The four-month-old dachshund, Dougie, was taken to North Downs Specialist Referrals (NDSR) in Surrey after experiencing breathing difficulties for four days.
Richard Sparrow, an internal medicine clinician at NDSR, diagnosed Dougie with a serious lungworm infection and immediately started him on a successful course of anti-parasitic treatment.
Lungworm is caused by a parasitic worm that can travel around a dog’s body through their blood vessels and affect the heart, lungs, and other parts of the body.
Dougie’s owner, Andrea Dyas, from Ramsgate, Kent, was relieved when the medication started to ease Dougie’s condition.
She said: “Dougie was only four-months-old when he became ill and started breathing much faster and harder than usual.
“I was very concerned and upset and am incredibly grateful to Richard and the NDSR team for getting him back to full strength.
“It was such a relief when Richard told me it was lungworm that was making Dougie ill and that they would soon have him on the mend.
“They took very good care of him and kept us well informed about what they had to do to make him better.
“Sure enough, he is fine again now.
“He has had all his vaccinations and now loves going to the park and beach and getting into all sorts of mischief.”
Mr Sparrow was pleased with Dougie’s recovery, especially given the severity of his lungworm infection.
He said: “Dougie presented with a four-day history of dyspnoea, which is an increased and laboured breathing rate.
“Although he was very bright and happy in himself, he was clearly putting a lot of effort into breathing, even using his abdominal muscles to help.
“His clinical signs, X-ray results and a positive antigen blood test confirmed Dougie had quite a severe lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) infection.
“This was very concerning because lungworm is fatal in around a third of severely infected dogs.
“We prescribed anti-parasitic treatment but there is further jeopardy here.
“You have to be very careful because fatal anaphylactic-type reactions have been reported in dogs treated with drugs that are thought to work quickly.
“We sought to reduce that risk by using fenbendazole which kills the parasites more slowly, giving Dougie’s lungs and immune system the chance to adapt.
“Dougie was also treated with anti-inflammatory doses of the steroid prednisolone to combat the inflammation associated with the parasitic infection and the reaction that the dying worms cause in the lungs.
“Strict rest was also prescribed, which is admittedly easier said than done with a four-month-old puppy.
“Nevertheless, Dougie made an excellent recovery and showed a huge improvement in his breathing rate and effort within just a few days.
“When I examined him again four weeks later everything had completely returned to normal and follow-up tests did not detect the presence of any lungworm larvae.”
“Dougie was presented with marked breathing difficulties.
“It was extremely worrying in one so young.
“In no time at all, the diagnosis was made and treatment was carefully modulated to provide the best chance of a good response.
“With Richard’s expertise and the exceptional nursing care Dougie received, he was behaving like the adorable puppy he was in just a matter of days.”
For more information, visit the NDSR website.
