Veterinarians are raising the alarm: babesiosis is spreading in Latvia; fail to save up to 45% of household pets

It was discovered for the first time in Latvia only 10 years ago, but it is progressing rapidly – even up to 45% of pets, or almost every second dog infected by this diseased tick, cannot be saved from babesiosis, a disease transmitted by ticks that is dangerous for dogs.

Veterinarians raise the alarm – if the owner takes care of his health and has taken care of timely protection against tick-borne diseases, then he often forgets about his pet, and when the inevitable happens, he scolds himself, but it is no longer possible to help. “360TV ZIĆneši” listened to the harsh stories of dog owners and also gave advice on how to notice that an accident is near, because you need to be able to react quickly.

Tick ​​bites have already killed an alarming number of dogs this spring, the veterinary clinic of the Latvian University of Biosciences and Technologies in Jelgava admits. Tick-borne diseases are regularly encountered here. Three are relevant in Latvia – babesiosis, Lyme disease or borreliosis, anaplasmosis.

Ten years ago, babesiosis in dogs was unheard of. As the climate gets warmer, tick-borne blood parasites that were not seen before have also appeared. Now this disease is not rare and even up to 45% of dogs do not crawl after getting sick.

Barons, the dog of porcelain artist Aira Lesiņa, was also included in this grim statistic of fatal cases, who died of babesiosis at the age of four. The dog lived in the countryside during the summer, Aira was not there at that time and then it was already too late. The memories of Baron will always be in Aira’s heart, but right now the pain of the lost pet is being healed by a new dog – the toy poodle Hugo. And for every tick found in the black dog’s fur, Aira’s heart trembles in panic.

If, however, the tick has been absorbed, it should be removed from the animal as soon as possible, because Babesia enters the dog’s body 2 to 3 days after the tick has been absorbed. However, the most effective way to protect the animal is with anti-tick protection products.

These are drops that are instilled in the withers, as well as anti-tick strips and edible tablets. It is important to remember that a scrupulous schedule must be followed in this respect. Forgetfulness can be fatal, as there are no preventive vaccines against babesiosis.