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One dog died of leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease, in the first reported case in the UK.
Three-year-old Shih Tzu, who lived in Hertfordshire, became sicker and sick with vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss for three weeks.
Having never left the British Isles, veterinarians suspect the dog of having caught the parasite Leishmania infantum from another dog with which he was living.
This dog had come from Spain and had been shot six months earlier after developing severe leishmaniasis.
Although dogs can not directly transmit leishmaniasis to humans, sandflies can serve as a reservoir for infection by biting popular pets then transmitting the infection to humans.
Sand flies are not found in the United Kingdom; however, infected humans in the tropics can experience oozing wounds, fever, and even fatal swelling of the liver and spleen.
Three-year-old Shih Tzu, who lived in Hertfordshire, became sicker and sick with vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss for three weeks. The doggie was infected in the United Kingdom (stock)
The dog was examined by a team at the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield, UK, led by Myles McKenna, Department of Clinical Science and Services.
"To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of leishmaniasis reported in the United Kingdom in a dog with no history of travel to an endemic area," they wrote in the journal BMJ Vet Record .
"In an era characterized by an increase in dog trips abroad and the import of dogs into the UK, it is likely that the number of dogs seropositive for L infantum will continue to increase.
"Dogs infected with leishmaniasis may pose a risk of infection to other dogs, even in the absence of natural vectors, since direct transmission between dogs is possible."
Leishmaniasis is transmitted by sandflies, but infected dogs can spread the disease by biting other dogs.
A veterinary examination of Shih Tzu revealed that he was deficient in three blood cells – red blood cells, which carry oxygen in the body; the white blood cells that make up the immune system; and platelets, which cause blood clotting.
It also had a high level of calcium in the blood, as well as an abnormally high amount of globulin protein, which is usually a sign of liver disease.
Biopsies of bone marrow and skin revealed that Shih Tzu was infected with L. infantum.
It is one of the 20 known parasites responsible for leishmaniasis.
The Shih Tzu case was at the origin of a second incident of leishmaniasis in the United Kingdom.
A three-year-old English pointer – who has never crossed the borders of Essex – developed leishmaniasis earlier this year.
He was finally diagnosed after his owners took him to the vet four times between February 2016 and September 2017, when he had developed a reaction resembling eczema and hair loss.
Although the cabot never left the UK, its owners lived in Spain.
The couple also traveled between Alicante and Valencia last summer.
Unlike the first case, this dog did not live with an infected dog.
Veterinarians believe that its owners may have brought sand flies back in their luggage.
His case was written in Vet Record by a team at Mount Veterinary Practice in Fleetwood, Lancashire.
"The increase in the importation of infected dogs in the UK also makes it more and more likely the accidental socialization with infected dogs," they warned.
"We must not be content with the risk of Leishmania infantum being established in the UK, even in the absence of the sand fly vector".
Daniella Dos Santos, Assistant Vice President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), said: "The increase in the number of cases of non-endemic diseases such as leishmaniasis is extremely worrying.
"More than a quarter of veterinarians surveyed by BVA last year mentioning [reported] see cases of this rare disease in practice.
"Leishmaniasis is primarily associated with pets that have recently traveled outside of the UK or" Trojans "from abroad with unknown medical histories.
Ms. Santos advises pet owners who are planning to travel with their dogs to seek advice from a veterinarian, while those who have rescued an imported dog should have them tested.
"Anyone looking to have a dog should consider adopting a UK charity or child protection organization instead of being saved from abroad because the unexpected consequences Trojans can be serious for the health and well-being of British pets, "she said.
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