Letters

CANINE HEALTH which prophylactic and therapeutic drugs

to recommend our clients use based on facts
Lungworm in dogs

Veterinary Record: first published as 10.1136/vr.h2128 on 23 April 2015. Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on 18 June 2018 by guest. Protected by copyright.
rather than marketing campaigns.

Paul Cooper, Coopers Vets,

I WRITE to ask all veterinary surgeons 309 The Ridge, Hastings, East Sussex
to support the survey detailed by Borget TN34 2RA
and others (VR, March 28, 2015, vol 176, e-mail: carpediem2000@live.co.uk
p 339). There have been, and still are,
campaigns run by companies that produce doi: 10.1136/vr.h2128
licensed products with claims against
Angiostrongylus in dogs, aimed at both clients
and veterinary practices. These campaigns
seem to be based on surveys not of proven
cases of the disease, but rather suspicion
of the disease by practitioners. The survey
being run by Borget and others should
help to give a far more accurate picture of
prevalence, and therefore risk, together
with some indication as to the most
effective treatment options.
Figures published by laboratories on
the percentage of positive samples received
versus the total number of samples received
for testing for Angiostrongylus appear to
show a low incidence. This of course
does not mean it is not a potentially very
serious disease for certain individual dogs.
As scientists we need to make decisions on

444 | Veterinary Record | April 25, 2015