There are growing fears that the Australia-wide wanderings of pet-loving grey nomads will speed up the spread of a deadly new dog disease.
Ehrlichiosis is carried by the common brown tick and has no vaccine. It was discovered in the north of Western Australia a year ago, and is now considered endemic in the NT. It has reportedly killed thousands of dogs across the Top End, with hundreds of new cases in Darwin as well.
Vet Bonny Cumming, who works in remote communities throughout northern Australia said the ticks preferred the Top End climate but ‘are good at adapting to sheltered conditions’.
She said veterinarians across the north were now well educated on the disease and information material was being provided to her colleagues in the south.
Another Outback vet, Campbell Costello, told the Farm Online publication that said he had been surprised how few travellers knew anything about ehrlichiosis, and the need to prepare their pets with two tick prevention measures.
“They’re either complacent, don’t have the right information or are just not aware of it,” he said. “Because of the tourists I think we’ll see the disease becoming established around Australia very quickly … it will travel back home with them and it will spread, just as it has here.”
Dr Costello said he had already treated many dogs infected with ehrlichiosis who are travelling with the tourists.
“Tell them in the southern states to get ready for it … we in Australia have never seen anything like this before,” he told Farm Online. “It’s not just a disease like many think in remote communities, it has spread into the towns as well.”
Ehrlichiosis cases have now been recorded in most states, mainly from dogs which have come from the NT.
The fear is that things will escalate dramatically when grey nomads and other travellers start heading south after the Dry Season ends.
“The disease is going to hitch a ride back home,” said Dr Costello. “There’s nothing surer.”
This was allowed to come in by our very weak Biosecurity Protections, that the Liberal Govt. axed millions of dollars from in the last 6 years. We have fire ants, the army worm. black spot in bananas, and a few dozen more diseases and viruses, all under this govts. watch. I am so bloody scared for my dog. I used to tour in the outback up north with him, this will never happen again, even if I have protections for him. The clowns running the country, have let down every dog in Australia, the one’s that have died, the one’s that will die, and dog’s like my dog, whom can never safely travel anywhere anymore. I love and care for my dog so much more , then anyone else on the planet, so I am going have to be on the ball all the time, and treat him with the utmost care, to make sure he never gets it.
I feel the same about my dog, even the local vet had no idea re this new disease. The once great country is now governed by idiots