Video: Pet Blood Bank video shows how dogs give blood
A vet says more dog blood donors are urgently needed across Nottinghamshire to prepare for a possible outbreak of a deadly disease spread by ticks.
Babesiosis, a blood-borne condition carried by the biting parasites, has entered the UK for the first time after it was confirmed in four dogs in Essex last month.
And vets suspect the tick which carries the condition is now in Nottinghamshire.
An animal came into Churchcroft Veterinary Centre, Beeston, with what vets believe was a Dermacentor reticulatus tick – usually confined to Europe and a few coastal areas around Britain.
The dog itself did not have babesiosis, but the presence of the tick suggests it may have arrived in Nottinghamshire and the disease is expected to eventually follow.
Charlotte Harris, a veterinary surgeon at Ashfield House Veterinary Hospital, Long Eaton, said staff at the practice were asking dog owners to look out for the signs of the disease.
She said: “There’s no evidence that the tick was infected with babesiosis – all we know is that it looked like the tick that has been seen to carry the disease in Essex.
“But now the disease has been found, it is very likely it will spread throughout the UK.”
She added its discovery in the south east meant vets and owners were now more likely to spot the signs of disease early and seek treatment for dogs.
Animals suffering from the condition may show signs of lethargy, weakness, fever, jaundice and a red-coloured urine.
Although treatable, the disease can be fatal and sometimes animals need blood transfusions.
There is a shortage already
Ms Harris added: “There’s a big call for dog blood donors. There is a shortage already and the Pet Blood Bank has been calling for more.
“Blood is already needed and of the cases in Essex, most of the dogs needed blood transfusions to recover.”
The Pet Blood Bank, Loughborough, is the only charity that provides a canine blood bank service for all veterinary practitioners across the UK.
It runs regular donor events and animals signed up to give blood get free health checks.
A Public Health England spokesman said: “We are working with APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) to investigate the recently reported locally acquired cases of canine babesiosis in Essex.
“At present, this appears to be a localised issue, with dogs exercised in an affected area in Essex being potentially at risk of acquiring babesiosis. Babesia canis is not considered to cause human disease and therefore does not present a risk to human health.
“The tick concerned, Dermacentor reticulatus is not a common tick in England, and PHE are currently monitoring the distribution of this tick across England.”
