Taken from the web:


Coughing is the most common sign of lungworm infection.
The lungworm inhabits the end of the trachea nearest to the lungs and may cause the infected animal to have a dry cough.


Lungworm is transmitted by slugs and snails and therefore your dogs should not be allowed to eat or chew them.

Thanks all and thanks for that info too Leospride. He hasn't coughed at all Still not right though, and I'll probably end up taking him back on Monday. She wanted me to phone her Monday to see how he's doing, so maybe she had at the back of her mind that I'd be back with him perhaps?

What about a blockage? It's just that he's not poo'ing like he should for 3 days now. I just had that big pile of squit yesterday, and today nothing yet??!! He's eating fine and not being sick and I would have thought he'd be sick and refuse food if it was a blockage? I'm worried, coz he never normally has any treats due to Cassie not being allowed them, but he had a pig's ear the other day?? I'm getting worried now!!

i thought there breathing was comprimsed with lung worm,symptoms not unlike,pnumonia,xx

Do you think he has just recently been eating snails? I would do a slug and snail swoop every day if I were you especially when it has been raining. Just in case

The breathing can be a bit erratic, which is what I first noticed, Maddie didn't have a cough as such, more like she had something stuck in her throat now and again? But mainly it was the breathing that concerned me. If I remember I first thought it could have been KC but when I told my vet she had eaten snails, it was him that suggested lungworm and treated accordingly.

Maebme: Do you think he has just recently been eating snails? I would do a slug and snail swoop every day if I were you especially when it has been raining.

I was just saying the same to Helena earlier, that now we had had a good downpour I would have to 'clear the paths/walls' before I let the girls out

Thanks guys for all that information on this. We have always had a lot of slugs and snails around out the back, but to tell you the truth, I've never worried about it coz I honestly thought the dogs wouldn't be eating them, I've never seen either of them doing it before. I only noticed these bits of shell in a small heap in the lounge coz the carpet is so light now it stood out to me! We might have hit on something here, especially with that breathing going on with him Better tell her on Monday. He's already on a very high dose of ab's so hopefully they might work if it is lungworm. I honestly thought we could never get that in the UK though. You live and learn don't you!

Hi all, think there is a bit of confusion here re heart worm & lungworm.
The parasite that the snails/slugs can carry is Angiostrongylus Vasorum commonly known as lungworm or The French heartworm as it originally was more common abroad.
Dogs get infected by eating the larvae carrying molluscs or even grass that has been freshly slimed.
Panacur & Milbemax can treat this parasite(used at different dose regimes to the normal routine worming) or most recently a spot on product - Advocate has now been licenced to treat & PREVENT lungworm infections.
the outbreaks used to be confined mainly to the SW & W but have spread SE & the wet warm weather has seen an increase in dogs being infected, Bristol veterinary university is carrying out in depth studies on lungworm - your vet should know this.
X K

Thanks for all that info Kathryn, I will definitely be mentioning it to my vet tomorrow when I speak to her. You say it's spreading South East, well that's just where I am too! Most helpful, thanks.

Hi All, I have read your comments with much interest. I have an 8 month old Cocker called Bailey and a 14 month old girl, named Abbie. Both have had upset tums; on an off, over the last two weeks. I cleared the problem with Bailey, by starving and then giving chicken and rice. He is a very healthy 13.75 kgs in weight. My little girl, is much smaller at 10 kgs and again today, she has done a fairly normal, firm stool, but this is immediately followed by watery runs. The only connection I can find, is when they have been in the garden playing. Abbie in particular, likes to eat snails if I can't catch her in time. I never use blue pellets, because of the danger to my beauties and I've checked and neither do my neighbours. I thought I'd check it out with you, before I take Abbie to be checked out at the vets. I'm a pensioner and everything spare is for my animals welfare, but I have to be careful with the pennies. Nevertheless I won't hesitate if I can't treat it myself. Any advice would be most appreciated. Thank you very much.

Hi CockerLover, that's exactly the same thing I was getting, and funnilly enough, because this thread is nearly a whole year old, I've been having the same problems of late with exactly what you are saying, i.e. one day it's normal, the next he's got the runs, and I really can't point my finger at anything. I can't possibly be anything out in the garden now because since this thread was written up a year ago, the whole garden has been relandscaped with all new turf etc. the back driveway has been totally excavated and is all new chippings etc. so I'm at a loss now to even think it was snails in the first place because we just don't have any anymore, I've looked everywhere, no snails about the place now!

I'm honestly wondering whether it's the local green where I walk him every morning, as lots of dogs go up there, not everybody picks up as they should and who knows what's lurking in the long grass up there which my dog has always got his nose in eating something!

I would just keep a very strick eye on your two and see what they're sniffing or licking at when you take them out as well as watching them in the garden, and if all stays well, then you've got your answer, it's something they're eating that they shouldn't. I hope it doesn't turn out to be something more serious, which I wouldn't for one minute think it was with both of them having the same thing, it's quite obvious it's something they're picking up, somewhere. My vet always calls this "rubbish disease". All the best.