Four Paws Dog Rudy today after our Dog Walk looking so adorable having had his fur trimmed too!
Great job Kt!
Four Paws Dog Raffles has had his first proper trim at the Dog Groomers.
Looking gorgeous Raffles and well done as I know you were there for about 2 hours!
What a Star!
By Pete Wedderburn
Outbreak in Essex, dogs with a serious disease imported from continental Europe.
Less than a year ago, I wrote about one my my patients, a Beagle, who I was treating for a life threatening tick-borne disease called Babesiosis. I saw the dog in my clinic in Ireland, a few days after he had been imported from Poland.
Many other vets have also seen this condition in imported dogs, but the situation has now taken a turn for the worse: an outbreak of babesiosis has taken place in Essex, affecting local dogs who have not travelled abroad.
Babesiosis is now affecting dogs that have not travelled overseas
The three affected dogs were from separate households, but they are all regularly exercised in the same uncultivated park area of local land. The vets dealing with the cases say that they have recovered the type of tick that carries this disease from two of the dogs. The vets also report that there has been a recent increase in the number of dogs being rescued from abroad into their area.
This outbreak is probably the first of many around the country, and it’s no surprise. Up until 2011, it was compulsory for imported dogs to be treated for ticks before entering the UK and Ireland. When this requirement was dropped – to comply with EU freedom of movement regulations – vets warned that outbreaks of exotic tick diseases were likely to follow. It took five years, but now it’s happening.
Vets warned that if tick treatment on importation was stopped, imported diseases would follow
Babesiosis is a life threatening disease, but with the right treatment, dogs survive. Up until now, vets only needed to consider this as a possible diagnosis in imported dogs.
The wider public health risks from exotic tick-borne infections and the need for tick controls for pets entering the UK will be kept under review
UK Government
Now it has to be considered as a possibility in any anaemic dog: if the diagnosis is missed, dogs could die. More worryingly, there have been reports of human infections with the same Babesia organism.
It’s time to review the lack of tick treatment for imported dogs
The fact that the UK is separated from mainland Europe by a body of water has served the country well as a form of protection from infectious diseases for thousands of years. Until very recently, controls on animal movements remained strict to ensure good disease control.
The disease can affect dogs that have travelled abroad, and even ones that haven’t CREDIT: GETTY
At the time when compulsory anti-tick treatments were stopped in 2011, the UK government said “the wider public health risks from exotic tick-borne infections and the need for tick controls for pets entering the UK will be kept under review.”
Well, the predicted importation of a serious exotic disease has now happened. Perhaps the government can now tell us what “under review” means, and what will now be done in response to this disease outbreak. It may already be too late.
Dog Fact! Did you know that some hounds have up to 300 million nasal scent receptor.
The average human has approximately 5 million.
Four Paws Dog Archie waiting for me to take him for his Dog Walk today!
Archie greeted me with his duck (next to him in the photo). He is such a sweet dog.
We had a great Dog Walk round the reservoirs at Longham, nr Wimborne today, in the glorious sunshine.
We met lots of doggie friends who were out walking too. Which was fantastic for Archie who loves playing with other dogs.
Thank you Four Paws Dogs for making my job so awesome!
Happy Mother’s Day to all you great Mum’s out there! 4 legged too!
My youngest son and I took our dogs out for a walk this morning to Pamphill, near Wimborne.
We walked down the track near Bluebell Woods and as you can see in the picture Ella and ToTo had great fun exploring!
Your Dog Magazine.
COMPETITION TIME, DOG LOVERS
This week we are giving away two 2kg bags of Pooch & Mutt dog food to one lucky winner!
Don’t miss out…
Pooch and Mutt is the UK’s first ethically approved canine supplement company offering a range of hand baked treats, natural supplements, and grain free foods.
Pooch and Mutt’s products are of the highest quality and designed to help provide your dog with a happy and healthy life. Pooch and Mutt’s range of five grain free and natural foods include Calm & Relaxed, Fresh Breath, Slim & Slender, Move Easy and Health & Digestion. Available in a 2kg bag and packed with British, nutritious ingredients – each variety can help with a specific condition a dog may have.
The lucky winner will receive two 2kg bags of food in the variety of your choice.
For more information, visit the Pooch and Mutt website.
This competition closes on Thursday March 10 at 4pm and is for UK residents only. One entry per household. Multiple entries will automatically be deleted. Good luck!
Cranborne, Dorset, South West England.
Cranborne Garden Centre and Tea Rooms is wonderful but will probably be booked up by now.
The Cranborne village is situated on Cranborne Chase an area of chalk downland in Dorset. Allow some time to explore the village where you can find a picturesque church, two pubs, a restaurant and the village store. Next to the village you will find Cranborne Manor set in beautiful gardens.
Cranborne is on the B3078 between Wimborne and Fordingbridge. The walk starts from the car park by Cranborne First School. Unfortunately the car park is often full but you can usually park nearby on the road.
Obviously where live stock are grazing dogs must be kept on the lead and appropriate care taken.
Map reference:
Grid reference: OS Landranger Sheet 195
SU 055 133 Links: multiMap
Walk at Cranborne:
Jack’s Hedge Corner 4.1 miles / 6.6 km 370 feet / 112 m Moderate 2 hr 0 mins 520 kcal
The world’s greatest dog show is just round the corner.
To get you in the mood, here are five things you probably didn’t know about Crufts…
1 The Best in Show title was not introduced until almost 40 years after Crufts launched.
2 In 2001, Crufts was held in May instead of March due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
3 More than 20,000 dogs compete annually at Crufts, and there are around 200 different breeds competing from all over the world.
4 The Labrador breed classes attract the most entrants, totaling 540 entries.
5 Crufts was not held between 1940 and 1947 because of the Second World War.
