Be Lungworm Aware

Lungworm is becoming an increasing threat to dogs all across the UK due to a number of reasons including a milder and wetter climate and the increase in the number of urban foxes covering a larger area.

There are three main types of lungworm that dogs are most likely to become infected with:

Oslerus osleri (dog lungworm), Crenosoma Vulpis (fox lungworm) and Angiostrongylus vasosum

The lungworm needs a host such as a slug, snail, fox or sometimes a frog in which to grow and develop.  The dog then, sometimes accidentally, eats a slug possibly on blades of grass, on a dog toy or water bowl or comes into contact with infected fox poo.

Approximately 3 days later the larvae can be found in the dogs stomach and then they proceed to migrate to the lungs where they continue to mature until they can lay thousands of eggs which are coughed up and are passed via the dogs faeces.  The only difference with fox lungworm is that the mature worms live in the airways of the lungs and the trachea.

The parasite doesn`t pass directly from dog to dog, and other dogs in a household can be completely unaffected by it. The larvae do however pass out in the faeces of the infected dog so there is the potential for the infection to be spread that way.

Slugs and snails are partial to dog poop so if it is left out in the open they will crawl all over it and consume some, therefore becoming infected by the larvae and if eaten by a dog or a fox the cycle starts again. So it is crucial that any dog poo is picked up immediately before slugs and snails have access to it.  Also avoid leaving water bowls outside at night and bring in any bones or dog toys to prevent contamination.

The biggest worry with lungworm is that occasionally there are no symptoms present until the disease is at a critical level, hence the importance of taking a regular worm count. 

There are many symptoms that are usually present these include :

• General lethargy and intolerance to exercise

• Breathing difficulties and noisy breathing

• Loss of weight even though the food is increased

• Sore throat, swallowing hard and developing a cough or gag reflex

• Staring into space and a change of temperament, unusually unsettled

• Discharge or bleeding from the nostrils

• Chest infection or pneumonia

• Pale mucus membranes of the eyes and gums

• Excessive bleeding even from a tiny wound and blood shot eyes

• Collapse and seizures

The easiest way to regularly test for lungworm is by a faecal count. If your dog has had lungworm before or you are in an area of high risk then it is advised to test every 3-4 months or sooner should any tell tale symptoms appear. 

The company I use is www.wormcount.com and I can highly recommend them.

Due to the fact that lungworm don`t shed larvae every day it is necessary to collect a small sample from 3 days worth of poo in the hope that they are shedding on one of those days. If your dog has had lungworm it is really important to send off another test within 3 months as they may still be carrying the worms but they were not shedding larvae on those particular days of testing. There will be a blood test available shortly which gives results with 15 minutes which is obviously a great help if your dog is showing severe symptoms by that stage and a speedy diagnosis can be life saving. Currently the faecal results take from 1-3 days to come back.

Although the fox lungworm can cause serious breathing problems and additional complications it rarely causes death unlike the other types of lungworm, but it should always be treated as an emergency to prevent the deterioration of the disease.

Due to the fact that the larvae are only in the stomach for a short while there is a short window of opportunity to influence them with alternative prevention before they migrate to the lungs and trachea. If products such as Verm-x or Four seasons are used it is usually necessary to give a larger or more frequent dose when preventing lungworm, so it is recommended that the product manufacturers are contacted for the dosage in this case.

These natural products are useful to use as a prevention but should NOT be used to treat a confirmed case of lungworn infection.

Caroline Hearn MICHT, Dip.ICAT, Dip.MLD

Canine and Equine Sports & Holistic Practitioner