The two-year-old dog became lethargic, thin and listless, deteriorating to the point that it was admitted to a pet hospital for a week for a blood transfusion.
“I was really worried about him,” Ms Powell, an enrolled nurse, said.
Testing confirmed Leo had ehrlichiosis, a disease transmitted through bites from brown dog ticks carrying the Ehrlichia canis bacteria.
But what worried the specialists is that Leo lives in the urban Top End, which some experts fear is becoming a new stronghold for a disease spreading like wildfire.
The first Australian case was detected in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in May last year.
By June, cases were rapidly emerging in Katherine in the Northern Territory and the 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 in Alice Springs and surrounds, 75.
Experts say countless more have been left undetected in remote communities with little intervention.
“When we finally got to bring him home, [the vets] said he needs to stay inside, he’s at risk of spontaneous bleeding and he might not make it,” Ms Powell said.
“It was very full-on, very emotional.
“There were tears basically every night.”
Until the first cases were discovered just last year, stringent biosecurity controls had kept ehrlichiosis out of Australia.
Experts are still baffled by how the disease got in but, according to Professor Peter Irwin from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Murdoch University, the disease is now considered “endemic” across the NT.
“Ehrlichiosis is one of the most serious diseases of dogs in my opinion,” he said.
“It makes them very ill, and many dogs can die.
“Once it establishes into a tick population, it’s very difficult to eradicate.”
Common symptoms include lethargy, fever and cloudy eyes, which can be cleared 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 into the city will possibly bring ticks with them, and the ticks can then drop off.
“There have now been dogs with the disease identified in most other capitals, most as a result of travel from the north.”
Doctor Stephen Cutter, the head veterinarian at Darwin’s Ark Animal Hospital, is no stranger to the crippling disease.
He said up to 40 per cent of the dogs are infected in the remote communities of the Top End he visits on rotation.
But in August of last year, he saw his first case in a pet that had not left urban Darwin.
Arielle Giles, a vet at the Darwin Veterinary Hospital, confirmed the disease’s spread to Darwin, saying she had seen six cases in the past three months.
“It’s a devastatingly bad disease and it’s really difficult to treat,” Dr Cutter said.
“It’s basically everywhere and it’s now a matter of 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 from the tick bites, the most important way of protecting your dog is to use a product, such as a collar that kills ticks before they bite,” Professor Irwin said.
It has now been five months since Leo was struck down by the tiny parasite and, while he is still getting regular check-ups and his future is looking brighter, vets can’t give the all-clear.
“Ehrlichiosis is really nasty in that it can stay hidden in the bone marrow for a long period of time,” Dr Cutter said.
Earlier this year, the NT government brought on a new coordinator to transition the NT’s response to the disease from a biosecurity threat to managing the outbreak.
“This disease is a nationally notifiable disease, which means that suspected cases of E.canis need to be reported, and free testing can be carried out on blood samples from suspected dogs,” said the chief vet at the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Dr Sue Fitzpatrick.
A little puppy in despair calls out in agony among the wreckage, pleading for help.
On a routine animal rescue mission, our team stumbled upon a heartbreaking scene: a tiny puppy buried in rubble, wailing in distress. Our hearts ached for this innocent soul, and we knew we had to act quickly to save him. As we pushed away the rocks, we found another puppy, also crying out for help. The ongoing construction and careless actions of society had placed these fragile lives in danger.
Our team felt the immense weight of responsibility as we frantically dug through the rubble, searching for the other puppy. Each passing moment was crucial, as the puppies’ lives hung in the balance. The team worked tirelessly, determined to save these innocent creatures from their dangerous predicament.
When we finally found the second puppy, our hearts broke at the sight of his weak and fragile state. We gently lifted them out of the rubble, praying that they would survive their ordeal. The emotional rescue mission was a testament to the importance of never giving up on the vulnerable beings who share our world.
The rescue of the two puppies is a powerful reminder of the importance of compassion in our society. The careless actions of human beings can have devastating consequences for the innocent animals who live among us. It is our collective responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of these creatures and to protect them from harm.
Once the puppies were safely rescued, our team began the process of nursing them back to health. Under our care, the puppies received medical attention, proper nutrition, and the love and comfort they so desperately needed. The road to recovery was long and challenging, but each day brought signs of hope and progress.
As the puppies grew stronger, our team turned their attention to finding them loving, forever homes. The two puppies, now named Hope and Courage, were eventually adopted by kind-hearted families who promised to provide them with the love and care they deserved. The emotional rescue mission was a life-changing experience for all involved, and Hope and Courage’s story serves as an inspiration for us all.
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