HEALTH
Tick Fever in Dogs Explained: Everything Your Vet Needs You to Know
Tick fever in dogs is a serious & life-threatening disease. Learn how to prevent it and spot the early signs with our vet’s easy guide.
Table of contents
Ticks and fever are already scary for any pet parent, but put them together, and it’s a whole other ghost story. Tick fever, a general term for diseases caused by tick bites, most commonly presents as a fever, but it can manifest in various alarming ways. The symptoms can range from increased lethargy to seizures and if untreated, can be even fatal. In this article, we aim to help you understand tick fever better and how you can help your dog prevent and fight it.
What is Tick Fever in Dogs?
Tick fever in dogs is a disease caused by microscopic organisms like protozoa and bacteria, transmitted through tick bites (vector). When a tick bites a dog, it can introduce these pathogens into the bloodstream, leading to infection.
What are Some Tick Fever Symptoms in Dogs?
Although the tick fever symptoms in dogs are endless, the most common and key symptoms & presentations that indicate tick fever include:
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Drop/change in appetite
- Bleeding from the nose (Epistaxis)
- Blood in the stools (Hematochezia or melena)
- Dark/reddish urine
- Petechial haemorrhages (red spots on the belly)
- Joint pain
- Swollen lymph nodes (neck, inner arm, inner thigh)
- Weight loss
- Sudden paralysis (complete or partial)
- Seizures
How is Tick Fever in Dogs Transmitted?
As the name suggests, tick bites are the main course of transmission for tick fever in dogs. The only others being transplacental or through accidental transfers during blood transfusions.
Although certain protozoa are only transmitted by specific species of ticks, identifying and singling out the exact tick that caused it is nearly impossible so let's just stick to ALL TICKS ARE BAD. To understand more about the tick life cycle, click here.
Although certain protozoa are only transmitted by specific species of ticks, identifying and singling out the exact tick that caused it is nearly impossible so let's just stick to ALL TICKS ARE BAD. To understand more about the tick life cycle, click here.
What are the Various Types of Tick Fever?
To dive into the disease in more detail, tick fever is a broad term for the disease but it can be linked to various species of protozoa causing the above symptoms. These protozoa are present in ticks and are transmitted to your dog’s body through tick bites. Here are the types of tick fever caused by each protozoa:
Understanding the subspecies is crucial, as it directly impacts treatment options. We'll delve into it a little later.
Also note, that in certain cases, your dog can be infected by more than one of these organisms simultaneously.
To put you at ease, none of these diseases mentioned would affect you (humans) except Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease but these are not present in India.
- Babesiosis
- Causative organism: Babesia spp.
- Subspecies: B. canis, B. gibsoni
- Other notes: B. gibsoni hosts can stay carriers for life and re-infection (relapse) is common in immuno-compromised animals
- Anaplasmosis
- Causative organism: Anaplasma spp.
- Subspecies: A. platys, A. phagocytophillum
- Other notes: Most commonly found in India
- Ehrlichiosis
- Causative organism: Ehrlichia spp.
- Subspecies: E. canis, E. ewingii
- Other notes: Most commonly found in India
- Hepatozoonosis
- Causative organism: Hepatozoon spp.
- Subspecies: H. canis
- Other notes: Hepatozoon hosts also stay carriers for life with sub-clinical infections
- Bartonellosis
- Causative organism: Bartonella spp.
- Subspecies: B. henselae
- Other notes: Can sometimes be transferred by fleas
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Causative organism: Rickettsia spp.
- Subspecies: R. rickettsii
- Other notes: Not found in India
- Lyme disease
- Causative organism: Borrelia spp.
- Subspecies: B. burgdorferi
- Other notes: Not found in India
Understanding the subspecies is crucial, as it directly impacts treatment options. We'll delve into it a little later.
Also note, that in certain cases, your dog can be infected by more than one of these organisms simultaneously.
To put you at ease, none of these diseases mentioned would affect you (humans) except Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease but these are not present in India.
All ticks are bad ticks!
How Does Tick Fever Affect Your Dog’s Body?
Once infected, these nasty little organisms take up residence in your dog’s blood cells (red or white). After this, they cause destruction and damage to your dog’s circulatory system which includes the spleen, liver, and most notably a drop in platelet counts which is an essential part of clotting and healing. Due to this, the first thing you would notice is a drop in your dog’s complete blood count or directly in the form of haemorrhages (small bleeding points) both internal and external.
Since these organisms reside in your dog’s blood, they are also responsible for the destruction of the same which then leads to anaemia which is the primary cause of lethargy and difficulty in breathing as the red blood cells are responsible for carrying energy and oxygen to all parts of your dog’s body.
Since these organisms reside in your dog’s blood, they are also responsible for the destruction of the same which then leads to anaemia which is the primary cause of lethargy and difficulty in breathing as the red blood cells are responsible for carrying energy and oxygen to all parts of your dog’s body.
How is Tick Fever in Dogs Diagnosed?
