Hasn’t this been warmest winter in a long time? Yes I know we get a short blast of wet and cold but for the most part the weather has just been balmy!
And I not the only who thinks that – our mutual friends fleas and ticks are also thankful for this warm weather as they flourish with the warm, almost humid weather we are having. So guess what ? I have found ticks on my dogs, best you check yours!
I have also noticed an increase in the number of dogs we are seeing with tick bite fever (Babesiosis). This serious and life threatening disease of dogs is more akin to malaria than the tick bite fever that people get (although that’s no joke either).
Dark purple parasites in red blood cells are Babesia canis parasites
The babesia parasite hijack red blood cells and then causes all sorts of mischief in the body causing anything from mild anemia and fever right through to multiple organ failure and death. Nasty little bug!
So what can we do about this? Well tick bite fever germs must be transmitted through the bite of a tick (usually the female), so if we stop ticks biting the dog, problem solved.
There are many products to kills ticks everything from dips through to products like Frontline and Advantix. The most important action is to PUT IT ON THE dog, and keep treating even if you don’t see ticks.
I find Preventic collars very useful for dogs living in a high tick environment -> i.e. goes into the bush often or lives on the urban edge (like in Richwood and Burgundy Estate), the collars last a while and are remarkably waterproof.
Finally there is vaccine against tick bite fever that will reduce the intensity and severity of infections but does not claim to prevent the clinical disease. Something to consider to keep our furry friends happy.
Cheers for now
Peter
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