“Dogs Taken On Holidays Could Spread Hydatids”

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29389, 16 December 1960, Page 16

“Dogs Taken On Holidays Could Spread Hydatids”

Control measures against hydatids, carefully organised and checked on a local basis, can easily be broken down by the intrusion of hydatid-carrying dogs from other districts over the holidays, said the National Hydatids Council in a statement issued yesterday. “Any great movement of the dog population such as is likely to be experienced when people take their dogs with them on

holiday, will need careful attention,” said the statement “The movement of town dogs into country areas itself is a special problem. It means there is a greater prospect of these dogs gaining access to raw offal, either by sheep-worrying or scavenging for food in open places. "Even where dogs are allowed in camping grounds, campers with dogs should take reasonable and sensible precautions to guard against the risk of spreading hydatids infection. “With a greater public awareness now about hydatids, holiday makers with dogs are recommended to take with them any evidence that they may have that their dogs have been tested and found to be clean of hydatids“The effort among farmers to clean up hydatids means that they will look suspiciously at the appearance of other dogs who might be capable of reinfecting their pasture. It is of course quite lawful for a farmer to shoot or destroy on sight any dog found to be worrying his sheep or poultry. "In such cases a dog which has been treated and is clean of the infection could quite easily expose it to the risk of becoming reinfected.”

The council suggests that people contemplating taking their pets away in the holidays should think seriously about making alternative arrangements. Dog owners should first see whether it is possible to leave their pets with friends or at boarding kennels, rather than take them away on holiday. “If people do decide to take their dogs away with them then they must realise that the dogs will not always be welcome in other districts, particularly those which have reached a high point of efficiency in hydatid control and where the incidence of the disease is in consequence low. “People taking a family pet on camping trips should find out whether it will be permissible for them to take their dog on to the site. It is well known that the keeping of dogs is prohibited in a growing number of camping grounds. . “The by-laws relating to the control of dogs vary considerably from district to district. It is, however, becoming more general for local authorities to restrict the movement of dogs on beaches and in parks and reserves.

“The question of possible risk from hydatids is but one of the owner’s responsibilities in the control of his dog. The hydatids risk does, however, draw attention to the general unfairness of dogs being allowed to run wild, particularly on beaches where they can cause unnecessary distress to children and irritation to adults.

“The National Hydatids Council has already received advice that organisations interested in public health and child welfare are pressing for action to prohibit dogs in school grounds, camping grounds and other places where children gather.” No Horses Horses being taken into the Groynes reserve at the Waimakariri riverbed were frightening bathers, it was reported at the Waimairi County Council’s meeting last evening. It was decided to erect notices prohibiting the taking of horses into the reserve.