Don’t look too closely if you’re squeamish!

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The engorged ticks in her ear must have been making life for this poor little dog quite uncomfortable – not to mention putting her at risk from the nasty diseases they may carry.

Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Lyme disease… These are all examples of serious tick borne diseases that are a very common cause of illness in domestic dogs in Africa. Several of these diseases affect wildlife too.

Fortunately help was at hand for this little one, thanks to the Fipronil Spot-On tick treatment that we managed to send out to @ewasolions in Kenya, for their Kura’s Pride programme which aims to improve the health and welfare of local dogs. A special thank you to @vetukteam for donating the treatments.

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According to WVI Veterinary Advisor, Jane Hopper:

“It is really important to improve the preventative healthcare of domestic dogs living around wildlife reserves. It reduces the risk of disease in wildlife and humans, as well as in the dogs themselves. Programmes like Kura’s Pride play a really important role and are a great example of One Health in action.”

Vaccinating and looking after the local dog populations is a good way to give back to local people in the name of conservation, reducing levels of disease in a way that benefits all the animals in the area.

It’s lovely to hear directly from Dr Jessica Kurere of Ewaso Lions too.  Dr Kurere told us:

“We are grateful for the Fipronil Spot on. It has been of great benefit to the dogs here! Many thanks!”

We are very happy to know that the treatments can really make a difference to the health of dogs, humans and wildlife. Keep up the good work, Kura’s Pride!

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