Scotland's hotspots of deadly lungworm infecting dogs across the country have been revealed in an interactive map.
Vets are urging owners to be aware of the danger of lungworm - a type of parasitic worm which can affect dogs, foxes and badgers.
The infection traditionally only appeared in certain parts of England, but it has now made its way up north and has been identified across most of the UK, according to Vets Now.
Dogs pick up larvae that cause lungworm by eating infected slugs and snails or by drinking from puddles, eating grass or licking paving stones they have crawled along.
Lungworm is now classed as an 'endemic' in the UK - and My Pet And I have created a lungworm map to locate exactly where cases have recently been recorded.
The locations given are normally the location of the vet's practice where the poorly animal was taken too.
But home visit locations are also recorded, so it shows the main hotspots of which towns are more affected in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
In Scotland, the main affected areas as Irvine, Ayr, Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Rutherglen, East Kilbride and Edinburgh.
Dave Leicester, head of telehealth at Vets Now, advises dog owners to restrict their pets access to areas where slugs and snails crawl, Team Dogs reports.
"Avoid leaving your dog’s toys and water bowl in the garden. But be careful if you decide to use slug or snail pellets to exterminate them,” he said.
"The chemical in these pellets, metaldehyde, is highly toxic to dogs.
"Speak to your daytime vet about prescribing a regular worming treatment. These usually come in the form of tablets or spot-ons and are administered monthly."
Slugs and snails in themselves are not toxic to dogs and the parasite cannot be passed from between pets.
The main symptoms of lungworm are weightloss, breathing difficulties, coughing - especially bringing up blood - and lethargy.
Check if lungworm is in your area here.
