A type of tick that is dangerous for dogs is currently spreading in parts of Germany.
It can cause barbesia, which can be fatal for four-legged friends.
Munich - This message should alert every dog owner: A dangerous type of tick is spreading in Germany, which poses a fatal threat to your pet.
The so-called alluvial forest tick can transmit babesiosis.
This disease is also known as dog malaria.
Dangerous Tick Bites: Noticeable Symptoms in Dogs
If a dog becomes infected with it, parasites invade its bloodstream.
In the worst case scenario, blood poisoning occurs and the animal can die.
Symptoms of this insidious disease include a high fever, loss of appetite, and bloody urine.
In this case, dog owners * and their loved one should immediately consult a veterinarian.
Dogs at Risk: Babesiosis Infections - More cases than ever
Babesiosis infections are particularly common in dogs this year.
"We already have such a high number of positive cases that we haven't seen for a long time - maybe even like never before," says Dieter Barutzki, veterinarian for parasitology and head of the Freiburg veterinary laboratory.
Especially in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, experts are increasingly establishing a connection with bites from the alluvial forest tick.
The species has spread particularly in these two federal states.
Tick bites can be fatal: "A very serious disease in dogs"
Elke Reinking from the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health in Greifswald warns dog owners against underestimating the possible consequences of tick bites: "Acute babesiosis is a very serious disease in dogs," she says.
Meanwhile, it is harmless to humans because it cannot be transmitted from animals.
In the Corona * pandemic, many Germans got a dog.
The downside of the dog boom: More and more dog thefts *.
Many were reported in the Bavarian capital, Munich.
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