I took five of my six dogs to the vet for their shots and heartworm test yesterday. Number six went earlier in the week because of a swollen paw, and couldn’t get his shots because he’s on antibiotics. Every dog got every vaccination known to man, and all were heartworm negative. But three of the five came back positive for Erlichia traces in their blood samples. This is a tick-borne illness that can be transmitted to dogs, horses (as Potomac Horse Fever) and humans. The vet said the infected ticks tend to be in geographic clusters, so my area must be pretty heavily invested. The treatment for the dogs is 4-6 weeks on antibiotics.
Since this seems to be a bad year for ticks, pay attention if you’re pulling ticks off your dogs or yourself. The disease is potentially deadly for the immuno-compromised.
I love my vet though. He was showing me another dog someone brought in to be put down because it had a “broken leg” (which was really a torn ACL with ligament damage). Rather than put a health 3 year old dog down, my vet asked the guy if he could take the dog off his hands, so he wouldn’t have a bill for euthanasia, and the vet fixed him. Even with all his present animals (8 dogs, several cats, many horses) and after 50 years on the vet business, the vet was still excited about his new pet. He had to take me back to the recovery area to meet him.
StG
What a great vet! I haven’t seen any ticks yet this year but they get pretty thick. My vet estimated that over 50% of the dogs have Lyme disease. My hound got the vaccination but that doesn’t prevent it, it just makes it easier to treat. I also know several people up here with it and it’s not fun.
Is it just a dog disease, or do cat [del]owners[/del] staff have to worry about it too?
Malleus, Incus, Stapes! - According to this, it’s much less prevalent in cats.
Surly Chick -The wife of the vet team told me right now they have 3 dogs the vet wouldn’t put down. He doesn’t tell the clients he’s putting them down and doesn’t do it, he just offers to take them, fix them and find them homes. The vet told me he just can’t put down a healthy animal because the owner is unwilling or unable to fix an injury. The pair moved here from Oregon as a retirement. This clinic was supposed to be a part-time thing to give a little extra retirement income. No they’re open 6 days a week, and provide compassionate service. They’re one of the few small-animal vets who give out their cell numbers for after hours emergencies.
StG
StG, that is a wonderful vet you have.
I rather like my vet service here in suburbia. They have a greeter dog, three cats and a parrot in the the reception area/waiting room. The animals never make it to the front room until they can prove they have good social behavior. All of the animals were brought in to be put down because the owner couldn’t afford the care they needed. Others who don’t pass the social skills tests usually go home with the staff. It makes me very confident that my pets will be treated right.
Ehrlichiosis is a dangerous disease and can be fatal in animals and people. Be super careful about tick exposure in your area. Acute symptoms can be vague.
I’m reasonably certain I had it. I had a lot of ticks one summer. I developed a nasty fever out of nowhere and went to the doctor. No one else in my household had been sick. They did not run a blood test, but did give me antibiotics. I got better. It could all be coincidence. I don’t think so. This fever did not feel normal.
romansperson - The vet tech at the clinic said her husband was diagnosed with it, and his joints hurt so much he’d cry. His doctor either hadn’t heard of it, or didn’t normally think of it and it took a lot of testing before they figured out what he had.
I routinely find ticks crawling on me, but rarely are they imbedded. I went out a couple days ago to bring two of the horses in from the pasture and found 5 ticks crawling on me, just from about a 1/2 mile walk in the fields.
StG