Canine paragonimiasis

Paragonimiasis is also known as leech. Because the pathogen belongs to the genus Paragonimus, it is also called Paragonimiasis. There are many types of Paragonimus, the most common of which is Paragonimus guarderi, which is parasitic in the lungs, meninges and trachea of ​​dogs and cats and is mainly prevalent in Zhejiang, Taiwan and Northeast China. A type of Paragonimus stephensi is also found in Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangxi and Guizhou provinces. It usually lives in subcutaneous nodules and rarely damages the lungs.

The pathogen of canine paragonimiasis and its life history

Paragonimus guarderi is dark red, 7.5~16 mm long, 4~8 mm wide, with a raised back and a flat ventrally. , much like half a red bean. The parasites often live in pairs in the sacs formed by the lung tissue, and the sacs are connected to the bronchial tubes. The eggs are swallowed into the digestive tract along with the host's sputum, excreted through the feces, and miracidia hatch out in the water. They invade into the first intermediate host, freshwater snails, divide and multiply, go through the development stages of cysts and ranidae, and finally develop into a large number of cercariae. Escape from the snail, invade the second intermediate host (crab), and become metacercariae. Dogs and cats eat raw or half-cooked crabs containing metacercariae, which break out in the small intestine, pass through the intestinal wall, abdominal cavity, diaphragm and pleura to the lungs, and then develop into adult worms.

Key points for diagnosis of canine paragonimiasis

The common clinical symptoms are cough, which may be accompanied by hemoptysis, asthma, fever and diarrhea, and the feces is black. Combined with the analysis of clinical symptoms and epidemiological data, the diagnosis can be confirmed by detecting eggs in sputum and feces.

Measures for the prevention and control of canine paragonimiasis

First, use pyrazolone to deworm, at a dosage of 50 mg/kg body weight, orally, for 3 to 5 days. Or use thiodichlorophenol, the dosage is 100 mg/kg body weight, orally, administered to children every day or every other day, 10 to 20 treatment days is a course of treatment.
Second, in areas where the disease is endemic, it should be prohibited to use fresh crabs as feed for dogs and cats.