Crufts is one ofthe largest dog events in the world, originally staged in 1891 by CharlesCruft, which this year celebrates its 125th anniversary.
For prospectivedog owners and dog lovers, Crufts is a great opportunity to talk to Kennel ClubAssured Breeders, rescue charities and breed experts about how to responsiblybuy, train and enjoy life with a dog, not to mention an exhibition of allthings cute and fluffy.
We caught upwith dog lover, Tess Daly, who is appearing as partof her role as ambassador for the Be Lungworm Aware campaign.
After being involved in the campaignin 2015, Tess became increasingly convinced that her golden retriever, Sam, mayhave died of lungworm.
As aresult, Tess is attending this year’s event to encourage other dog ownersto be alert to the dangers of lungworm and look-out for signs their dog couldhave become infected the deadly parasite.
For all this and more watch our informative video as we catch upwith Tess and get some sneak peaks of the event itself.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION How dogs can contract the lungworm parasite?
· INGESTING LARVAE: Slugs and snails carry the lungworm larvae and dogs can becomeinfected when they eat these common garden pests whilst rummaging throughundergrowth, eating grass, drinking from puddles or outdoor water bowls, orpick them up from their toys
· FAECES: Infected dogs and foxes spread the parasite into theenvironment as the lungworm larvae are excreted in their faeces, slugs andsnails that come into contact with the faeces can become infected, increasingthe chances of other dogs becoming infected
· FOXES:A study from the University ofBristol published in 2015 which examined the fox population, whose faeces canspread lungworm larvae, suggested that the overall prevalence oflungworm in foxes is 18.3 per cent in the UK, which is significantlyhigher than in previous years
· TRAVEL: With more people travelling in the UK with their dogs, andfoxes roaming up to 50km, the risk of the parasite spreading around the countrywill continue
Do you know what the signs oflungworm in your dog are?
· This canine disease is most commonlycaused by swallowing slugs and snails carrying the lungworm larvae but it ispreventable and treatable so it is vital people know how to spot the symptoms
· Once the lungworm parasite is insidedogs’ systems, it can cause symptoms such as breathingproblems, tiring easily, coughing, persistent bleeding, vomiting, diarrhoeaand, in some cases, death for beloved canine companions.
Evidence from the Royal Veterinary College confirms the lungwormparasite has spread across the UK, from its traditional habitat in the south ofEngland and Wales, now being widespread in Central England and also reachingnorthern regions and Scotland, with one in five vet practices reporting atleast one case of the parasite1 A year ago animal health expertsBayer launched a Lungworm Mapping Tool to assist with plotting the prevalenceof the disease across the UK, as part of a wider research programme to bettermonitor and document the spread of the potentially fatal disease. Vets arecontinuing to report cases of lungworm in their practices to be added to theinteractive map, helping them to see where dogs could be at risk.
USEFUL WEBLINKS
