A devastated dog owner is warning others of the dangers of slugs and snails after her pet succumbed to a rare parasitic infection.
Frances Gow was on holiday in London when her springer spaniel Teal was found to have contracted lungworm.
So quick was the 20-month-old dog’s deterioration that Frances was unable to make it home before he sadly had to be put to sleep.
Frances is now warning other dog owners to be aware that the deadly parasite can be spread through the slime trails of slugs and snails.
They can often lie undetected in toys or water bowls which have been left outside overnight.
The 48-year-old, who lives in Errol, said she was “absolutely devastated” by the loss of her pet.
She said: “My son phoned me at 7pm to say Teal was really breathless and should he take him to the vet.
“He said he was concerned about him and I told him to phone the vet for advice. Teal’s gums were white so the vet said he wanted to see him.
“They thought he was anaemic because of the colour of his gums but when the blood test came back he wasn’t.
“He was deteriorating before their eyes. There was three vets working on him and none of them had ever seen anything like it and in the end we had to call it a day because he was just so seriously ill.”
Teal was treated by Fair City vets in Perth, which had never encountered the condition before.
Frances said: “It’s a new challenge for them. Teal’s their first case that they’ve ever seen.They think it’s due to the Scottish climate becoming warmer and damper, which has led to an increase in slugs.
“When they were trying to work out what was wrong with him they asked me if Teal had been eating slugs.
“We did have slugs in the garden and I have left toys out there but I had no idea that slug slime was so dangerous.”
She also urged to owners to check that any worming tablets they give to their pets covers lungworm.
