In This Issue: New Products… and Pet Superstar
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Molecare Pet Vets News Spring 18 Lungworm, a killer?… Travelling with your pet… £20 skin clinic… Spring dangers… Price changes… In this issue: New products… And pet superstar... Lungworm, a killer? As pet owners, we are all aware of our pets picking large blood vessels. The adult lungworms live in the up intestinal worms from the environment, and most major blood vessels of the lungs and heart causing owners are proactive in using preventative medicines serious problems due to an immune response, clotting to keep their pet’s worm burden low. Fewer owners problems and inflammation. Eggs are deposited in are aware of the risk of lungworm to their pets. Whilst the small vessels of the lungs, from which they hatch, less common than the intestinal worms, lungworm is and larvae migrate into the airways to be coughed significantly more serious and can be fatal if left up, swallowed and passed out in the faeces for untreated. snails/slugs to ingest. Canine Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) is now Cats can be infected by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus. endemic throughout most of the UK, and most vets This is less likely to infect cats but it can occasionally are seeing cases of infected animals each year. be incredibly serious due to a severe inflammatory reaction in the lungs and respiratory distress. Rather than being associated with slugs and snails, this worm’s intermediate hosts are birds and rodents, meaning that any cat allowed outdoors is at risk. The cycle: What is lungworm? Lungworm is a parasitic worm affecting dogs and cats. The specific species of worm are different between dogs and cats, but both can cause substantial problems for the animal infected as they migrate through the liver, heart, blood vessels and lungs. Dogs can be infected by Angiostrongylus vasorum. It can also infect foxes, which are thought to contribute to spread of the worm. Dogs contract this worm from ingesting its larvae which reside within its intermediate host, snails and slugs. The worms migrate from the dog’s intestines throughout the body via the liver and We are open seven days a week: Molecare Pet Vets (office hours): 01626 835002 Mon - Fri, 8.00am - 7pm EVES Emergency Service (out of hours): 01392 284217 Sat, 8.30am - 5.30pm Sun, 10am - 1pm molecarepetvets.com Lungworm, a killer? Continued... How can my pet catch lungworm? X-rays: Evidence of infection Dog can be infected from lungworm by ingesting can show up on x-ray but the snails and slugs and potentially even just their slime patterns seen are not specific trails. ‘But my dog doesn’t eat slugs or snails’, we hear to lungworm. As such this you say! Our answer to this would be… not that you diagnostic tool can contribute to a diagnosis, but is know of, and not even necessarily that your dog unlikely to provide a diagnosis on its own. knows of. Treatment if infected Juvenile slugs and A specific wormer to kill the worms: snails can be TINY and if your dog Imidacloprid/moxidectin plays with toys in Milbemycinoxime the garden, rummages in the Fenbendazole undergrowth, eats grass or even drinks from puddles Ivermectin or outdoor water bowls, they are at risk. Unsurprisingly, young dogs are more at risk as they are more likely to Prevention rootle about outdoors. Prevention is always better than cure and this is Cats can be infected by lungworm by catching and certainly the case with lungworm as it can be fatal. eating birds and rodents. 1. Treat with a specific wormer (imidacloprid/ What problems does lungworm cause? moxidectin or Milbemycin oxime) every four weeks like clockwork. If you treat less frequently, some of the Signs can be very vague and are not always obvious worms can ‘slip through the net’ and continue as early stages are often asymptomatic. Infection developing to cause health problems. These wormers can present as mild ongoing signs or severe life will treat for intestinal worms as well so it is mainly a threatening signs. case of shifting from a mentality of traditional three Respiratory signs: coughing, difficulty breathing, monthly worming, to four weekly worming. breathing quickly, wheezing. The cough may only be Remember, not all worming products will prevent mild but could be an indicator of more serious lungworm, so discuss which one is most appropriate problems. In cats, respiratory signs can be sudden for your pet with your vet. and very severe. Some owners worry about worming so regularly. With Cardiovascular signs: Fast heart rate, swelling under intestinal worms, a routine faecal worm egg count the skin or of the limbs, fluid build-up in the abdomen/ can be used to identify whether pharmaceutical lungs. wormers are needed before dosing. However, this is very inaccurate with lungworm as the presence