Thursday, February 28, 2008

Tick Borne Diseases - Diagnosis and Treatment


As you discovered from our recent blog and the resources we recommended, tick-borne diseases are a growing threat to people and pets. Just think: It takes one miniscule deer tick a mere 24 hours or so of blood-sucking activity to infect you or your dog.

Undercover Agents
Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria (in the case of Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis) or the parasites (in babesiosis) multiply in a matter of days to the point where they can send a grown human being to the hospital in need of intravenous antibiotics.

Worse is the fact that ticks, especially in their larval stage, can easily go undetected; you might never find the tick that made you or your dog sick. That's because a tick the size of a tiny dot, particularly on a toy poodle with black hair, can pretty much hitch a free ride--and get a free lunch.

How Can I Tell If My Dog Is Sick?
Unfortunately, knowing if your dog has a tick-borne disease is extremely difficult if you haven't found an attached deer tick. Tick-borne diseases are tricky for owners to diagnose. Your pet might seem feverish, listless, or lethargic.

He might lose his appetite, a condition we call inappetence. (Now that's a clear sign of a sick dog, isn't it?) Your dog might seem to have stiff or painful joints. In short, the symptoms are pretty nonspecific and could apply to a number of different illnesses.

Your best bet? Simply this: Know your dog's normal behavior and activity level and consult your veterinarian if you detect that something "just isn't right."

Best Money Ever Spent
After examining your pet and evaluating symptoms, the vet will probably do a "Snap" test. The SNAP 4Dx test from IDEXX Laboratories can determine, within minutes, if your dog has any of four diseases: heartworm, Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis, or anaplasmosis.

Our Chris, an elderly, black, toy poodle, was recently diagnosed with anaplasmosis quite by accident. We had taken him to the vet for a routine wellness checkup. The SNAP 4Dx test is performed each year at our vet's office and costs $45. Not cheap but it literally can be a life-saver.

Good thing we had the test done. Chris's blood contained antibodies to the bacteria that caue anaplasmosis, indicating a current or recent infection. Our vet put Chris on doxycycline, an antibiotic that usually cures the infection in a few weeks.

Prevention Tips
In our next blog, we'll offer several tips including one for a tick-disease preventative that we will now use 12 months of the year, instead of just during the warmer months. Apparently ticks in Rhode Island are active even in the dead of winter.

Until next time,
Dibs Darwin, Spokespoodle
Cape Rose Toy Poodles