26/09/2020
Tick-borne diseases
A variety of diseases that can infect dogs are spread by ticks, including Lyme disease and many others. Some diseases are more common in specific areas of the U.S. These diseases can cause anemia (blood loss), lameness, weakness, lethargy, organ failure, and even death.
Ehrlichiosis is a disease that develops in dogs after being bitten by an infected tick. The brown dog tick is the main carrier of the Ehrlichia organism in nature. Other tick species, have also been shown to transmit the disease in dogs and may carry other subspecies of Ehrlichia.
Ehrlichiosis responds well to treatment with the antibiotic Doxycycline. 1 Improvement in symptoms is usually very quick, but several weeks of treatment is usually needed to ensure a full recovery. In severe cases where blood cell counts are very low, blood transfusions may be needed.