of Clotting problems: Prolonged bleeding, bloody larvae (not eggs) in the faeces is very intermittent and vomit/faeces, bruising, pale gums. unreliable. This can result in false negatives and Neurological signs: balance problems, lack of infection can progress when it should have been coordination, seizures, vision loss. treated. Copious research has identified that these wormers are safe to use this frequently, and due to Also: inappetence, weight loss, high temperature, the severity of lungworm we would advise four weekly lethargy/depression, collapse. treatment with the above mentioned wormers to Diagnosis prevent infection. Faecal sample: The larvae may only be 2. Pick up poo – Picking up your dog or cat’s poo will shed into faeces intermittently so several reduce the chance of transmission of the worm to a samples over a week are required to snail/slug or bird/rodent. The quicker you pick that increase chances of finding evidence of infection. poo up, the better. Broncho-alveolar lavage: Flushing the lungs with small 3. Pick toys up from the garden – If toys are left amounts of fluid which is then collected to look for overnight, small slugs or snails could hide in the signs of larvae. This does not always show up crevices of the toys and be ingested by your dog infection, even if present, and false when next playing. negatives are possible. 4. Regularly clean outdoor water bowls – They are a SNAP tests: This is a test which looks for haven for slugs/snails and regular cleaning will reduce lungworm antigen in an animal’s blood and the chance of ingestion of one by your dog. can give rapid results. If you are worried about lungworm in your pet or want General blood test: Animals infected with more information about its prevention, call us on lungworm can have changes to platelet 01616 835002 or make an appointment. levels, blood protein levels and white blood cells. molecarepetvets.com these into our country. Travelling with your pet Other diseases: Leishmaniasis – Transmitted by sand-flies. Common in Mediterranean. Can cause skin disease, organ dysfunction, potentially death. Symptoms can appear months/years after travel. Only certain products will repel sand-flies so ask your vet about this. Echinococcus multilocularis – A type of tapeworm that can pose a serious health risk to humans, especially children. It may not cause illness in your pet. A tapeworm treatment (praziquantel) is legally required 1-5 days before returning to the UK to prevent this being brought into our country. Heartworm – Transmitted by mosquitoes. Heart function is affected and treatment is challenging. Often fatal. Rabies – Still occurs in parts of Europe. Fatal virus Please think carefully before taking your pet abroad! affecting nervous system. Vaccination is required Whereas we may find it exciting to visit a foreign before travel. country, it can be quite daunting for a dog (or cat!) to be thrown outside of their comfort zone. Think There are several legal requirements to fulfil before about the individual pet, its age, health status and travelling with your pet, as described by the Pet Travel behaviour. For example, a thick coated dog, or one Scheme (PETS). We advise you to with heart disease, might struggle in the heat of begin the process of getting your southern Spain. pet’s passport 2-3 months before travel. For more information, When travelling abroad, your pet will be challenged please visit our website where you by many diseases that we do not experience living in will find a fact sheet about the UK. You must go the extra mile in protecting your travelling with your pet, as well as dog or cat if you take them abroad, as they will be www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/ very vulnerable to the new bugs and parasites. pet-passport. We would strongly It is important to realise that the legal requirements for recommend a consultation with your pet to travel are not designed to protect your the vet to discuss everything in person. pet from disease. Their only role is to prevent zoonotic Please be aware, if you do decide to go ahead with diseases (a disease that can be transmitted from travelling with your pet, it is ultimately up to you to animal to human) entering a country where it does research the specific requirements for travel to your not already exist. chosen destination. They will vary dramatically It is beyond the scope of this article to go into all depending upon location, and how or who the pet is potential diseases as they are very specific to your intended to travel with. Plan well to help make it as travel destination. As a brief introduction: enjoyable and safe as it can be! Tick borne diseases present in Europe: Babesiosis – Life threatening anaemia. Potentially fatal. Offer coming soon... Ehrlichiosis – Fever, anaemia, joint pain, clotting problems, spontaneous bleeding, seizures.