Babesia gibsoni found in Canterbury
What is Babesia gibsoni?
Babesia is a tick-born parasite that can affect any breed of dog, and is more commonly reported in Staffies, Greyhounds and Pitbulls. It is widespread around the rest of the world but is a rare and notifiable (unwanted and reportable to MPI) disease here in New Zealand
How does a dog become infected with Babesia?
It is transmitted by ticks. The New Zealand cattle tick has been found in North Canterbury and we have seen several cases of pets carrying the cattle tick in clinic. This is a concern for pet owners. Other species of tick can carry it but are exotic to New Zealand (e.g. the brown dog tick.)
It is also spread through dog bites, blood transfusion and through the placenta from an infected mother to her pups i.e. anywhere where blood is mixed.
What can we do about it as pet owners?
The focus is on preventing infection by treating dogs regularly with tick prevention treatments which are often combined with flea prevention treatments. If you have not treated your pet within the last 1-3 months (dependent on the brand used) then we strongly advise you call into the clinic to collect some.
Suitable options we stock in clinic include:
Bravecto tablet or spot on – treats for TICKS, fleas and mites
Nexguard chews – treats for TICKS, fleas and mites
Seresto collar for TICK repellant
As it can also spread via bites it is important to always keep your dog under control when out on walks to prevent fighting.
How do I know if my dog has already contracted Babesia?
Some dogs can contract the parasite and show no clinical symptoms but remain carriers for life. Clinical symptoms of babesiosis can vary from chronic and mild to acute and severe. The parasite causes damage to the red blood cells and they will burst. This can cause intermittent fever, weight loss, lethargy, anaemia, pallor of gum colour and collapse.
If you are concerned about the risk of this or live in an area with cattle ticks, then the best thing to do is allow us to check your pet and we can run some preliminary screening tests before we consider investigating further.
