04/06/2026
🐕🐾 Lungworm in dogs 🐾🐕
The avid gardeners amongst you will have noticed an increase in the number of slugs and snails around at the moment 🐌
💡 What does this mean for your dog?
Lungworm is caused by a worm called
Angiostrongylus vasorum' and can affect dogs
and foxes 🦊🐶
It is transmitted by slugs , snails🐌 and their
infected slime which transmit lungworm larvae
to dogs when eaten. Some dogs will eat the
slugs or snails on purpose (yummy!) , but
others pick up the larvae by drinking from
puddles, playing with toys 🥎 or when grooming themselves.
Once ingested the larvae are able to develop
into adult worms 🪱 which live inside the heart
and blood vessels which supply the lungs. The
adults lay eggs, these hatch to new larvae
which travel to the lungs (causing severe tissue
damage on their journey) where they are coughed up, swallowed and excreted in the
dog's poo 💩 The slugs and snails are then
infected from poo traces on the grass and so
the cycle begins again 💩🌿
Symptoms of infection include coughing, lack
of energy, bleeding or blood clotting disorders
seizures, death.
Two drugs have been proven to prevent and
treat lungworm: milbemycin oxime and moxidectin. Both of these must be
prescribed by a veterinary surgeon 🩺
Treatment options are available but lungworm
does still kill dogs due to the damage it can do so prevention is better than cure. 💕
Reduce risk by bringing your dogs toys 🥎 in at
night (so slugs/snails 🐌 don't crawl over them), avoid walking dogs 🐕 when lots of slugs/snails are around (e.g. when the grass is damp and pick up poo 💩 to reduce the cycle).
We also recommend using a parasite prevention that contains one of the drugs mentioned above. If you would like to discuss your current parasite prevention plan please give our friendly reception team a call 📞 on 01562 822986 who will be happy to help 🐾🐕
