Experts have warned the potentially fatal tick-borne disease canine ehrlichiosis will spread across Australia, after it was discovered in South Australia.

MyVet Strathfieldsaye vet Susan Bibby said canine ehrlichiosis could definitely spread to Bendigo, but it was unlikely to happen quickly.

Other news:

Dr Bibby said travel was the main risk to Bendigo dogs, as owners might not think about ticks because risk was low locally.

She said dogs which had travelled to other parts of Australia also posed the biggest risk of local spread.

Dr Bibby urged any dog owner planning to take their dog interstate to consult their vet about prevention measures for canine ehrlichiosis, as well as diseases such as heartworm and paralysis tick.

She said an infected tick could spread the disease to a dog elsewhere, which could then lead to spread in Bendigo when the animal returned, as local ticks picked up the disease and passed it on.

Dr Bibby said dogs were safe unless they had been bitten, as the disease was only spread by ticks.

She warned bushland, or areas where many other dogs visited, such as roadside stops, could be high risk when travelling.

Dr Bibby said anyone whose dogs showed symptoms of canine ehrlichiosis should take it to the vet immediately. These included nosebleeds, bleeding, loss of appetite and fever.

Ticks infected with the ehrlichiosis bacteria were discovered in South Australia in January, in the state's far north west.

Hundreds of dogs have died from the illness in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, after it was discovered in the latter during May 2020.

Within a month the disease had also been identified in Katherine, in the NT.

It came after years-long quarantine restrictions on dog arrivals from overseas designed to keep out the bacteria and rabies.

Perth's Murdoch University College of Veterinary Medicine principal Professor Peter Irwin has warned the arrival of ehrlichiosis in Australia was a disaster.

Professor Irwin said it was unlikely the spread of the disease could be controlled, even with border checkpoints.

Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.