Lung worm - really a threat in the UK?

As said in the title, is it really a threat here in the cold wet UK? I have never heard anything about it until recently when this huge add campaign started. i know its bad in the USA but Is it really a threat in the UK or just propaganda from the pharmaceutical companies?

Lungworm is quite a problem here. Snails & slugs carry it so our climate is perfect for it.

yea it's a problem in the uk it's heartworm in the us is bad

Ah right okay, so it's not all a big money making thing?

ive just been reading about lung worm in my magazine and theres a staffie who lost his life to it i was near tears reading it

Lungworm is so easy to treat, though. If you keep them wormed regularly they are unlikely to pick it up. If your dog's unlucky enough to get it, then the correct treatment early on works very well.

right i thought i may aswell type what it says vet (TV Luke Gamble) says:

THE SYMPTOMS:
- Breathing problems (coughing tiring easily)
- Poor blood clotting (excessibe bleeding from minor wounds, nose bleeds, bleeding into the eyes, paleness around eyes and gums)
- Changes in behaviour (depresstion, seizures)
- General sickness (weight loss, poor appitite, vomiting, diarrhoea)

PREVENTION TIPS:
- Avoid outdoor drinking water and food bowls (the often attract slugs and snails)
- Dont leave dog toys, chew or bones in the garden (they can also attract slugs and snails)
- Ask your vet for a parasite control programme for your dog (it should take into account the risk of dogs becomming infected)

The prevention is all good in theory but totally useless for outside dogs.

yeah but im gunna keep that page now just for symptoms just incase

For outside dogs all you can do is regularly dose them with a good quality wormer that includes a lungworm preventer. I use Milbemax, but some of the others prevent it as well - Advovate does I think. I don't know about Drontal.

well just looked at scarletts worming tablets her proects her form lungworm phew !

Thought she was on Bob martin?

Drontal doesn't cover lung worms Caryll, just checked.

Glad I don't use it, then!!

To be honest, I just use the one recommended by my vets (Milbemax). I'm sure it's more expensive than some of the others, but at least I know it does the job.

Hayle i thought she was but appernetly the OH gave me in trouble that for the cat LOL

Huh?

Equi wrote:Huh?

i thought scarlett was on bob martian but its the cats worming tablets i was looking at lol

Oh...right

Still not advised for cats, they are even more sensitive to it

i dunno its my partner that has to sign for the medication as hes the only one that registered at the PDSA vets

lmjc90 wrote:

Equi wrote:Huh?

i thought scarlett was on bob martian but its the cats worming tablets i was looking at lol

Bob Martins wormers are next to useless. I wouldn't use them.

PDSA gave him bob martin? I wouldn't be very happy with that, its not reccommended and i dont think a vets sould give it out

no he bought the bob martins for the cat we got scarletts from the vet i rember she got some when we had to take her for her lymphnode infection and they did ask if we had worming tablet and gave us some

oh right. well you know for again i suppose

yeah im a bit worried about my cat now im gunna really look into a decent flea and worming for the cat and flea replent for scarlett

I won't use a combined flea/worm treatment. I'll only de flea if I know there's a problem. The only time I use a flea treatment otherwise is if I knwo there's a tick problem in the area.

nah i OH bought separtate flea and worm treatment, we do it int he area we live in because iknwo for a fact some of the dogs aorund here have fleas bad and i dont want the cat or scarlett catching them =/ so i do them every month

I just think "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" I hate putting chemicals on my dog if they're not needed.

true that ive taken scarlett out on this field and she played with another dog and i found a flea on her, but because she was treated it must of jumped back on the other dog

lmjc90 wrote:true that ive taken scarlett out on this field and she played with another dog and i found a flea on her, but because she was treated it must of jumped back on the other dog

Thats some flea!

I don't need to treat i actually never have, lexis never got fleas before. Good for me i suppose.

hayley im not ebing mean but there some right scruffers that have dogs around here they dont wash themselves never mind there dog

Equi wrote:I don't need to treat i actually never have, lexis never got fleas before. Good for me i suppose.

I've never seena flea on Dempsey. I did use one last autumn (well. late summer, really) cause I found a tick on Dempsey, but I only used one treatment. I think in 40+ years of having a dog, I've only treated against fleas about 3 or 4 times!

I've never seen a tick before, so never had to treat for that either! I'm quite lucky in my area, not too many things mix. Theres no sheep or foxes or badgers and all the rabbit have been killed by lampers ( )

Do you know i haven't even seen a slug or snail. I am starting to think im in purgatory and don't know i'm dead!

you guys are lucky! lol scarletts not had fleas but when we got bella (our cat) she was covered in fleas as a kitten had to take her to the vets and i send a very very angry text to the woman we got her off but she fine and not had a single one since

Equi wrote: I am starting to think im in purgatory and don't know i'm dead!

Is it okay to worm a dog AGAIN before the recommeded date? Because I think I may of used a crappy one like Bob Martin and after reading all this, I want to work him again with another product.

