The chief signs
of lungworm infections in cats and dogs are coughing and a rise in the number of white blood cells called eosinophils.
Drinking from water contaminated by slugs / snails, wild animal feces and such can also be a source
of lungworm infection.
Of some concern is that a case
of lungworm infection was reported.
The most common symptoms
of lungworm infection include airway irritation and persistent coughing.
Assessing the impact
of lungworm infection on the health of wild bottlenose dolphins in central west Florida.
Prevalence and pathology
of lungworm infection in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from southwest Florida.
Not exact matches
Lungworm infections are uncommon and may not be normally considered in the differential diagnosis, but may occur; diagnosis with faecal floatation or a bronchial mucus smear are diagnostic methods
of choice, x-rays and bronchoscopy are also useful but you should discuss with your Veterinarian.
The range
of diseases that need to be ruled out include Kennel cough,
infection, collapsing trachea, laryneal paralysis, heart disease, heartworms,
lungworms, fungal diseases and lung tumors.
More commonly seen in livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats,
lungworm infections are frequently the cause
of livestock losses throughout the world.
About 50 %
of cats with heartworm disease will have evidence
of enlarged pulmonary arteries on x-rays
of their lungs.14 However, these findings can be found with other parasitic
infections such as roundworms (Toxocara) and
lungworms (Aelurostrongylus).
Also common are lung diseases associated with
infection by feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and those caused by such parasites as heartworms and
lungworms, although the prevalence
of those parasitic
infections depends to a great extent on geographical, climatic and seasonal factors.
The symptoms for
lungworm infections depend on the specific parasite, the severity
of the
infection and the host response.
Weisberger writes that rat
lungworm infection has most prominently been documented in the Pacific islands and parts
of Asia, but is now established throughout Florida.