I caught my dog eating snails at the weekend. Is this safe?

No, as they could be full of poison from slug pellets, and also they carry some organisms that can make a dog or anything else unwell.

No don't let your dog eat slugs or snails as they carry the Oslerus Flaroides osleri or Lungworm to you and me.

One of my puppies from a couple of years back was very sick in her new home with a heavy load of lungworms, their vet had changed from Panacur to another variety of wormer which didn't cover for Lungworm. I now advise all my puppy buyers to use Panacur until the pups are at least 6mths old when they generally give up the snail diet.

I now alternate between Panacur and Drontal Plus for my worming regime and garlic capsuals daily to prevent fleas.

Hi,

I was interested to hear that you recommend Panacur with your puppies. Hollys' breeder told us to avoid Panacur like the plague but didn't give us a reason.

What is the problem/query over Panacur? and why do you recommend that over other wormers?

Thanks,

Fiona

I recommend Panacur as it is the only product that's proven effective against Lungworms and I have found it to be very safe. When your dog has an overload of Lungworm that's what the vet will prescribe for a 7 day course. I would rather give them a 3 day course once a mth until 6mths and then alternate as per adults

I used to buy the sheep variety by the syringe full to dilute at home for use with my parrots and pups in the 'olden days' when you couldnt' get a wormer for parrots, never had a problem with the birds or my dogs.

~Thanks~

Fiona

Hi Beany Baby, my JRT Morris used to eat snails, and I had no idea that they could cause any harm, until he started having breathing fits from the lung worm he had picked up eating slugs and snails. He had an intensive 7-day worming treatment and is ok now, but we keep an eye out for slimy critters now!
emily

It isn't safe for your dog to snails or slugs for that matter. They carry the lung wom and other nasty things. I would also reccommend that you do not put down slug pellets for obvious reasons. Having said that one good alternative is porridge oats in a little water. My friends puppy came to visit and unknown to us ate the entire contents of two such slug traps, (the worst of it being the slugs had not been emptied for some time therefore were rotten as well, as these two traps had been over looked tucked behind the shed). The worst she got was a bad tummy, if those dead slugs had been killed with pellets she would not have survived.