Preventative Health Care

For insect transmitted diseases when travelling

Like their human family, animals are exposed to different diseases when they travel abroad, diseases to which they have no natural immunity.

Lacey

in Sardinia Bay

The increasing mobility of pets, combined with temperate areas becoming warmer and wetter, means that several serious diseases affecting pets and their owners are on the increase. These diseases are especially important because:

  • they often have vague symptoms, affect multiple organ symptoms and for many diseases these signs only surface months to years after travel, making diagnosis in the UK extremely challenging. Many of them can be fatal. If your pet ever develops an illness that proves challenging to pinpoint, make sure your vet knows your pet has spent time abroad.
  • some of these diseases affect humans too.
  • many of the medications needed to treat these diseases are not readily available in the UK and need to be specially imported.
  • many of these diseases cannot be cured, only managed. Infected animals may suffer relapses repeatedly and can serve as a source of infection for other animals.


The main diseases encountered by travelling pets to Europe include:

  • Babesia: spread by tick bites. Click here for more details.
  • Ehrlicia: spread by tick bites. Click here for more details.
  • Heartworm: spread by mosquito bites. Click here for more details.
  • Leishmania: spread by sandfly bites. Click here for more details.
  • Eye worm: a parasitic worm spread by fruit flies. Click here for more details.

Different countries have different disease risks and risk also varies within countries. Urban and rural areas, seasonal temperature changes and local animal life all affect risk. Ideally treatment should be started about 1 week before travel, to ensure protection is already in place from the start of your trip. At least one treatment should be done after return to the UK too. I can offer advice about frequency of treatment, the medication needed and prescribe preventative medication as required depending on your destination.