BSAVA warns about tick-borne diseases
"Vets and pet owners should consider these diseases as a potential risk and implement preventative treatments even in absence of travel abroad" – Dr Paulo Silvestrini.
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) is advising veterinary surgeons and dog owners to be vigilant after a new study revealed that dogs in the UK are being infected by non-endemic tick-borne diseases despite not travelling abroad.
Looking at 76 dogs with tick-borne diseases, the study found that more than half were diagnosed with either ehrlichiosis or babesiosis, diseases which are not endemic in the UK.
Other tick-borne diseases diagnosed included Lyme borreliosis and anaplasmosis. Fourteen of the dogs had co-infections.
Although most of the dogs had a history of travelling to or from countries where tick-borne diseases are endemic, three of the dogs diagnosed with ehrlichiosis, one dog infected with Babesia canis and one with Babesia vulpes did not have any history of travel.
The recent rise in the number of dogs being imported into the UK from continental Europe has increased the risk of tick-borne diseases potentially entering the UK’s resident tick population, meaning that these cases may have been the result of local transmission.
In response, BSAVA is advising veterinary surgeons not to rule out tick-borne diseases in dogs which have not travelled, as well as to remain vigilant of tick-borne diseases when treating dogs that have been imported or travelled outside of the UK.
Owners are encouraged to regularly check their dogs for ticks and promptly remove any they find, as well as to consider using tick repellent in areas where there is an increased likelihood of encountering ticks.
Dr Paolo Silvestrini, lead author of the study, said: “The increased travelling of dogs across countries and climate changes with progressively warmer temperatures, are favouring the transmission of vector-borne diseases in areas historically considered non-endemic, such as the UK. Vets and pet owners should consider these diseases as a potential risk and implement preventative treatments even in absence of travel abroad.”
The study has been published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
