworm Aware’ campaign has warned that 37% of vets in the UK have diagnosed at least one case of the parasite during 2010 in comparison with 16% in 2009.
Foxes too can become infected with the parasite and, as they are untreated, it spreads rapidly from them throughout the country. Dogs can easily be cured if the symptoms are caught early enough, so if your pet shows any of these signs a visit to the vet is urgent. Lungworm isn’t known to infect humans thank goodness but normal hygiene measures are always recommended as roundworms, which both cats and dogs suffer from, can be passed on to people.