Ticks are the most common problem faced by every pet parent. Every dog gets ticks at some point and we need to deal with it. These ticks cause various health problems in your pets and one of the common condition is the tick fever in dogs.
What Is Tick Fever In Dogs?
Canine ehrlichiosis is the other name of tick fever. This is usually caused by the brown tick, a parasite that feeds off from the blood of your pets. These ticks live on your pet's skin coat. Ticks are more active in humid conditions. Heavily tick-infested dogs are more prone to tick fever.
Symptoms Of Tick Fever In Dogs:
Tick fever is classified into acute, sub-clinical and chronic stages. The common symptoms of acute tick fever in dogs are:
a. Loss of weight
b. Fever
c. Respiratory problems
d. Swelling of lymph nodes
In the sub-clinical stage, dogs do not show any symptoms. The symptoms in the chronic stage of tick fever are:
a. Anemia
b. Hemorrhage
c. Limb swelling
d. Low blood platelet count
e. Bone marrow failure
Diagnosing Tick Fever In Dogs:
Early diagnosis is rare as the symptoms start to show up only when the disease is in the chronic stage. Diagnosis is confirmed based on the pet's exposure to ticks and also through blood tests looking for the platelet count.
Treatment And Preventing Tick Fever In Dogs:
Lots of IV fluids and blood transfusion is done for dogs affected with tick fever. Your vet might also prescribe antibiotics for your dog.
As the proverb says "Prevention is better than cure", it is the best way to protect your dogs from tick fever. Always check for flea and ticks on your dogs and remove them once you spot them. Spot on treatment is available that can be given as per your vet's advice.
Bathe your dogs with a good flea and tick shampoo and also disinfect the surroundings and your pet's bedding. All these will keep your dogs itch-free and healthy this summer!
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