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Vets warn that a potentially fatal brain parasite currently hitching a ride on an invasive snail species poses as much risk to dogs as it does to humans.
The parasite-ridden apple snail, an invasive species native to South America, is crawling across the desert in the Southwest and East Coast, while state wildlife officials are now sounding the alarm in North Carolina.
The snails are known to be vectors for rat lungworm, which can endanger dogs with symptoms that begin with hind limb weakness, followed by hind limb paralysis, and can reproduce within the dog’s body, eventually can lead to brain damage.
A veterinarian in Hawaii, where apple snails are a recurring problem, said puppies are particularly at risk.
“The dogs at that age, about six to nine weeks, are curious,” the vet noted. “They put all kinds of things in their mouths.”
Pet owners in the southern US are aware of infected apple snails. When your dog sniffs through brush, drinks from puddles, eats grass, or even just sniffs around outside, he is at risk of becoming infected with the rat lungworm that apple snails can carry.
North Carolina wildlife authorities said the apple snail’s egg masses can be destroyed by “crushed and scraping them into the water” using any nearby implement, such as a stick, rock or boat paddle. State officials urged citizens to ensure the eggs sink
On Monday, North Carolina alerted residents that invasive snail species — which can be deadly to humans and devastating to river life — have been positively identified along the Lumber River in the state’s south-central region.
The Apple Snail, which came to the U.S. as a popular aquarium item, has previously been tracked by parks and wildlife managers in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, California, Arizona and other southern states.
Authorities in North Carolina are urging residents to freeze or crush the snails but not to touch them or their bright pink mass of eggs, which are filled with toxins that can cause skin and eye rashes.
Although the apple snail has already invaded Europe, Asia and other U.S. states such as Hawaii, this week’s sightings are the first ever recorded in North Carolina.
It joins the venomous, slime-covered Hammerhead worm on the list of slimy invasive species that have spread along the US East Coast in recent years.
Hilo, Hawaii-based veterinarian Dr. Alfred Mina, told it Honolulu Civil Beat that he sees several cases of rat lungworm every month, which can be treated if caught early.
Vets are warning that a potentially deadly brain parasite currently preying on an invasive snail species poses as much risk to dogs as it does to humans. Puppies are at particular risk, according to a veterinarian in Hawaii plagued by these apple snails
“We gave them corticosteroids, then an antibiotic, then a dewormer and painkillers,” Mina told the site.
“The majority bounce back if caught early. “There are very few cases where recovery takes longer if they occur when it was already painful and they could barely walk.”
According to Dr. Mina, a commonly used heartworm medication for dogs, such as moxidectin or Pro-Heart, can effectively prevent or treat lungworm in rats.
However, sometimes pet owners and veterinarians can misidentify a lungworm infection in rats as due to joint pain or inflammation, leading to ineffective treatments that give the parasite more time to spread.
Erin Rupert, the owner of a French bulldog in Hawaii, described her dog’s case as “terrifying.”
‘Constant tension. No one knew if he would walk again,” Rupert said local station news KHON2.
‘X-rays taken, nothing found (…) Give him painkillers. They increased the dose,” Rupert recalls of their vet-to-vet visits. ‘He couldn’t walk. Then we realized it was really bad.”
North Carolina wildlife officials warned residents Monday that an invasive snail species — which can be deadly to humans and devastating to river life — has been positively identified along the state’s Lumber River. The apple snail is known to carry rat lungworm, which can kill humans
Even casual contact can be risky, as wildlife authorities warned that a toxin found in the snail’s bright pink egg mass can cause skin and eye rashes if touched. The state is asking citizens to help track and kill Apple Snails using NC’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Reporting Tool
The US Geological Survey advises that pet owners and anyone traveling outdoors should be on the lookout for apple snails in freshwater lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and ditches.
In addition to rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), apple snails are known to be carriers of harmful parasites such as bloodworms (Schistosoma spp.) and intestinal worms (Echinostoma ilocanum)
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that a bloodworm infection, or schistosomiasis, ‘can last for years’ if not treated properly.
If the parasite is transmitted from snail to human, it can cause severe abdominal pain, an enlarged liver, blood in the stool or urine, and difficulty urinating.
But in addition to these threats to human health, North Carolina’s Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) also warned that the apple snail posed risks to local agriculture and native habitats.
“Their grazing habits can cause damage to crops such as rice, as well as wild native plants used by many aquatic species,” said the commission’s message to its page on aquatic nuisance species.
“They have even been observed feeding on amphibian eggs,” conservation authorities said
Wildlife experts in Hawaii have also warned that if left unchecked, the apple snail could decimate local agricultural economies.
‘In the Philippines they became the biggest pest in rice fields’ Hawaii’s Invasive Species Council reported: ‘There is 100 percent crop loss in heavily infected areas.’
Wildlife managers in North Carolina hope state residents will help drive away the invasive species.
Apple snails are usually seen in round, yellowish to dark brown shells.
Although they can grow to the size of an apple, the creatures are typically closer to the size of a golf ball.
Authorities said if residents spot a suspected apple snail or a mass of bright pink eggs, the first step is to photograph and document the location in a submission to the NCWRC. Reporting tool for types of flooding.
“After documenting the location, the egg masses can be destroyed (by) crushing and scraping them into the water,” state wildlife officials said, “with any implement such as a stick or boat paddle.”
The experts at NCWRC also recommend ‘making sure the eggs sink’ and avoiding contact with bare skin to avoid possible skin rashes from the toxins in the eggs.
“Adult snails,” they said, “can be destroyed by crushing or freezing.”