Rieko and Mark Gibson returned their dog Quentin to the veterinarian on July 7 after his persistent cough escalated to coughing up blood. Tests later confirmed lungworm, and the seven-year-old Sprocker Spaniel needed intensive care that included a canine blood transfusion.
Quentin, who lives with the Gibson family in Sandal, Wakefield, had been coughing since April. His symptoms initially improved following treatment at Chantry Vets, but the later bleeding prompted another visit and treatment at the practice’s Veterinary Hospital in Wakefield.
Clinicians first considered whether a grass seed had lodged in his lungs. Blood tests found inflammation, while CT imaging ruled out a foreign object and revealed widespread bleeding instead.
Further tests confirmed lungworm, a parasitic infection that can become fatal. Fraser Reddick, clinical director at Chantry Vets, led Quentin’s treatment.
“Quentin was an incredibly sick dog and there was a point where we genuinely didn’t know whether he would survive,” Reddick said.
Quentin received medication intended to control the bleeding, steroids to reduce inflammation and treatment to eliminate the lungworms. He was kept under a light anaesthetic overnight while the hospital’s night team monitored him.
He subsequently stabilised and continued to improve. He still required treatment to ensure the parasites were fully eliminated and was expected to remain on preventive worming medication.
Why lungworm can be difficult to recognise
The canine lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum lives in the heart and blood vessels of the lungs. Dogs can become infected by eating infected slugs or snails, including accidental ingestion with grass. A UK veterinary roundtable on lungworm also identifies larvae in puddles as a possible exposure route.
Signs vary considerably. Veterinary guidance identifies coughing, difficulty breathing, poor appetite and weight loss among possible effects. Because the infection can interfere with blood clotting, some dogs may also have prolonged bleeding after a minor injury or blood in their faeces.
A cough alone does not establish that a dog has lungworm. Quentin’s clinicians initially considered another explanation, and the eventual diagnosis depended on imaging and further testing rather than one symptom.
Owners should arrange veterinary assessment when a cough persists or when a dog develops breathing trouble, unexplained bleeding or unusual bruising. Coughing up blood warrants prompt attention, but only a veterinarian can investigate the cause and decide which tests are appropriate.
Diagnostic options can include faecal examination, antibody or antigen tests, PCR and tests involving respiratory samples. Imaging may help clinicians examine the extent of illness or investigate other possible causes. No available test is completely sensitive and specific, according to the veterinary roundtable, so the approach depends on the individual dog’s condition.
Not every worming product covers lungworm
Lungworm has moved beyond the areas where it was historically most familiar. Reddick said it is now found throughout the UK, although Chantry Vets does not encounter large numbers of cases locally. Veterinary literature similarly describes nationwide distribution with substantial regional variation and local areas of higher infection.
That uneven distribution makes an individual risk assessment important. The absence of commonly known cases nearby does not establish that a dog has no exposure risk.
Owners also should not assume that any general worming product prevents this infection. Veterinary Prescriber’s UK guidance states that only certain prescription-only medicines are licensed to prevent A. vasorum lungworm and that no nonprescription preventive medicine is available for it.
A veterinarian can assess whether lungworm prevention is appropriate and recommend a licensed product and schedule. Keeping that plan current matters because prevention relies on using the appropriate medicine consistently, rather than treating all deworming products as interchangeable.
The Gibsons said they had not understood how critically ill lungworm could make a dog. Quentin’s improvement brought relief, but his need for continued treatment also shows why stabilisation is not the same as completing parasite control.
His case does not mean every cough points to lungworm. It does show why a persistent cough should not be dismissed, particularly when it is joined by breathing difficulty, bruising or bleeding, and why preventive coverage should be checked directly with a veterinary practice.
What would you do if your dog were in this situation? Share your thoughts in the comments.
By Sarah Mitchell — 8 years as a local-news reporter covering animal welfare, shelters, neighborhood disputes, and public-safety pet stories.
