Did you know that it can be dangerous for your dog to eat
Ordinary slugs and snails you find in your back garden can carry a parasite called lungworm. If your dog becomes infected – often after eating a slug or snail – the parasite can pose a real threat to their health and the disease may even prove to be fatal.
The first thing you should do if you suspect your dog has eaten a slug is to wash their mouth out and brush their teeth. After this, seek immediate veterinary care. Your vet may want to run tests and start your dog on a dewormer.
Early signs may include drooling, vomiting, panting, and anxiety which can progress to include depression, a wobbly gait, or the characteristic muscle tremors, seizures, and hyperthermia. The high body temperature may cause damage to internal organs. Severe cases can result in the animal becoming comatose.
While certain marine snails are among the most toxic creatures on the planet, terrestrial snails are generally safe to eat. Make sure to harvest them from vegetation that has not been treated with herbicides or pesticides.
Lungworm is a nasty and potentially fatal disease caused by the parasite, angiostrongylus vasorum, which is carried around by slugs and snails (gastropods). It can cause heart failure, breathing difficulties, seizures and bleeding disorders.
There are no poisonous land snails in the sense that they contain poison. However, there are snails that can harm humans. Usually, that harm will be in the form of diseases that can be transmitted via touch or if it is eaten uncooked. The Giant African Land Snail is a good example of such harmful snails.
Dogs can become infected with Crenostoma vulpis by eating slugs or snails, or by eating another animal, such as a frog, mouse or bird that has eaten a slug or snail. The life cycle of other parasitic lungworms that infect dogs are more direct. Adult female worms lay their eggs in the tissues of an infected animal.
This is likely to reduce, but won't eliminate your pets risk of getting the disease. Non toxic control of snails and slug populations in your garden such as with traps. You don't want to use snail bait as it is toxic to dogs, and also the dead snail is still infective up to a few days after its death.
Symptoms caused by swallowed poisons can include: vomiting, diarrhoea, agitation and heart issues. Inhaled toxins may cause breathing difficulties or loss of consciousness in dogs. If your dog's skin comes in contact with a poisonous substance typical symptoms include irritation and pain.
Although you can't stop your dog being exposed to lungworms, there are lots of options for preventing a lungworm infection developing. Regular worming treatments. Worming treatments usually come in the form of tablets or spot-ons, and may manage a range of parasites including lungworms.
Infected slugs and snails also transmit rat lungworms to humans. All known cases of rat lungworm disease are linked to slug and snail contact.
Did you know that it can be dangerous for your dog to eat snails and slugs? In fact, every year at Turramurra Veterinary Hospital, our vets treat at least one case of a nasty disease called angiostrongylosis, which is caused by a parasite found in snails and slugs.
For prevention of heartworm disease, treatment is given monthly during the mosquito season. For prevention of lungworm disease, in areas where infection regularly occurs, and for prevention of eye worm, monthly treatment is given.
The most commonly used treatment is a spot-on medication containing two drugs called moxidectin and imidacloprid that kill the worms at all stages of development.
Any dog can potentially become infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum if they happen to eat a slug or snail carrying the larvae of the parasite. Symptoms are many and varied but can include breathing difficulties, ranging from a lack of energy to coughing.
The parasite is more common in some parts of the world, especially in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia. People are at risk if they eat raw snails or slugs infected with this parasite, either deliberately or accidentally.
Not every snail or slug carries the disease and lungworm's geographical limitations means infection is currently relatively uncommon, but it does rear its head from time to time. In extreme cases it causes the death of infected patients, so it is potentially extremely serious.
But by using a lungworm preventative – which you can only access through your vet – you can protect your dog from contracting the parasite and becoming dangerously ill. Not all dog wormers are effective against lungworm, so speak to your vet about a suitable product.
How is lungworm diagnosed? Definitive diagnosis is made by identification of the larvae which are immature worms, usually by looking at a sample of faeces from the affected dog but also sometimes by looking at washes taken from the lungs by the vet (a technique known as broncho-alveolar lavage).
Within the snail venom, there are various “conotoxins” in combinations specific to the species. These toxins have a variety of neuromuscular effects through glutamate, adrenergic (chi conotoxin), serotonin, and cholinergic pathways.
Cone snails are marine gastropods characterized by a conical shell and beautiful color patterns. Cone snails possess a harpoonlike tooth capable of injecting a potent neurotoxin that can be dangerous to humans.
Snails are generally safe to handle, but there are a few things you should do to make sure you don't cause them any harm. Before picking up your snail, wash your hands with soap and water. This will help to remove any potentially harmful lotions, oils, and natural elements that a snail may absorb off of your skin.