DogBoston’s Dog Blog

According to The Centers for Disease Control there are nine diseases which humans can get from a tick bite. While I will only be talking about three of these diseases, in the interest of health and safety it is important to know the names of all of these diseases. The diseases I will be discussing in this article are highlighted on this list. While many of them have not been found in Massachusetts, they are traveling toward the area. Worldwide there are 30 known tick borne diseases, and 850 species of ticks, in the United States we only have to worry about 82 of them.

Tick-borne diseases found in the United States:

- Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis

-Babesiosis which is known as babesia in dogs

-Tick Paralysis

-Tick-borne Relapsing Fever

-Tularemia

-Ricky Mountain Spotted Fever

-Colorado Tick Fever

– Lyme disease

Lyme Disease:

Lyme disease receives the most attention because is has become a true epidemic among humans. In 1993, the first year statistics were kept, 148 people were reported to have Lyme disease. In 2005, Massachusetts reported 2336 cases of Lyme disease, how many people, and dogs, in Massachusetts have Lyme disease and do not know it, or have not sought medical treatment is unknown. Lyme disease causes flu like symptoms, and if discovered early enough, is fully treatable in both dogs and people. Please remember, if your dog does have Lyme disease, and is bitten by a second tick, even an uninfected one, during the first few weeks, the disease can be passed on to other dogs.

The most visible symptom of Lyme disease is a skin rash, called a erythema migrans, this rash is first found at the site of the bite, usually withing three days after the tick bite. The rash will start small and then slowly grow in size. Always remember after you remove a tick from you dog, to check the dogs skin for about a week after. Since the rash occur res in a majority of those infected, this is the best way to find out if your dog has been exposed to Lyme disease. Other symptoms found in dogs are; fever, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. The rash is much harder to see on dogs than it is on people, on dogs, the rash is a light red, and looks less like a bulls eye, and more like a bite mark. veterinarians have started using Doxycycline as a treatment for Lyme disease. It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions when treating Lyme disease, if caught early your dog. Keep your dog away from other dogs, and from areas where ticks might live. Watch your dog closely during this period for other ticks.

For all the fear and concern regarding Lyme disease it is treatable, and does not kill, Babesia and Ehrlichia do! As I was writing this article, I found numerous web pages about Lyme disease in both people and animals of all types. I found very little about babesia or ehrlichia. I have wondered why that is, in people, both these illnesses have symptoms much like the flu. In animals, especially dogs, this disease is deadly. In Massachusetts, these diseases have been discovered at areas where dogs from several areas congregate. The shutdown of Wonderland race track several years ago was rumored to be, but never confirmed to be an outbreak of Babesia.

Ehrlichia:

Dogs which have contracted ehrlichia show symptoms that at first look could be nothing. A dog with ehrlichia will have very bad breath, something that could also be caused by needed a teeth cleaning, or having recently eaten something unpleasant (to us, not them). They become very thirsty and will drink an excessive amount of water, which could also mean the onset of diabetes in an older dog. Their eyes become runny, and appear to have a thin coating known as ‘glassy eye’, usually this only means you dogs eye had just been scratched, or be a result of allergies or infection. Dogs infected with ehrlichia also can have early signs of graying coats, or their coat starts to fall out. The dog may become weak, not wanting to interact with other dogs, or people. Swelling of the joints is common as is pain of movement. Your dog becomes unwilling to jump and run, and in severe case will not be able to put weight on the involved leg.

Because this illness is not yet ‘common’ most veterinarian’s do not recognize all the symptoms as Ehrlichia. Many vets treat ehrlichia as a mild case of kennel cough, and treat the dog with Amoxicillin. If your dog does not get better after the first seven to ten days, suggest he or she also do a white blood cell count (know as a CBC). Ehrlichia has also been misdiagnosed as leukemia. This disease kills by causing white blood cells to die off faster than the body can replace them. The bone marrow can not make new white blood cells, leaving your pet prone to secondary infections. Death can also come from damage or failure of major organs.

Babesia:

Babesia most often occur es in Greyhounds, and the dogs gathered under the misnomer ‘bully breeds’. Unlike the other diseases I have talked about today, babesia is a parasite. This disease can be carried by ticks, and once a dog has contracted this parasite, the dog can transfer the parasite to other animals via a bite. Dogs that are in good health may have the parasite and not show any signs of the illness. However, they can transmit the parasite to other dogs via a tick bite, or playing with another dog. Dogs will use their teeth or claws in play, not to harm the other dog, but blood can be transferred from one dog to the other. Even if your dog can be successfully treated for babesia, they will always be a carrier.

A tick will need to feed on a dog for longer than twenty four hours in order to transfer babesia. The best prevention of this, and other tick borne illnesses is as always, remove every tick you find on your dog as quickly as possible. Dogs with babesia will show signs of anemia, including, but not limited to lighter than normal gums, urine that is more of an orange or red color. They also show a low grade fever, yet fell cold, even shivering or wanting to crawl under blankets in search of warmth. If your pet become jaundiced, is is possible to see a yellow hue in the eyes.

Because this is not an illness but a parasitic infection, a simple blood test, can be done. Once the parasite has been discovered doctor’s will use Imidocarb Dipropionate to treat your dog. This medication comes with several side effects, many of which sound worse than the symptoms caused by the parasite. There are many other treatments available in Europe, and in France scientists are working on a vaccine. Sadly, a way has not been found to completely clear this parasite from a dogs system. As such, the dog, even if healthy will always be a carrier. For this reason many veterinarians will suggest putting to sleep a dog with Babesia.

As always, the best way to protect your self and your pets from all the illness and parasites I have discussed is to remove all ticks you find on your self and your dog.

Links:

Booklet on Lyme disease

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/lyme/niaid%20lymedisbookf2.pdf

List of reported Lyme diseases by state

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_rptdLymeCasesbyState.htm

Ehrlichiosis

http://home.earthlink.net/~hawkeye87/Ehrlichiosis%20Page.htm#Stages

Babesia

http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/Cleveland/