Warning to dog owners after tick carrying deadly disease is found

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Dog owners are being warned after a tick which can carry a fatal blood-borne disease was found in the East Midlands.

The warning comes after a veterinary practice in Nottinghamshire identified a tick picked up by one of their patients as the carrier of Babesiosis.

The affected dog had picked up the tick in Bramcote Woods, however, the practice has not yet had a patient with the disease, which attacks the blood cells of dogs and can cause lethargy, loss of appetite, pale gums and fever.

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And the PDSA is also warning pet owners of a six-fold increase in the number of cases relating to Lyme Disease over the last six years.

Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) is caused by ticks and can lead to symptoms in pets such as fever, pain and swelling in the joints, crippling arthritis, nerve damage and even meningitis – which are similar to human symptoms.

PDSA vets saw around 100 cases of suspected or confirmed Lyme Disease in 2015 – an increase of 560 per cent since 2009 (15 cases).

Vicki Larkham-Jones, a PDSA vet, said: “These figures are incredibly worrying because Lyme Disease can be a very serious, debilitating condition that can cause long-term problems if left untreated.

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“Caught early, the disease can usually be effectively treated with long-term antibiotics. However, owners may not even be aware that their animal has been bitten by a tick, so they need to be vigilant.”

For more information, see here.

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