Your dog at risk

Lungworm infection is spreading across the UK and has already caused the death of a dog in the Pebsham area.

Vet Simon Cockle of Chase surgery in De La Warr Road treated a King Charles spaniel with the infection and is now concerned that other dogs in the area may be at risk.

The spaniel was brought to the vetinary surgery suffering "severe" respiratory distress.

The owners suspected their dog had swallowed rat poison but Simon realised the symptoms presented could be also caused by Lungworm infection and treated the animal for both.

Simon commented: "The dog was quite unwell. Unfortunately it was too late. That is the risk of Lungworm - if you don't get there in time the dog can die.

"The dog was collapsed, very lethargic, quiet and weak - just really struggling with breathing, that was the main thing."

The Lungworm parasite spends part of its lifecycle in slugs, snails or even frogs which are on the increase because of warm and wet weather conditions.

The danger to dogs arises when small slugs or snails are eaten when rummaging through undergrowth, eating grass, or taken up when drinking from puddles or an outdoor water bowl.

Younger dogs can be more at risk because of their natural curiosity and tendency to eat anything.

Owners are advised to watch for a variety of symptoms including coughing, reluctance to exercise, weightloss, fits, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness and paralysis, or persistent bleeding from minor cuts.

However a small proportion of dogs are hidden carriers and do not display any symptoms whatsoever.

Owners who notice any symptoms should contact their local vet immediately - the sooner the disease is spotted, the easier it is to treat and more likely the dog will make a full recovery.

The treatment is a simple spot-on product that is put on the back on the neck but is available by prescription only. It can also be used as a preventative measures, and also treats other mites, fleas and worms.

"Lots of other diseases can be confused with Lungworm infection," said Simon.

"If people see their dog coughing they might not be too worried about it initially, but they should have their animal checked because this is a relatively easy treatment if caught early.

"But are there other cases out there that are not being treated? That is what we are really worried about. This is the first case of Lungworm locally but it has brought to attention how severe it can be. The worry is there are animals out there that maybe have Lungworm or might be showing signs that aren't getting proper treatment for it."