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There
is a lot of talk about tick diseases these days.
Tick diseases are caused by infectious organisms that are
transmitted into your pet’s bloodstream by a tick bite.
These organisms (parasite) are not typical infectious
organisms such as bacteria and viruses, but are organisms that are
specific for the disease that they cause.
For example, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is caused by an
organism called rickettsia, Ehrilichiosis is caused by an organism
called ehrilichia, Babesiosis is caused by an organism called
babesia, and Lymes Disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia.
These are the most common tick diseases in our area.
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Symptoms
of tick disease could be almost anything from a fever, lethargy,
lack of appetite, vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, swollen, painful
joints, red rashes and sometimes circular blotches on the skin.
Some of these symptoms can be noticed quickly (acute) and
some are prolonged (chronic). The
most important this is that these symptoms can mimic any disease.
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These
tick diseases do not just occur in the summer.
They may lie dormant and show up in the winter.
It does not take a heavy tick infestation to cause these
diseases. A single tick
bite from an infected tick can also cause these dreaded diseases.
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The
first thing to do if you suspect tick disease is to have your
pet’s doctor perform a specific test.
(There are new and improved tests for the diagnosis of tick
disease. Some of this new technology is incorporated into heartworm
tests done in the summer months.)
Depending on your pet’s physical condition and test
results, your pet’s doctor can let you know how serious his or her
illness is. There is no
such thing as a mild case of tick disease.
All tick diseases are very serious.
It is even possible to be infected by more than one tick
disease at a time.
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Most
tick diseases respond to antibiotics even though they are atypical
bugs. Some require
medications to help your pet’s immune system.
One of the main complications of tick disease is that your
pet’s immune system over-responds in an effort to get rid of the
disease and ends up attacking itself.
These cases typically have to be hospitalized for several
days and require intense intravenous fluid therapy, sometimes blood
transfusions, and, in extreme cases, some forms of chemotherapy.
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Strict
tick control of your yard and house are a must to prevent tick
disease. Our office
recommends frontline topically every three to four weeks and a
Preventic Collar.
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