European trips put dogs at risk from blinding parasite
Pet Passport safeguards are not enough to protect animals from worm that is endemic across Europe
DOG owners have been warned that taking their pets to Europe risks exposing them to an infectious parasite which turns animals blind.
Thelazia callipaeda has been described as a “significant threat to the UK canine population”, after vets reported three cases in dogs recently returned from the continent.
Transmitted by fruit flies, a species common in Britain, the disease is endemic in Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Greece.
All three of the infected dogs were in compliance with the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), also known as the Pet Passport, and experts last night called for rules to be reviewed.
Owners of pets recently returned from Europe have been advised to look out for conjunctivitis and other signs of discomfort around their dogs’ eyes.
Once diagnosed, the parasitic worm can normally be dealt with using drugs. If left untreated for too long, however, it can cause the dog to go blind.
Veterinary academics say the pathogen is likely to be reaching “critical mass” on the continent, and that there are many more cases currently in the UK than the three being reported. The longer a dog lives with the disease untreated, the greater the risk it will be transferred to a fruit fly and then on to another dog, he said. The risk of infection is compounded by the fact that not all animals display symptoms. As well as dogs, T. callipaeda is capable of infecting cats and wild creatures such as foxes.
The Pet Travel Scheme, governing the movement of animals from European Union countries, requires dogs travelling back to the UK to be treated for tapeworm and their rabies vaccinations must be up to date.
John Graham-brown, a doctoral student from Liverpool University who led the research, said PETS safeguards were “not sufficient”. “It’s a good time to have a discussion about whether they are strong enough for this disease and other diseases,” he said.
♦ The celebrity-fuelled fad for French bulldogs has led to overbreeding, causing a big rise in abandoned dogs needing emergency surgery, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (BDCH) has revealed. The animal charity said there has been a huge rise in demand for the animals leading to overbreeding, where breeders try to accentuate the “cute” features to maximise profit.
The French bulldog’s signature squashed nose leaves them struggling to breathe and often plagued with ear infections.
Dog owners facing expensive veterinary treatments to correct the problems are abandoning their pets and giving them to BDCH, which has had to foot the bill for treatment.