Vol. 4, No. 8, August 2007
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Ticks: What to Do
Here is how to proceed if your pet is bitten by a tick
No one likes ticks (except maybe the birds that love to eat them), but like fleas and cockroaches, they are a fact of life. There are many species of ticks that can carry various types of diseases, from Lyme to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, to tick paralysis and anaplasmosis. Some diseases remain species-specific, but some, like Lyme disease, can cross species and infect deer, dogs and humans.
Cats seem to be resistant to many tick diseases like erlichia and Rocky Mountain fever. Felines are not as predisposed to tick-borne illness as humans and canines.
Dogs are 50 percent more likely to get Lyme disease than humans, and if left untreated, it can cause a number of symptoms including lameness, fever, joint swelling, kidney failure and heart problems. These symptoms may be hidden in the early stages of the disease, so it’s important to have your dog tested every year.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever causes similar signs and symptoms as Lyme diseases, such as joint pain, stiffness, limping or lameness that actually may come and go. The danger of these general symptoms is that we owners, and vets, often chalk the symptoms up to “he sprained a ligament,” or “he twisted his knee,” because the pet is better in a day or two.
A couple of keys to diagnosis are fever, repeating symptoms and when lameness shifts legs. A blood test is available for Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Ehrlichiosis is the second-most common infectious disease in the United States, and it is spreading every year. Carried by several common dog ticks, it is potentially life-threatening, since this parasite attacks the blood cells, not the joints. Intermittent fever and lethargy are the main signs, and routine blood screening will often show a decreased platelet count. The disease can result in permanent blindness, autoimmune disease, bleeding complications and even death.
There is no vaccine available. While there are no proven cases of direct transmission of the ehrlichiosis parasite from dogs to people, ticks can transmit it to you. A simple in-office blood test can determine if your pet has this disease.
Treatment of all tick-borne diseases is primarily the antibiotic doxycycline for three to four weeks. Follow-up testing is indicated after a time to see if the disease is gone. There is no vaccine for erlichia or RMSF, and the decision to vaccinate for Lyme disease depends on exposure risk. There are several species of ticks that carry these diseases, so it's not just the deer tick anymore.
Daily grooming and combing to search for ticks remains the best non-medical treatment for your dog. The use of some of the topical tick control “spot-ons” (like Frontline) or collars (like Preventic) is recommended. However, consumers should note that store brands are not the same as the veterinary brands, which are more effective and safer.
Risk versus benefit is the rule in what is prescribed for each individual pet. As always, the best source of information and advice about how to treat your pet is your veterinarian.
