Ehrlichiosis is one of the several tick-borne diseases in dogs. It is caused by a rickettsia called Ehrlichia canis and its main carrier is the brown dog tick. The infection appears to be particularly serious in Doberman pinschers and German shepherds. It is also called tropical canine pancytopenia and tracker dog disease because it gained significance when it was diagnosed in military dogs returning from the Vietnam war in the 70s.
The symptoms of ehrlichiosis can be grouped into 3 phases-- acute (early), subclinical (infected dogs don’t show symptoms), and chronic (clinical or infection that is long-standing).
The acute phase lasts for about 2-4 weeks and is characterized by fever, respiratory distress, swollen lymph nodes, bleeding, and some neurological problems. Some dogs may get well or the infection can develop into the sub-clinical phase, which is often viewed as the worst phase because the absence of symptoms mean the disease is not detected. The only tell-tale sign that a dog may be ill is when there is prolonged bleeding time from the site where a blood sample has been drawn.
When the dog’s immune system is unable to eliminate the causative agent, it can develop clinical ehrlichiosis with symptoms reflecting the effect on various organs of the body including the circulatory and nervous system.
Work with your animal hospital Teller County, CO in creating a tick prevention program that will protect your pet from ticks throughout the year. Visit here for more info. https://tellerparkvet.com/
