As the earth warms up, it appears more slugs and snails are migrating to Scotland.  Which wouldn’t be so bad, except that they carry an tapeworm known as “French heartworm”.  This parasite has never before been seen in Scotland, but was confirmed by the vet finding larvae in the feces of a Weimeraner. 

The dog had never left the city of Glasgow, so they are sure he contracted the disease there.  Vets speculate that he may have eaten a slug or eaten grass that had a slug trail on it.  (Yuck!!)

So far, there are no reports of this organism infecting dogs in North America, but symptoms include coughing, breathing difficulty, and unexplained bleeding.

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!