# Slugs in dog poo and sick dog :(



## CDR (Apr 5, 2011)

About a month ago my dog started struggling to go to the toilet and licking his bum a lot. I read up and started giving him a bit of ginger and olive oil in his feed to help him pass his poo. The problem has come and gone a couple of times since then.

A few days ago I found a small slug next to a bit of poo on the stairs, I thought he had just brought it in with him. Earlier today I saw something dark on his coat (near his bum) but thought it was just a leaf and ignored it. He went to sleep on the bed and I noticed a while later that it had crawled off and left a red trail (blood?) on the white bedding.

I mentioned it to my husband and he said he found one the other day too.

I took him to the vet and explained what had happened but I think the vet thought I was a bit mad! He examined him and some of his poo (which didn't have any in, I had stupidly flushed away the slug I found). He gave him a wormer which he was due to have anyway.

My dog has since been sick and had diarrhoea (but no sign of slugs). I'm not sure if they were caused by the slugs or the wormer! He has been sick a few times over the last few weeks (maybe once or twice a week) but we've only had him a couple of months so I figured maybe we'd just fed him something that didn't agree with him.

I'm certain that the slugs are coming from his bum and I found this old thread on here: http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/9478-our-dog-has-dog-poo-snails.html

The last post says it's an intestinal fluke and that the vet can treat the infestation. There's a link to a picture but it's not working.

I'm really worried, the vet didn't seem to believe me. How can we check for any kind of infestation??


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## CDR (Apr 5, 2011)

I don't have PM rights yet but if raindog is still around I'd be hugely grateful if someone could try and contact him/her for me as I might be able to get some answers!


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## Guest (Apr 5, 2011)

If you dog is eating slug and snails he is in grave danger of contracting heart or lung worm - you need to discourage him from doing this. As you say he is sick you really need to see a vet again sooner rather then later!
DT

ps! not sure I understand your post!


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## sue&harvey (Mar 10, 2010)

If you believe your dog may be ingesting slugs/snails, get him treated for lungworm. Im surprised you vet didn't syggest this, or is that what wormer was for? Can you remember what wormer it was?


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## CDR (Apr 5, 2011)

He did mention lungworm but said that they don't come out of their bum. I said I didn't think he had been eating slugs and he said even if he did they wouldn't be alive by the time they came out of the other end and at least 2 of the 3 we have found have been alive and moving.

It was just drontal, not for lungworm, think it's just tapeworm and roundworm.


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## Guest (Apr 5, 2011)

Worms could have come out of his bum!
Snails or slugs could have come up in his sick!
Go back to see the vet - preferably a different one!
DT


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

A slug couldn't survive the gastric acids in a dogs stomach and come out the other end alive - I mean have you seen what common table salt does to them, it melts them very quickly so it couldn't survive stomach acid. Is the vomit you've seen freshly done or is it in the garden? because slugs don't only eat plants they eat poo too and vomit i'd imagine. I have seen them on my dogs poo at night but not in it.

As you seem to have a lot of slugs i'd get a heart/lung worm treatment too, just to be on the safe side.


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## CDR (Apr 5, 2011)

He definitely didn't vomit up the slugs, they didn't coincide at all.

The vets have told me to re-worm him again tomorrow (as he puked the last lot up!) so when that makes him sick, which I'm pretty sure it will, I'll call them back again to see if there is an alternative wormer and will also request the lung worm vaccine just to be safe.

Thanks everyone.


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## sue&harvey (Mar 10, 2010)

CDR said:


> He definitely didn't vomit up the slugs, they didn't coincide at all.
> 
> The vets have told me to re-worm him again tomorrow (as he puked the last lot up!) so when that makes him sick, which I'm pretty sure it will, I'll call them back again to see if there is an alternative wormer and will also request the lung worm vaccine just to be safe.
> 
> Thanks everyone.


Unless you are outside of the UK, Lung worm is treated by tablet and not a vaccine. There are vaccines in other countries but these are for Heartworm contracted via mozzies. I THINK but am not sure it is Milbamax to *Treat* (after confirmed by blood test) and advocat for prevention.

Hope he settles soon


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