AN IRVINE woman is warning pet owners to be on their guard after her beloved dog was killed by a deadly virus.

Mary Gaw lost her six-and-a-half-year-old King Charles Spaniel, Annie when she contracted lungworm after accidentally eating a common garden slug.

Mary, from Stanecastle, says Annie went from being ‘larger than life’ to being gravely ill and struggling to breathe in a matter of days.

Mary said: “We had owned Annie since she was an eight-week-old puppy and always found she was a larger than life character. We shared many happy memories together.

“One day earlier this year we noticed that she started to develop a cough, which wouldn’t seem to go away. At first we thought it might clear up on its own but after a day of it getting worse we decided to take her to the Collier and Brock vets in Irvine.

“We’d known about the Cavalier King Charles breed being prone to heart problems and wondered if maybe the cough was an underlying symptom of this.

“The vet immediately conducted several tests and scans on Annie, including an X-ray and administered her with a course of antibiotics. All the while her breathing was becoming more and more laboured and we realised the situation was grave.” Further tests on Annie confirmed she was suffering from pneumonia which had been caused by the silent killer lungworm. Despite receiving treatment immediately, she died suddenly overnight.

Now her devastated owner is urging people in Irvine to be wary what their dogs are eating when they’re out and about.

She said: “A post mortem revealed lungworm to be the cause of the pneumonia and the cause of death, a condition we had heard of before but which none of our dogs had ever experienced. We were very shocked at how quickly Annie had deteriorated from the point when we first noticed her displaying breathing difficulties and would urge any dog owner to be vigilant for similar symptoms and go to your vets straight away if concerned.

“My husband and I now make sure we tell all other dog owners about the risks of lungworm and keep a close eye on our other dogs when taking them out for walks.

“In the past few years I have certainly noticed slug numbers have increased in our local area, which is a bit of a worry but our dogs now receive a monthly preventative treatment to ensure they are protected against lungworm.” Lungworm is a parasite that dogs become infected with after eating or accidentally swallowing common garden slugs and snails carrying the larvae. Once inside the dog’s system, the parasite travels through the body eventually ending up in the heart. If the infection is left untreated, the dog’s health can rapidly deteriorate, and can even result in death. ‘Act On Lungworm’ is part of Bayer Animal Health’s wider ‘It’s a Jungle Out There’ parasite awareness initiative.

You can join the pledge by visiting www.facebook.com/jungleforpets on Facebook or by following ‘JungleForPets’ on Twitter. Alternatively, visit www.lungworm.co.uk for more information and advice.