Dog owners are being warned to remain vigilant as hundreds of cases of a deadly pet disease have been recorded in the area.
There have been over 53 cases of lungworm across Berkshire.
Hotspots where the parasitic disease has been found include Bracknell, Windsor and Slough.
Animal pharmacutial company Elanco, have put together an interactive map which shows the cases in your area.
It shows that there have been five cases reported in Reading and one in Woodley.
Three cases have been reported in Wokingham and a further ten in Bracknell.
Over in east Berkshire, Maidenhead has seen five cases, Windsor and Eton nine and Slough a total of ten.
Lungworm in dogs was once rare in the UK but is becoming more common with the overall prevalence of the disease in the fox population in the UK and Ireland now at 18.3 per cent.
According to Medivet, lungworm is a type of parasitic worm but unlike other intestinal worms such as tapeworm and roundworm, adult lungworm travel around a dog's body and can damage their lungs and other major organs.
The larvae live in snails and slugs, as well as the faeces from infected dogs or foxes which is where the slugs and snails pick it up from.
When these are eaten, either intentionally or accidentally, the lungworm larvae are ingested into the dog’s digestive system.
The larvae can also be picked up from snail and slug slime, so any dog toys or bowls left outside can pose a risk.
Frogs can also become a host for the larvae.
Once inside the dog's body the adult lungworm then lay eggs which mature into more larvae which are subsequently coughed up, swallowed and exit the body via the dog’s faeces, thus starting the cycle again.
Many dogs won’t show signs of lungworm for some time, meaning it can go undiagnosed in many cases.
But symptoms include excessive bleeding, excessive bruising, coughing, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, vomiting and/or diarrhoea, weight loss, tiredness and depression, pale gums and seizures.
You can prevent your dog from being seriously harmed by a lungworm infection in the following ways.
- Be extra-vigilant when out walking with your dog to stop them from eating slugs, snails and faeces.
- Always remember to pick up after your own dog and wash any toys and bowls that have been outside to reduce the risk of infection.
- Puppies are renowned for eating anything they come across, so make sure they are supervised and fully up to date with worning treatment
- Use ongoing parasite treatment
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