Due to recent high levels of rain

http://www.promedmail.org/

From the menu on your left click open:
27 May 2012 Angiostrongylus cantonensis - Australia: (NS), canine

Pets (and humans) contract this parasite -- which is fatal if not
rapidly treated very aggressively by a veterinarian (or physician) --
due to eating slugs or snails which carry it after those mollusks have
fed on rat droppings.

Quote
clinical signs including lethargy and increased sensitivity to pain.
It can lead to paralysis and death.
End Quote

For a write-up on a dog in Mosman go to:
<http://mosman-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/dog-owners-beware-rat-lungworm-outbreak-in-mosman/>

I guess that beer sales there may go up with people creating slug and
snail traps.

Quoted section from ProMed but be sure to read that section to get
fuller information:
<[log in to unmask]>

[The rat lungworm, _Angiostrongylus cantonensis_, a nematode, can enter
the human or animal when it ingests the slug harboring the lungworm.
Snails or slugs feed on the feces of rats. Rats carry the lungworm in
various stages of development. The form that passes out in the rat
feces is then subject to ingestion by the slug or snail.

Once the infected slug/snail is ingested, the lungworm larvae make
their way from the gut, to the blood stream to the brain in a little
as 17 hours. It very often is a fatal condition in both humans and
animals.

Slugs and snails can be clear and less than a centimeter long, making
them hard to spot, but each one can carry thousands of worms.
End Quote

Other Quoted section from ProMed
 References:
--The spread of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Australia. Southeast
Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2001;32 Suppl 2:126-8.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12041575
--Robert H. Cowie Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of
Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii Biology: taxonomy,identification, and life
cycle of Angiostrongylus cantonensis.
--Rat Lung Worm Disease Scientific Workshop Honolulu, Hawaii
August 16 - 18, 2011 Gutteridge BH, Bhaibulaya M, Findlater C.
Human larval meningitis possibly following lettuce ingestion in
Brisbane. Pathology 1972; 4: 63-64.
--Mason KV: Haematological and cerebrospinal fluid findings in canine
neural angiostrongylosis.
Australian Veterinary Journal 66:152-154, 1989
--Prociv P, Carlisle MS. The spread of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in
Australia.
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2001;32 Suppl 2:126-8.
--Sanjaya N Senanayake, Don S Pryor, John Walker and Pam Konecny
MJA 2003; 179 (8): 430-431
--Yang F: Observation on the cats and a dog infected by Angiostrongylus
cantonensis [Parastrongylus cantonensis].
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 15, 1999

Portions of this comment were extracted from:
http://home.iprimus.com.au/foo7/snail.html

Mosman, New South Wales, Australia may be found on the interactive
HealthMap at: http://healthmap.org/r/2r*6 - Mod.TG]
 
[In the prior ProMED-mail posting on this topic in Mar 2012 (see
Angiostrongylus cantonensis - Australia: (NS) canine 20120307.1063168)
there was an alert about a possible increase in _angiostrongylus
cantonensis_ activity in North Narrabeen, NSW, approximately 10.6 miles
(17 kms) to the north of Mosman, suggesting that the NSW coast to the
north of Sydney may be experiencing a general increase in activity this
year. - Mod.MPP]
End Quote

and at the bottom of the article are links to some info on European
infections from the genus of nematode, and here are some continental
North American data:

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/angiostrongylus/

The slime trails pose less risk but can also cause infection. Keep pets
away from those, too. The immature snails and slugs are more often
carriers. They favor gardens and water troughs thought they may be
found elsewhere. The article at ProMed carries food safety info.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 7439]