I'm not sure gee :/ Scarlett needs re doing flea and worming on the 29th but got some frontline to put on her instead of bob martins and worming tablets from the vet

Gee wrote:Is it okay to worm a dog AGAIN before the recommeded date? Because I think I may of used a crappy one like Bob Martin and after reading all this, I want to work him again with another product.

When was he wormed last?

It would be a good idea to Gee, i got drontal and it was only £10 for 2 tablets which is what lexi needed for her weight. so not that expensive but effective!

Caryll wrote:

Gee wrote:Is it okay to worm a dog AGAIN before the recommeded date? Because I think I may of used a crappy one like Bob Martin and after reading all this, I want to work him again with another product.

When was he wormed last?

Just after i got him, so around 2 month. Maybe a bit longer?

It would be a good idea to Gee, i got drontal and it was only £10 for 2 tablets which is what lexi needed for her weight. so not that expensive but effective!

Yup, thanks!

He rubs is * on the carpet in the morning so want to rule this out before anything else (gland expressing etc).

Yeah def give it a go, it won't do him any harm. Look out for worms in his poo, they look like white string lol

gunner had lung worm when he was 4 months old, the vet rated him 40% chnace of living after nearly 2 weeks at the vet he survived, now he has to have a special tablet everymonth until he is one which is june, he was only in the garden when it happend for half an hour, when i went to bring him in he was puking blood and could hardley breath, i was so worried for him! basically a parasite in the lung attacked his lungs and was basically drowning him to death. as you can imagine i was soo scared he was going to die but hes a fighter and came through now im hesitant to let him be alone anywhere. anyways beaware its a real killer and is very common in areas near the countryside

parasite in the slg i meant not lung, the vet said because of his age he was affected badly

Poor thing! I'm def going to get some lung wormer.

Gee wrote:

Caryll wrote:

Gee wrote:Is it okay to worm a dog AGAIN before the recommeded date? Because I think I may of used a crappy one like Bob Martin and after reading all this, I want to work him again with another product.

When was he wormed last?

Just after i got him, so around 2 month. Maybe a bit longer?

Yes, that's no problem. Get a decent wormer; it's possible that the first one worked, but I don't trust them.

Equi wrote:It would be a good idea to Gee, i got drontal and it was only £10 for 2 tablets which is what lexi needed for her weight. so not that expensive but effective!

I buy the Drontal flavoured (Tilly eats them no bother like they are sweets) and get them from Pets at Home paid around £30 for 8 tablets last time by buying in bigger packs. Have to admit though I keep the half tablets for the next time even though it says on the packet you shouldn't . It should not matter as the pills are a uniform mix and apart from the flavoured coating then 1/2 is 1/2 and don't see how it can do any harm. I think it's a ploy from the drugs company so you buy 2 every time and waste a half tablet.
This slug thing is a real worry though but how the hell are you supposed to let a dog have a life when you have to wrap them up in cotton wool.
It's my belief from what I read at the vets on posters that our normal wormers don't cover them for this slug one and it's a simple case of if you think your dog has eaten a slug then it is an emergency trip to the Vet, or does anyone know different ??

davemck3834 wrote:It's my belief from what I read at the vets on posters that our normal wormers don't cover them for this slug one and it's a simple case of if you think your dog has eaten a slug then it is an emergency trip to the Vet, or does anyone know different ??

Some of the wormers give protection against the lung worm - none of them actually kill it once it's in your dog. Once the dog is infected the vet has to give a different treatment although it's usually very effective.

Milbemax protects against it, so does Advocate (I think) and Drontal (but it might be Drontal Plus). Just check on the back of the packet & it should say. I hate taking chances so I just get the Milbemax from my vet. It's a bit more expensive, but it's still only £10 for one treatment. Dempsey's 32 kilos, though, so it should be less for a staff.

I used drontal plus and it doesnt cover lung worms unfortunately

in my case anyways if your dog had lung worm you would know! gunner was wormed with drontal then i fink and he still caught it! i didnt know anything about lung worm before gunner caught it, lukily its rare to catch it again and the tablet he takes now shuld prevent him froom catching it again, speak to your vet they will tell you the best for specifically for lung worm. bare iin mind not all slugs etc carry the parasite its jus a certain few.

Caryll wrote:

davemck3834 wrote:It's my belief from what I read at the vets on posters that our normal wormers don't cover them for this slug one and it's a simple case of if you think your dog has eaten a slug then it is an emergency trip to the Vet, or does anyone know different ??

Some of the wormers give protection against the lung worm - none of them actually kill it once it's in your dog. Once the dog is infected the vet has to give a different treatment although it's usually very effective.

Milbemax protects against it, so does Advocate (I think) and Drontal (but it might be Drontal Plus). Just check on the back of the packet & it should say. I hate taking chances so I just get the Milbemax from my vet. It's a bit more expensive, but it's still only £10 for one treatment. Dempsey's 32 kilos, though, so it should be less for a staff.

Just checked the back of the packet on mine Drontal PLus Flavour and it just says Roundworm and Tapeworm She is the most important thing to me so if I can buy one that gives her a little more protection then I wil go out shopping tomorrow

It was actually Beaphar I used. Is this any good?