| Title: | Meower Power is Valuing Differences |
| Notice: | FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY |
| Moderator: | MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO |
| Created: | Sun Feb 09 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Jan 11 1994 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 5089 |
| Total number of notes: | 60366 |
Please post any information on lungworm in this note.
What I've learned so far (this will probably change as I learn more
about it) ...
What is it?
Lungworm is not really a worm. It is a parasite.
Where does it come from?
The intermediate host is a snail or slug.
How do cats get it?
Cats can get lungworm in a number of ways ...
eating small animals that have it (mice, snakes, etc.), eating
slugs/snails, eating grass.
Indoor cats rarely get it on their own.
How does it spread from one cat to another?
... through infected feces and/or through airborn contact
(coughing, sneezing).
Remedy?
Worming medication will clear up an infestation, but will
never rid the cat of the parasite.
Control?
Regular stool checks and worming medication ... at least
yearly; immediately if the cat is coughing a lot.
Prognosis?
The cat may be prone to respiratory problems and/or pneumonia.
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5030.1 | LUNGWORM | CANYON::WARKMEISTER | Fri Oct 25 1991 19:52 | 4 | |
Gee ... this stuff really sounds scary! I hope Heather never
has lungworm! I'd be one paranoid Mom!
Julie + Heather kitty
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| 5030.2 | BOOKS::GERDE | Cymbal crash 2X only...DTN 237-6302 | Mon Oct 28 1991 10:01 | 25 | |
I put a call into Tufts Friday ... never was able to talk to a vet.
So, Saturday I called my dog's vet. According to him...lungworm is
very rare (he's never seen a case in a cat), and worming the cat will
take care of the problem.
I also asked him if lungworm can be detected in a fecal exam, or if
some other tests were necessary. He claims the fecal exam is
sufficient.
I asked him if there was any risk in letting this kitten mix with my 3
healthy kittens, and he said he saw no risk at all.
I'm left with one vet saying one thing, and another vet saying pretty
much the opposite, which agrees with my readings. Here's the tally to
date. I guess ultimately, I have to be the tie-breaker.
Risk No risk
1 vet 1 vet
1 dogbook 1 cat book
Would you all like to survey your vets? 8^)
Jo-Ann
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| 5030.3 | word from Tufts | BOOKS::GERDE | Cymbal crash 2X only...DTN 237-6302 | Mon Oct 28 1991 13:57 | 24 |
Here's the word from Tufts.
Lungworm is rare. It can be detected/diagnosed through a fecal exam,
but not through a routine exam ... you must specify that you want a
test for lungworm.
There are two problems: the lungworm eggs are very hearty, and can be
picked up by other cats simply sniffing infected feces; lungworm can
stay dormant in the lungs for a long period of time.
So, a cat can have lungworm and have no symptoms or ill effects.
However, another infection can stimulate growth of the eggs and cause
respiratory problems, i.e. wheezing and coughing.
But, generally, a cat needs to bump into the itermediary host (outside)
to get things going. So, if the cat remains an indoor cat and doesn't
eat worms, dead fish, mice, or other infected animals, everything
should be ok.
Bottom line seems to be that, if the cats are now healthy and are kept
indoors, the chances of any problems with the spread of lungworms are
slim.
Jo-Ann
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| 5030.4 | USDEV1::NDC | Putiput Scottish Folds DTN:297-2313 | Tue Oct 29 1991 07:51 | 5 | |
Lungworm is another one of those maladies I first heard about from
reading "All Creatures great and small". In that case I think it
was a herd of cows that were infected.
Its interesting where I pick up that sort of information.
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