Talking to my vet on Thursday when I took Rachael in for her final jab. He says that lungworm is on the increase in a big way, and that he has had two dogs in his practice die from it recently. He also emphasised that the dog does not have to eat the slug or the snail. Licking the slug trail is sufficient. Our garden is just heaving with slugs in this weather. So, I have treated the puppy with Advocate (a spot on single dose monthly), and am dosing the others with some liquid Panacur. My vet told me he did not think Panacur was licenced to treat lungworm but it says quite clearly on the side of the box that it is. Pippa
Re: Lungworm increase My vet told me he'd done a survey of the local practices. Those that recommended Advocate were pretty much lung worm free and those that did not dispense Advocate had been treating lung worm.
Re: Lungworm increase I must admit I have been worried by the sheer volume of slugs and snails, luckily my 2 don't seem interested in them but didn't know a lick could cause infection. I have just looked on bestpet and interestingly the liquid panacur does mention lungworm but the granules don't and I used granules last time.
Re: Lungworm increase Our pup regularly mouths and sometimes eats slugs - our garden is full of them this summer and its too big an area to treat. She was treated with Advocate 4 weeks ago - guess I'll have to look at regular treatment for this?
Re: Lungworm increase I'm going to do my pup monthly Kitty, just to be on the safe side. It is slug world here.
Re: Lungworm increase Thanks for that Pippa. I just rang the vets and am picking up more Advocate for Breagh - was told she should be treated monthly all year round. (At least it'll do fleas etc too.) The amount of rubbish this pup eats at the moment - slugs, dead mice, earthworms, sheep's/horse's/cow's poo - she could do with some safeguarding! She must have an incredible belly to cope with it all...
Re: Lungworm increase An update on the Advocate front regarding our pup... When I went along to collect Advocate for her from said vet's practice, I was asked by the vet on duty "Why do you want this?" So, I explained concerns about lungworm and discussion with nurse who suggested she should be on Advocate monthly all year round. Vet replied that this was now thought to be unnecessary, that the scare had been overblown by the media and that we should use Milbemax now, then again after one month, then after three months, then six-months. So, I have given her milbemax. :-\
Re: Lungworm increase Thanks for the link, Pippa, it raises some very interesting issues. What a minefield for the unsuspecting public I guess I will go with my vet's advice at the end of the day and stick to Milbemax; they are presumably well-informed as to what's happening with the local canine population. Also, I'm not happy about using products that pose a possible environmental risk (toxic spot-on applic). Having said that, I'm sure there are risks with ALL drugs that are chemically produced...Oh dear, I could go round and round in circles with this one. :-\
Re: Lungworm increase It is a minefield isn't it. I have order Milbemax from the Australian link in Jo's article. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to arrive
Re: Lungworm increase I cant get Milbemax at all , our Vet is having dreadful trouble , there must be a massive demand
Re: Lungworm increase Oh lord, another thing to worry about! I have never even heard of lungworm before... The vet here (Germany) just says we should worm the dogs regularly every three months. I will have to ask her...
Re: Lungworm increase 2012 - the summer of the slug!! Milbemax demand outstripping supplies!! I can see the headlines... I'm relieved to see Breagh is no longer eating them (although that doesn't eliminate the risk) - it was quite putting me off my breakfast in the mornings
Re: Lungworm increase My Milbemax has arrived from Australia. I ordered on 30th July, so that was pretty quick. It cost about £7 per dog per dose. Including post and packing. I don't know how that compares with getting it from the vet. It is very similar in the species it covers, to drontal plus, but does include some extras like reducing the level of infection of Angiostrongylus vasorum (lungworm). I will probably use it every month for a few months, then maybe alternate with Drontal plus, or with Drontal Plus and Panacur This is a good site for checking out the uses/doses etc of different veterinary medecines National Office of Animal Health Pippa
Re: Lungworm increase Pippa something I've been asking myself for a rather long time. Is it not safe to vaccinate a pet on your own if its standard things? The vets here cost an arm and a leg...and if we are talking about frequent visits ...then I'm afraid I'm out of my league here...every month???
