Chief Veterinary Officer, Allison Crook has issued an appeal to dog owners and veterinarians to help stop the spread of the tick-borne disease, ehrlichiosis.
Dr Crook said ehrlichiosis had now been detected in dogs in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
“To date, there have been no positive detections in Queensland dogs and Biosecurity Queensland wants to keep this unwanted visitor out,” Dr Crook said.
“Dog owners can do their best friend a big favour by maintaining them on an effective tick prevention and control program; where possible, avoid taking them into tick-infested areas such as the bush, and regularly inspecting their dog for ticks.”
She said veterinarians should submit samples for testing from dogs showing signs consistent with ehrlichiosis.
Dr Crook said Biosecurity Queensland wanted to avoid a repeat of a recent incident where a small number of dogs that travelled to Queensland from the Northern Territory tested positive to ehrlichiosis.
“It is vital that people moving dogs from known ehrlichiosis-infected areas thoroughly assess the likelihood that their dog might be infected,” she said.
“People moving or bringing dogs from interstate or adopting rescue dogs should always ask questions about where the animals come from, their health status and what tick prevention they have prior to bringing them to Queensland.”
Dr Crook said ehrlichiosis was a tick-borne disease caused by the bacteria Ehrlichia canis (E. canis).
“Dogs become infected with E. canis after being bitten by an infected tick, typically the brown dog tick which is common in most areas of Australia, including Queensland,” she said.
“Although they can vary considerably among dogs, symptoms typically include fever, lethargy, enlarged lymph nodes, loss of appetite, discharge from the eyes and nose, weight loss, and anaemia and bleeding disorders,” the Chief Veterinary Officer said.
