New puppy ate/licked a slug today

Andy Magic

Hi,

Random one I know but we got our new puppy yesterday and today whilst visiting a friend I brought him out into their garden to go to the toilet and while we were there he was eating grass, I quickly stopped him, next thing I thought he was eating/licking grass again but when I looked down he had licked a small white slug, there was white goo/gunge on his face which was white and not silver so could have been a slug squashed up. I quickly stopped him from eating or licking it any further and removed it from him. I could see a slug where he was licking fully intact but I don't know if there could be more.

Aside from all that he has received his Duramune Dappi LC vaccination on the 7th May and then on the 22nd May the same vaccination again.

My question is should I be ringing a vet tonight, bringing him in the morning or not worrying at all? Money is no issue here so I don't mind either of them I just want to make sure he is ok.

Thanks in advance to any replies.

Gloomtastic!

Don't worry about it. Your little puppy will eat/chew/destroy anything and everything until they are about 2. Good luck with it!

SingItOut

I'd keep an eye on him as lung worm is a huge risk, he should be fine but if he shows any signs of being sick then get him to the vet as soon as possible.

anniehoo

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Don't worry about it.

I would be worrying about it. Licking or eating snails would ring major alarm bells for me as they are the intermediate host for Angiostrongylus vasorum also known as Canine Lungworm. It is most common in dogs less than 2 years of age too. I would ring your vet in the morning and ask about treatment with Advocate (he may or may not be too young). It's also thought that the slime alone is enough to cause issues and not requiring full ingestion of the snail.

I know puppies do chew and lick everything but trust me when I saw you don't want to mess with Lungworm. I've seen 4 cases recently (in the space of two months) with one being fatal.

Stheno

SingItOut wrote: »

I'd keep an eye on him as lung worm is a huge risk, he should be fine but if he shows any signs of being sick then get him to the vet as soon as possible.

Agreed.

Also get used to the idea that the little monster will eat all around him.

My first dog as an adult was a German Shepherd, who ate furniture, walls, wood, clothes, and any stuff that he could fit in his gob.

As a very "I want to be a good owner" I took advice I was given, I booked him into a kennels for two days so he would get used to them, not having noticed any abnormal levels of destruction due to his eating.

When I went to pick him up, the staff took great delight in describing the pair of knickers they had to extract from his backside, ,along with graphic details of how long it took them to take out the cassette tape that was mixed in with them:o

anniehoo

SingItOut wrote: »

I'd keep an eye on him as lung worm is a huge risk, he should be fine but if he shows any signs of being sick then get him to the vet as soon as possible.

The problem with Lungworm is you don't know they have until they start showing symptoms and sometimes even before that where clotting and CNS problems occur. This can be long before the classic "coughing" that vets often see. It's also passed off as Kennel cough in a young dog too. I'd ring your vet to check for their advice.

Andy Magic

Thanks for the replies all, I will be bringing him to the vet first thing in the morning. Is there anything I should be asking for, as in is there another injection he can get to make sure he is ok?

Stheno

Andy Magic wrote: »

Thanks for the replies all, I will be bringing him to the vet first thing in the morning. Is there anything I should be asking for, as in is there another injection he can get to make sure he is ok?

I honestly think that's an overreaction on your part, just give your vet a call to get their advice and keep a close eye on the puppy.

The vet possibly won't even know what the dog ate, and will advise you to keep an eye potentially.

No point wasting time/money when a simple phone call can set your mind at ease.

Has your puppy been wormed?

Andy Magic

Stheno wrote: »

I honestly think that's an overreaction on your part, just give your vet a call to get their advice and keep a close eye on the puppy.

The vet possibly won't even know what the dog ate, and will advise you to keep an eye potentially.

No point wasting time/money when a simple phone call can set your mind at ease.

Has your puppy been wormed?

Thanks Stheno, as far as I know he has been wormed and we were advised to worm again in 3 months, I can see how it might look like Im over reacting, which I hopefully am but money is no issue here, I just want to make sure he is ok.

jimf

just have a little read of this link and yes if was me I would inform my vet in the morning and be guided by his/her advice

http://www.lungwormindogs.co.uk/

anniehoo

Stheno wrote: »

I honestly think that's an overreaction on your part, just give your vet a call to get their advice and keep a close eye on the puppy.

The vet possibly won't even know what the dog ate, and will advise you to keep an eye potentially.

What will "keeping an eye" achieve though? The prepatent period of Angio is 6-10 weeks meaning if the dog is not wormed for another 3 months there could be an active and potentially fatal infection going on. The OP has already stated he saw his dog licking a slug so if he just states that to the vet, the worst that will happen medically or financially is an extra few doses of fenbendazole over the next few weeks.

boomerang

Brilliant to have this kind of expertise on the forum, thanks anniehoo.

anniehoo

I think that a lot of people don't take Lungworm ("Angio") seriously enough as it's generally put in the same bracket as roundworm or tapeworm, which are easily treated and when fully grown or in large amounts are visible to the naked eye.

Angio is a whole different kettle of cod. The "worms" or larvae are not visible unless under microscopic analysis or via an antigen test i.e Angio Detect

The treatment once diagnosed is simple but the pre diagnostic complications literally can be fatal. It can cause elongated clotting times resulting in bleeding disorders and the dog that I've seen die recently bled into it's brain.:(

It's a scary scary parasite that is still classed as "emerging", even though it's been around awhile. Vets are now learning that the typical symptom of a cough is not always present. We're normally advised to worm our dogs every 3 months and this for the most part is ok, if your dog doesn't tend to eat random things off the ground. In Angio's case it's slugs and snails.

