Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-...tory/100289234
Tick-borne dog disease ehrlichiosis now 'widespread' across NT, over 100 cases in Darwin
By Roxanne Fitzgerald
Posted 23h ago
Key points:
Ehrlichiosis was first detected in Australia last year in May
Experts say the disease is now "endemic" across the Northern Territory
They say preventing ticks is the best way to protect dogs
Patricia Powell's Staffordshire-cross, Leo, came close to death earlier this year — and it isn't out of the woods yet.
The two-year-old dog became lethargic, thin and listless, deteriorating to the point that it was admitted to a pet hospital for a week for a blood transfusion.
"I was really worried about him," Ms Powell, an enrolled nurse, said.
Testing confirmed Leo had ehrlichiosis, a disease transmitted through bites from brown dog ticks carrying the Ehrlichia canis bacteria.
But what worried the specialists is that Leo lives in the urban Top End, which some experts fear is becoming a new stronghold for a disease spreading like wildfire...
Tick-borne dog disease ehrlichiosis now 'widespread' across NT, over 100 cases in Darwin
By Roxanne Fitzgerald
Posted 23h ago
Key points:
Ehrlichiosis was first detected in Australia last year in May
Experts say the disease is now "endemic" across the Northern Territory
They say preventing ticks is the best way to protect dogs
Patricia Powell's Staffordshire-cross, Leo, came close to death earlier this year — and it isn't out of the woods yet.
The two-year-old dog became lethargic, thin and listless, deteriorating to the point that it was admitted to a pet hospital for a week for a blood transfusion.
"I was really worried about him," Ms Powell, an enrolled nurse, said.
Testing confirmed Leo had ehrlichiosis, a disease transmitted through bites from brown dog ticks carrying the Ehrlichia canis bacteria.
But what worried the specialists is that Leo lives in the urban Top End, which some experts fear is becoming a new stronghold for a disease spreading like wildfire...
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