Redemption Symphony: The Inspirator Rescues a Deaf Dog from Ear Parasites and Orchestrates a Melodic Transformation
“I was really worried about him,” said Ms. Powell, a retired nurse.
Tests confirmed that Leo had ehrlichiosis, a disease transmitted through the bites of brown ticks that carry the bacteria Ehrlichia canis.
But what worried specialists is that Leo lives in the upper urban edge, which some experts fear is becoming a new stronghold for a disease that spreads like wildfire.
The first case in Australia was detected in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in May last year.
By June, cases were emerging rapidly in Katherine in the Northern Territory and surrounding remote communities.
The Northern Territory government has recorded 370 confirmed cases: 110 in the Darwin and Arnhem Land region, 149 in the Katherine region, 36 in Tennant Creek and 75 in and around Alice Springs.
Experts say there are countless undetected cases in remote communities with little intervention.
“When we were finally able to get him home, [the vets] said he needs to stay inside, he’s at risk of spontaneous bleeding and he might not survive,” Ms. Powell said.
“It was very emotional. There were tears basically every night.”
Until the first cases were discovered last year, strict biosecurity controls had kept ehrlichiosis out of Australia.
Experts still don’t understand how the disease entered, but according to Professor Peter Irwin from Murdoch University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, the disease is now considered “endemic” in the Northern Territory.
“Ehrlichiosis is one of the most serious diseases of dogs in my opinion,” he said.
“It makes them very sick, and many dogs can die. “Once it becomes established in a tick population, it is very difficult to eradicate it.”
Common symptoms include lethargy, fever and cloudy eyes, which can clear up with antibiotics, but if left untreated, the disease can lead to blindness, uncontrollable bleeding and death.
“The problem with this disease is that dogs travel and spread infected ticks,” Professor Irwin said.
“Dogs that have moved from an endemic area of the community to the city will likely bring ticks with them, and the ticks then fall off. “There have now been dogs with the disease identified in most other capital cities, mostly as a result of travel from the north.”
Dr Stephen Cutter, the head veterinarian at Darwin’s Ark Animal Hospital, is no stranger to the debilitating disease.
He said up to 40 per cent of dogs are infected in the remote Top End communities he regularly visits.
But in August of last year, he saw his first case in a pet left behind by Darwin.
Arielle Giles, a veterinarian at Darwin Veterinary Hospital, confirmed the spread of the disease to Darwin, saying she had seen six cases in the last three months.
“It’s a devastating disease and it’s really difficult to treat,” Dr. Cutter said.
“It’s basically everywhere and now it’s about living with it.”
Both Professor Irwin and Dr Cutter said keeping ticks at bay is the best way to prevent ehrlichiosis.
“Because the infection is transmitted so quickly through tick bites, the most important way to protect your dog is to use a product, such as a collar, that kills ticks before they bite,” Professor Irwin said. .
It’s been five months since Leo was affected by the tiny parasite and, although he still receives regular check-ups and his future looks brighter, vets can’t give the all clear.
“Ehrlichiosis is really sneaky in that it can stay hidden in the bone marrow for a long time,” Dr. Cutter said.
Earlier this year, the Northern Territory government hired a new coordinator to move the territory’s response to the disease from a biosecurity threat to managing the outbreak.
The disease is officially notifiable, meaning that suspected cases of E. canis must be reported, allowing free testing using blood samples from suspected dogs,” explained Dr Sue Fitzpatrick, the Department of Industry’s chief veterinarian. Tourism and Commerce.
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