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Dogs Need To Be Dosed

Thursday 30 June 2011, 2:58PM

By Marlborough District Council

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MARLBOROUGH

Dog owners who take their animals into the country are responsible for ensuring their animals don’t cause problems.

Recently a local farmer reported a case of sheep measles. He suggested the source of the infection was either pig dogs in the area or pets roaming the roads near his property.

Sheep measles are small cysts found in the meat of infected sheep. The disease is spread by flies but dogs can also spread sheep measles; sheep ingest the tapeworm eggs from pastures where infected dogs have left droppings.

Owners who take their dogs anywhere sheep are grazed are responsible for making sure their animals are correctly dosed; that means ensuring they have been treated with tapeworm drugs at least 48 hours before going onto farmland.

Unfortunately not every dog owner is a responsible owner, said Council’s Animal Control Committee Chair and former vet, Peter Jerram.

“It’s another reason why we have asked people to keep their animals away from the Wither Hills Farm Park. Most owners do the right thing but there’s always a chance of a dog being infected before the owner realises - as well as the dog owners who are negligent about dosing their animals,” he said.