What are the Dangers of Ticks in Dogs
Notes
The dog bites itself is unpleasant, but not fatal. A local inflammatory reaction, redness, itching, and swelling occur at the bite site. But ticks are carriers of many dangerous human and animal diseases https://true-dog.com/health/dried-dead-tick-on-dog/.
What diseases ticks carry:
Babesiosis (piroplasmosis),
ehrlichiosis,
anaplasmosis,
borreliosis.
Piroplasmosis is a seasonal disease of dogs caused by bites of ixodid ticks. It is also called babesiosis.
Myths about piroplasmosis
Before reading about the symptoms and treatments, let's sort out the tall tales the disease has become surrounded by. The owner should know when not to torture the dog with tests and take him to clinics.
You can get piroplasmosis from other dogs
Fortunately, you can't, because it's not an infectious disease. Only a tick can infect an animal. It's like a person who is sick with malaria is not contagious to others, because the dangerous microbe is not transmitted by airborne or sexual contact.
If you remove the tick from the dog in time, everything will be fine
Unfortunately, this is not the case. The ixodid tick bite itself is not as bad as the pathogen it carries. Infection occurs through the salivary glands during the bite. Therefore, it is possible to determine piroplasmosis only after a blood test.
What happens if piroplasmosis is not treated
Piroplasmosis is an acute disease from which the dog quickly dies without timely assistance.
If a dog is bitten by a tick on a walk, the symptoms appear for a period of two days to two weeks. After that, the dog dies in five days. It is important to see the first signs of infection and help quickly.
Ehrlichiosis is a blood-parasitic disease, transmitted through a tick bite, but also through blood transfusions. The causative agent is an intracellular parasite, a bacterium. The pathogen parasitizes white blood cells (leukocytes), and red bone marrow.
The incubation period varies from 8 to 21 days.
Main symptoms: lethargy, fever, lack of desire to move, joint involvement (polyarthritis), enlargement of lymph nodes, purulent nasal discharge. It may be accompanied by pallor or jaundice of mucous membranes or hemorrhages on mucous membranes.
Diagnosis is by PCR and determination of blood antibody levels (ELISA).
Treatment is with antibiotics. If necessary, comprehensive symptomatic therapy is carried out.
Anaplasmosis is a blood-parasitic disease transmitted by a tick bite and blood transfusion. Caused by bacteria. Also affects blood cells, particularly platelets, which are responsible for clotting.
The incubation period is 4 to 11 days.
The main symptoms are lethargy, fever, refusal to eat, pale or jaundiced mucosa, dark or bloody urine, hemorrhages, and bruises.
Diagnosis is made by PCR and determination of blood antibody levels (ELISA).
Treatment is with antibiotics. If necessary, comprehensive symptomatic therapy is carried out.
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