One of the most common diseases we've encountered in taking
care of our dogs is ehrlichiosis (or commonly known as tick fever). It is
caused by bacteria called ehrlichia which is carried by ticks. It targets white
blood cells, and if left untreated may cause death.
Depending on the immune system and species of ehrlicia, the
symptoms and signs of ehrlichiosis might involve:
Loss of appetite
Weight Loss
Lethargy
Coughing
Eye and Nose Discharge
Abnormal Bleeding
Anemia
Enlarged Organs (spleen, lymph nodes, kidneys)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
To prevent your dogs from getting ehrlichiosis, you must
prevent their exposure to ticks. Regularly inspect your dog, and get rid of any
tick as soon as you can. There are a lot of antiectoparasitic products out there
as well, and the application can vary. Some are spot-on, others are oral, there
is also one that you can spray all over their body, and it can also be
intravenous. The product that we mostly use is Frontline. We apply it to our
dogs as a monthly basis to ensure that ticks will not infest them. We have also
tried NexGard which is very effective, however it is kind of expensive.
Treating your dog's surrounding must also be done, especially if you live in an
area where ticks carrying this disease are common.
One of our veterinarians said that it can only take one tick
for a dog to have ehrlichiosis. In case you notice your dog having one of the
symptoms or signs mentioned above, it would be best to immediately go to your
local vet.
Treatment may involve a prescription of an antibiotic called
Doxycycline. This disease responds well to it, but it must be given for a
couple of weeks to ensure that your dog will fully recover. Blood transfusions
may also be necessary in worst cases wherein the blood cell counts are
extremely low.