The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: Jullienne on June 10, 2016, 08:02:39 pm
-
I keep seeing these adverts for lungworm all over the place, I know that it can be caused by snails, but what else can carry it? I worm my dogs 1 times a year and they have never had it, is this enough or should I be worming them twice a year? They don't have worm problems at all and don't generally suffer from them so is this ok? Just a bit paranoid!
Thanks
-
Our vets tell us that working dogs on sheep farms should be wormed every 3 months. That's partly for tapeworm, which if left can get into the sheep meat and cause some carcasses, or part carcasses, to be condemned. It can't be treated in the sheep; the only control mechanism is to control it in the dog.
-
Sorry, forgot to say, I don't know about lungworm. Our vets don't tell us to worry, so I don't.
-
To save me writing it all out i checked a few sites and this has the most reliable descriptions. BUT stick to only reading the Angiostrongylus vasorum sections.
http://www.capcvet.org/capc-recommendations/lungworms (http://www.capcvet.org/capc-recommendations/lungworms)
Incidence in your local area depends on numbers of dogs and contamination. It was quite common in my London area when i was still in practice. Presenting signs most commonly of bleeding into the eyes or haemorrhagic patches on the skin due to the coagulopathy caused.
-
It is also recommended to worm your dogs every 3 months for roundworms as Toxocara eggs ingested by children can cause blindness. Having met one young adult going through losing her sight because of careless dog owners I could never forgive myself if I didn't keep on top of my own dogs' worming.
Tapeworm threatens livestock health so ensuring a good tapeworm treatment every 3 months is important if you are on farm land at all with your dogs.
Lungworm depends on your area, Bayer do a very accurate map of incidence across the country. In a high risk area, the preventative lungworm treatments must be given monthly. Since it can cause bleeding disorders that can be fatal, if you are in a lungworm area it would be foolhardy not to treat preventatively.
In any case, your vet will be able to help you work out a worming regime with effective products, so please discuss any worming queries with them!
-
Advocate used monthly protects against lungworm (as well as fleas, roundworm and a host of other worms and mites) but you'll also need to use a tablet wormer every 3 months for tapeworm.
We have to keep on top of worming our 2 dogs for our Farm Assurance, so they have Bravecto tablet every 3 months for fleas and ticks, and Milbemax every month for worms. Using milbemax every month instead of the normal every 3 months will protect against lungworm too.
-
Bet the poster was produced by a veterinary pharmaceuticals company, who, of course, sell a lungworm preventative.
Which is not to say don't be careful - but I'm planning to ask our vet, and be guided by them.
-
My oldest dog had a serious lungworm infection a couple of years ago. We live in Devon so lots of slugs etc. He was 9 so not the usual age for it. He has always had back and lameness issues so didn't think too much of it when he became lame with a sore back. Basicly couldn't control his pain, even with morphine. He would go into shock he was so painful. Sent him for CT scan of his back as thought was disc problem even though no evidence on X-rays. His blood vessels in his lungs were abnormal and his lungs congested. Basicly it was the larvae migrating down his spinal chord causing extreme pain. I had missed two months of treatment.
It can be symptomless so unless you to the blood test (a quick one done in house at your practice) you won't know. Many vets now test before surgery as it stops the blood from clotting and even a simple tooth extraction or torn nail can die as they just bleed out.
-
You can worm egg count in dogs and cats too :)
No need to worm when not needed for all the same reasons as in stock.
http://www.westlab.ie/companion-animals/ (http://www.westlab.ie/companion-animals/) is the cheapest - if you email them they can give you the current prices and info and they will accept poo from you in any suitable container although they will also send out a kit if needed
and more locally
http://www.wormcount.com/ (http://www.wormcount.com/) although I think they are very expensive personally
-
Lungworm needs a different faecal test and its not very reliable.
-
Separate lung worm testing on both of those links :) It needs a 3 day pooled sample and yes, its not fool proof but chances are if you have it, something will show up in the tests. Its another tool in the arsenal for people :)