Dog owners warned of myxomatosis on Alderney
- Published
Dogs eating wild rabbit carcasses can spread the disease to pet rabbits
Alderney is experiencing a surge in myxomatosis, its government has warned.
The States Works Department has asked owners and walkers of dogs "inclined to forage" to take care when out near Braye Common and the beach.
It said that when dogs eat wild rabbit carcasses they carry a risk of infection, illness and transmission of the disease to pet rabbits.
Myxomatosis is a viral disease that is highly contagious to rabbits and hares and is very often fatal.
It is spread by blood-sucking insects such as fleas and mosquitoes and causes breathing problems, bulging eyes and swelling in rabbits.
The department said, external it was trying to keep "common walking areas clear of carcasses".
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