Detection is also very difficult. The antigen test is good but not 100% and faecal analysis is hit and miss whereby you have to catch the larvae at the correct part of the lifecycle i.e coughed up, swallowed and then passed in faeces. Samples need to be fresh too and specific morphology looked at as they have a distinctive notched tail that shouldn't be confused with any other free living larva of which there are lots.

In the OP's case the simple preventative treatment is so much easier, cheaper and less catastrophic for his dog than just waiting and seeing what happens. Chances are he'll be ok but it's a chance I wouldn't be willing to take seeing as the dog has potentially ingested the intermediate host,the infective larvae and won't be wormed for another 3mths.

It really is "better to be safe than sorry" in this case

Andy Magic

Thanks again to everyone for the comments, there is some great knowledge on here.

I brought him to the vet first thing yesterday morning and got him wormed to be certain he was ok.

aonb

Anniehoo, do 'average' wormers (e.g Drontal) cover Lungworm?
I need to get one of my dogs wormed - do I need a specific one to include Lungworm prevention?

Vet said recently Lungworm on the increase here, and he has seen some cases recently.

When I went out to shut up the hens on tues night (wet/warm) there were dozens and dozens of massive black slugs on the patio walls and on the ground :eek:

Stheno

I've always used advocate as a wormer so wasn't aware others didn't cover lungworm, hence my post!

jimf

ive always used parazole I think it covers lungworm as well

maybe annie could confirm please

Stheno

Actually I've used parazole as well

Found both Advocate and parazole to be gentler and more wide ranging than drontal, especially for puppies

jimf

I need to worm mine next week and now is the time to find out

ive used parazole for years and must agree its very gentle on puppies

anniehoo

jimf wrote: »

ive always used parazole I think it covers lungworm as well

Parazole contains fenbendazole so yes it's ok. I need to check but as far as I'm aware the reason Advocate is recommended first is it's the only licensed drug for lungworm. Will find out more tomorrow though as i'm not 100% sure on that

jimf

thank you annie for your reply

would I be right in thinking foxes would be serious carriers of lungworm infections because of their diet I live in the country and must say ive noticed a large increase in their numbers recently

anniehoo

jimf wrote: »

would I be right in thinking foxes would be serious carriers of lungworm infections because of their diet

Yep, along with dogs, foxes are also the definitive host for Angio...but there isn't a huge amount of info out there on it's prevalence in foxes. It's actually also been found in badgers and red pandas believe it or not.

DBB

*have just stuck an Advocate on both dogs *

Thanks thread!
:-)

boomerang

Stheno wrote: »

Actually I've used parazole as well

Found both Advocate and parazole to be gentler and more wide ranging than drontal, especially for puppies

Advocate does not treat tapeworm.

Parazole treats tapeworm acquired from eating rodents but not the tapeworm associated with fleas. Drontal treats both.

I think Milbemax is probably my wormer of choice now as it seems to have the broadest spectrum of action. AFAIK anniehoo it is licensed for the prevention of lungworm now.

anniehoo

boomerang wrote: »

I think Milbemax is probably my wormer of choice now as it seems to have the broadest spectrum of action. AFAIK anniehoo it is licensed for the prevention of lungworm now.

Yeah looked this up this morning and you're right.

wrote:

French Heartworm/Lungworm is treatable through anthelmintic drugs (drugs used to expel worms). Four drugs - fenbendazole, febantel, ivermectin and milbemycin - have been used successfully.

In the UK, two drugs are licensed for the treatment of A. vasorum:

Moxidectin (brand name Advocate made by Bayer Animal Health)
Milbemycin oxime (brand name Milbemax made by Novartis Animal Health)
One drug is also prescribed, but off license:

Fenbendazole (brand name Panacur made by Intervet-Schering Plough Animal Health)

It also does mean Drontal (which contains febantel) technically is effective too which I was wrong on yesterday but it's not one I ever hear mentioned in lungworm prevention or treatment normally, probably because of the licensing issue.

aonb

anniehoo wrote: »

Yeah looked this up this morning and you're right.



It also does mean Drontal (which contains febantel) technically is effective too which I was wrong on yesterday but it's not one I ever hear mentioned in lungworm prevention or treatment normally, probably because of the licensing issue.

Brilliant! Thanks for this - I already had some Drontal and gave it to dog this a.m (in a piece of steak if you please! The pill was pork flavoured - hah - but he spat it out and looked at me with that "OMG you are trying to poison me" look! hence the steak!) Have put Advocate on my shopping list but will wait til next wormer is due now that you have confirmed Drontal is ok. Thanks Anniehoo!

anniehoo

aonb wrote: »

now that you have confirmed Drontal is ok. Thanks Anniehoo!

aonb I did say "technically effective". While the active ingredient may be effective the reason I double checked and deleted my previous post is because "licensing" in regards to a drug is a paramount term here ok

aonb

anniehoo wrote: »

aonb I did say "technically effective". While the active ingredient may be effective the reason I double checked and deleted my previous post is because "licensing" in regards to a drug is a paramount term here ok

Thanks Anniehoo - understand that difference - have given him the Drontal as I had a supply, but have Advocate on my shopping list - poor boy will get 2 wormers close together, but better safe than sorry - the number of slugs around on our patio on a damp night is horrific!