A lungworm is a parasitic worm that causes severe illness in dogs. When a dog eats slugs and snails, lungworms get into its system and travel throughout the body, spreading the infection. This may lead to respiratory distress or even death. Learn more about the symptoms and treatments of lungworm in dogs.
How Lungworms Affect Dogs?
Lungworm, or Angiostrongylus vasorum, is a worm that attacks dogs and foxes. This type of worm has been found in the United States, Great Britain, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Australia, and France.
The worm starts infecting the animal's organs upon entering the body. Once the dog is infected, the adult lungworms start living in the heart. They also make their home in the major vessels supplying blood to the lungs.
What Do Lungworms Look Like?
The adult lungworms are small, white, hair-like worms about a ½ inch to 3 inches long. Female lungworms are usually longer than males.
How Do Dogs Get Lungworm?
Dogs get lungworm from infected snails and slugs. When the dog eats them, the lungworm larvae begin their developmental phase inside the body.
When the larvae turn into adults, they start moving through the dog's body toward the heart and blood vessels. This leads to severe heart and respiratory issues in the dog, including pneumonia.
In the early stages of the infection, the dog shows no symptoms at all. But when the worms start to produce their larvae inside the dog's body, signs begin to show. It usually happens after 28 days of the infection.
Some severe health issues include hemorrhages (abnormal bleeding) in vital organs of the dog's body, including lungs, intestine, eyes, liver, and spinal cord. If left untreated, the condition can be life-threatening.
What Are the Symptoms of Lungworm in Dogs?
The common symptoms of lungworm in dogs include:
- Mild coughing to severe respiratory distress
- Reluctance to exercise
- Prolonged bleeding after a minor injury or cut
- Abnormal clotting of the blood
The lungworm infection can't be transferred directly from dog to dog. But, it may get carried through the excretion of larvae in their feces. The feces can infect more snails and slugs, which other dogs can eat. This cycle allows the infection to spread rapidly.
Are Some Dogs More at Risk for Lungworm?
Lungworms can infect dogs of all breeds and ages. Puppies younger than age 2 may be more at risk of getting lungworm due to playing more outside.
Slugs and snails are more present in wet spring months. Any contact a dog has with the slime trail outdoors can mean an infection. Dogs who have a habit of intentionally eating snails and slugs are at a higher risk.
How Is Lungworm Diagnosed in Dogs?
Vets examine the symptoms and transmission patterns and use blood tests to find larvae in the feces and diagnose lungworm in dogs. They may use an endoscope (bronchoscopy) and imaging tests like radiographs and x-rays to diagnose the infection more easily.
The feces may have only a few larvae. Bronchoscopy (inspection of the lungs and air passages) can be more helpful in diagnosing lungworm infection. It includes the collection of washings from the trachea for the examination of eggs, white blood cells, and larvae.
What is the Treatment for Lungworm in Dogs?
Vets prescribe antiparasitic drugs for lungworms in dogs treatment, along with the surgical removal of the tracheal nodules. The antiparasitic treatment may take up to 2 months.
How To Stop My Dog Eating Slugs?
If you're traveling with your dog to areas where lungworms were detected, talk to your vet. Regular lungworm treatment can help in the prevention of lungworm in dogs. You can also check the environment for snails and slugs when going out with your dog.
Discourage your dog from being playful with slugs and snails by distracting it with something else. Disposing of your dog's feces safely will also help.
