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closeLocal dog diagnosed with tick-borne disease
Dr. Bart Iaia
Evergreen Animal Hospital
Spencer is a young 5-year-old Labrador retriever. He was presented to our clinic for a history of not eating and acting lethargic.
After some diagnostic tests, Spencer was diagnosed with a tick-borne disease called Ehrlichiosis.
Erhlichia is called a “rickettsia” and is in between a bacteria and a virus.
Erhlichia is transmitted by ticks — most commonly the brown dog tick and the long star tick.
The brown dog tick is found in this area, but the most common location of the disease is in the southeastern United States, making this case very surprising and unusual.
With the tick feeds on the dog, Erhlichia is transmitted.
There are three stages of disease.
In the acute phase, which lasts one to three weeks after a tick bite, the pet will act weak and feverish, and it may not eat or suffer from stiffness. Bruises also are common.
In a sub-acute phase, the Erhlichia resides in the body, but the dog is acting more normally.
This phase may last for months to years, and it usually progresses to the chronic phase.
In the chronic phase of the disease, animals are very sick and anemic, have neurological signs, are bleeding and have very swollen joints.
Ehrlichiosis is diagnosed by blood tests, and it can be treated with antibiotics.
Dogs caught early with the disease have a better prognosis than dogs diagnosed with the chronic form of the disease.
People also can get infected with Erhlichia, but only through a tick bite, not from contact with an infected pet.
Tick prevention and elimination are essential in preventing the disease. There are “tick collars” (not flea collars) and topical medications that can be used to prevent tick infestations. Avoid tick-infested ares, and remove ticks as soon as possible.
Ticks will feed for a period of a few minutes to days before they detach.
They perch themselves on low-lying vegetation and wait for an animal to brush against the vegetation.
Rodents and small mammals also can spread ticks.
There are three species in Washington state: Dermacentor (American dog tick or wood tick), Ixodes (deer tick) and Ornithodores (soft tick), which are confined to the eastern part of the state.
From 1989-2000, Washington reported 300 cases of tick-borne disease in people. Eleven cases of Ehrlichia were reported in dogs in 2007.
While this is a relatively low number, it is a reminder to take precautions against tick bites for you and your pet.
Visit www.dogsandticks.com for a great interactive map and further education.
On the Web
For more information, visit any of the following Web sites:
www.peteducation.com — Ehrlichiosis in dogs
www.petplace.com — More on Ehrlichiosis in dogs
www.doh.wa.gov — Tick diseases in Washington state.