Dog owners are warned of deadly parasite's arrival

Published on Sunday 6 July 2008 21:57

A PARASITE which can kill dogs has been identified in Scotland for the first time, scientists said yesterday.

Experts believe the organism Angiostronglyus vasorum, also known as "French heartworm", could be moving north because of climate change.

The bug is carried by slugs and snails which have increased in number in Scotland because of warmer temperatures.

The University of Glasgow Vet School recently treated a one-year-old Weimeraner in the city, which had the parasite.

The dog may have become ill after swallowing a slug infected with the organism or eating grass with a slug trail on it.

Professor John Gilleard from the University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine said: "We found the larvae in the faeces. The dog had never left Glasgow so it had to have come into contact with the parasite here. "

Signs that a dog is infected include coughing, breathing difficulties and unexplained bleeding, including spontaneous bruising and bleeding into the eye.