Your Dog — November 2017

Your Dog November 2017 69

CASE STUDY

http://www.yourdog.co.uk

One-year-old Cockerpoo

Minnie was admitted to Willows

Veterinary Centre and Referral

Service, in Solihull, West

Midlands, for an ultrasound

scan after she’d become

withdrawn and appeared under

the weather.

Tests revealed there was

something seriously wrong with

her. She had gone completely

blind and had multiple

neurological problems, making

it diffi cult for her to walk in

a straight line.

The surgery believed the

blindness may have been

caused by bleeding on the

brain and, as a precaution, did

a routine lungworm test to rule

it out. The vets were surprised

to discover that Minnie

had very high levels of the

lungworm parasite in her body,

which was the likely cause for

her symptoms.

Georgina Allsopp, primary

care clinician at the surgery,

says: “Minnie was the worst

case of lungworm I’ve ever

seen, and the symptoms she

displayed were not typical of

the infection, which is why it

was not our fi rst thought. As

lungworm can present itself in

so many different ways, it can

be tricky to diagnose.”

As Minnie began her

lungworm treatment, she

took a turn for the worse. By

the next day, she was almost

comatose, so further treatment,

including clotting medications,

were prescribed to try to

combat the effects on her brain.

Minnie’s owner, Warren

Matthews, from Birmingham,

says: “Seeing her like that was

heart-wrenching. When the

infection was at its worst, we

had to have some very serious

and frank discussions with our

vet, who said that we might

need to consider euthanasia if

treatment didn’t work.”

Thankfully, Minnie proved

to be a fi ghter, and surprised

everyone when she regained

consciousness and started

to walk again within days.

Eventually, she was able to

go home.

Warren continues: “I didn’t

realise how critical lungworm

could be and the damage it

would go on to cause in our

pup. She is about 80 per cent

deaf and her sight comes and

goes — but she is alive

and well.”

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

If lungworm is present, blood

tests will show anaemia and,

often, raised white cell levels,

which indicate parasitic

infections. More specifi c tests

can be carried out to identify

the presence of these parasites

in the blood or faeces of

affected dogs. If untreated,

dogs can die from anaemia,

blood loss, and collapse.

Broad spectrum wormers

containing imidacloprid or

moxidectin, and milbemycin,

are effective against these

worms. Some wormers are

licensed for treating these

cases, which means they are

proven to be effective.

Monthly worming is advised

for preventative treatment,

but if infection is suspected

or confi rmed, then weekly

worming may be advised.

Other anti-parasite treatments

may be effective, but are not

licensed or proven, and may

be needed more frequently.

If effective wormers are

used in a severe case, some

dogs can become sick as

the parasites die, so initial

treatment with a less effective

product may be advisable.

Preventative measures

include picking up toys from

the garden and avoiding

feeding dogs on bare ground.

Outdoor water and food bowls

should be cleaned regularly,

rather than left outside, to

prevent access by molluscs

and contamination with slime.

Minnie was

lucky to survive.

“I didn’t

realise how

critical

lungworm

could be”

A map showing

where lungworm

is most prevalent

in the UK.

50+

cases

reported

...and behaving

Minnie is now like a normal dog.

enjoying life again...

“As lungworm can present itself

in many ways, it can be tricky

to diagnose.”

68-69 YD Unusual CS2(SW)EW.indd 69 21/09/2017 09:42