Silent killer – S.lupi – has seen dramatic increase in North Coast dogs

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of dogs infected with Spirocerca lupi – a silent killer worm that lives in your beloved pet’s oesophagus after a long journey through the body.

Responsible for an increase in oesophageal cancer in dogs, Spirocerca lupi (S. lupi) is a parasitic worm that has become a prime concern to veterinarians and pet owners on the North Coast.

According to Ballito Vet, Dr Louis Gouws the number of dogs diagnosed with S.lupi has risen sharply over the past 12 months.

The lifecycle of this worm requires both the final host – the dog and an intermediate host – scarab beetles or other small mammals or birds that may have eaten the beetle, for the disease to occur.

Dogs become infested by eating dung beetles, lizards and small ground birds such as francolins and hadidas or even ingesting the faeces of those birds.

Once ingested, the third larval stage of this worm will burrow into the stomach wall where they migrate along the major arteries, in particular the aorta, back into the chest cavity of your dog.

Once the larvae are mature they will migrate out of the wall of the aorta and into the wall of the oesophagus, where they live, mate and lay eggs.

Dr Gouws said the detection of early cases of S. lupi remains challenging due to non-specific clinical signs.

“This disease can progress very slowly and symptoms may seem mild in the beginning but if left untreated it can result in a severe, life threatening disease. In most cases it will only be diagnosed in the advanced stages when oesophageal nodule formation has occurred causing symptoms like vomiting, regurgitation, weight loss, increased salivation, inability to swallow and painful swallowing.”

The best way of making a diagnosis requires an endoscopy of the oesophagus (a “camera” is passed into the oesophagus).

The adult worm can live up to 2 years in the oesophagus before turning the benign nodules into deadly cancerous growths.

Treatment involves a series of doramectin injections for at least 6 weeks, then repeat endoscopy to determine whether the nodules have decreased in size or disappeared.

There is no curative treatment for cancerous nodules.

“Sadly we have had to euthenise a number of dogs due to the S.lupi infection.”

There are two products on the market that have been shown to assist in the prevention of S. lupi in non-infected dogs: a topical product called Advocate or an oral dewormer called Milbemax.

Prevention of the parasite is much safer and more effective than treatment once disease has occurred.

The most important control measure is to keep your garden free of dog faeces – preferably on a daily basis to prevent it from being a source of infection for other dogs, as well as dung beetles and transport hosts.

If you notice any unusual symptoms in your pet, rather be safe than sorry and have your pooch pay a visit to their vet.