There are four ways in which canine tick fever can be diagnosed in dogs:
• By symptoms – As mentioned above
• Blood tests - Low platelet counts, anaemia (Hb & RBC), LFT and KFT elevations
• Snap tests - Quick and covers a heavy-grade infection
• PCR test - The main tool for confirmation and identification of the exact organism
These tests are noted in order of pricing and reliability (low to high). Meaning, that these organisms can be tricky, PCR picks up even low levels and nearly undetectable organisms with their specific species, Snap tests rely on antibody presence so results may be unreliable if your dog has not developed antibodies yet. Blood tests are your primary tool but it is seen that often symptoms and blood tests do not always match causing much confusion and misdiagnosis.
For more clarity, blood tests will usually show a low platelet count and haemoglobin/RBC count but that does not always mean it’s tick fever. It is ALWAYS recommended to get a PCR done to identify the exact organism that is causing the disease and then prepare a plan based on that.
A smear examination is also extremely important as a skilled laboratorian can identify the organism directly under a microscope and can be vital to starting treatment at the earliest.
• By symptoms – As mentioned above
• Blood tests - Low platelet counts, anaemia (Hb & RBC), LFT and KFT elevations
• Snap tests - Quick and covers a heavy-grade infection
• PCR test - The main tool for confirmation and identification of the exact organism
These tests are noted in order of pricing and reliability (low to high). Meaning, that these organisms can be tricky, PCR picks up even low levels and nearly undetectable organisms with their specific species, Snap tests rely on antibody presence so results may be unreliable if your dog has not developed antibodies yet. Blood tests are your primary tool but it is seen that often symptoms and blood tests do not always match causing much confusion and misdiagnosis.
For more clarity, blood tests will usually show a low platelet count and haemoglobin/RBC count but that does not always mean it’s tick fever. It is ALWAYS recommended to get a PCR done to identify the exact organism that is causing the disease and then prepare a plan based on that.
A smear examination is also extremely important as a skilled laboratorian can identify the organism directly under a microscope and can be vital to starting treatment at the earliest.
How Can Tick Fever in Dogs be Prevented?
The primary method of prevention is simply through prevention of ticks & tick bites on dogs. There are certain products that when used appropriately can prevent the spread of tick fever even if a tick bites your dog. It is ideal to consult your dog’s primary veterinarian to discuss anti-tick treatments.
There are other options like shampoos, sprays, and spot-on treatments which work well but act more as repellents and may not act in time to prevent the transmission of the disease which usually takes about 6-24 hours from a carrier tick that has fed on your dog.
There are other options like shampoos, sprays, and spot-on treatments which work well but act more as repellents and may not act in time to prevent the transmission of the disease which usually takes about 6-24 hours from a carrier tick that has fed on your dog.
The best treatment is prevention!
What is the Treatment Plan for Canine Tick Fever?
As mentioned earlier, each species of tick fever organism has a sub-species within it. The importance of this is that the treatment options would vary based on the subspecies. Treatment combinations for canine tick fever may include but aren’t restricted to Diminazene aceturate (Berenil®) with Trypan blue (Trypan blue®), Atovaquone with Azithromycin, or Doxycycline with Imidocarb dipropionate (Imizol®).
Always consult a veterinarian for appropriate dosing and treatment duration tailored to your pet's specific condition. Never try to self-medicate after reading up on treatments. Additionally, with new advances in medicine, preferred and advisable drugs may change with time.
Along with the above drugs, certain supplements will help your dog recover faster which include platelet boosters, liver supportives, haematinics and antioxidants.
In severe cases, a blood transfusion might be needed so the sooner the disease is caught, the better the outcome.
Important note: Some species of tick fever, most notoriously Babesia gibsoni is a persistent organism which despite diligent treatment can persist in the body and resurface at a later time when your dog’s immunity might get compromised. Puppies and senior dogs whose immunity might be compromised are at greater risk of morbidity and mortality.
Tick fever in dogs is a preventable but serious disease, if untreated can lead to serious health defects and even death. The best routine practice is identification at the earliest stage and regular checks for susceptible dogs. Always opt for a complete blood test (CBC, LFT, KFT). PCR is your best (although expensive) friend. Lastly,
ALL TICKS ARE BAD, so prevent ticks = prevent tick fever.
Always consult a veterinarian for appropriate dosing and treatment duration tailored to your pet's specific condition. Never try to self-medicate after reading up on treatments. Additionally, with new advances in medicine, preferred and advisable drugs may change with time.
Along with the above drugs, certain supplements will help your dog recover faster which include platelet boosters, liver supportives, haematinics and antioxidants.
In severe cases, a blood transfusion might be needed so the sooner the disease is caught, the better the outcome.
Important note: Some species of tick fever, most notoriously Babesia gibsoni is a persistent organism which despite diligent treatment can persist in the body and resurface at a later time when your dog’s immunity might get compromised. Puppies and senior dogs whose immunity might be compromised are at greater risk of morbidity and mortality.
Tick fever in dogs is a preventable but serious disease, if untreated can lead to serious health defects and even death. The best routine practice is identification at the earliest stage and regular checks for susceptible dogs. Always opt for a complete blood test (CBC, LFT, KFT). PCR is your best (although expensive) friend. Lastly,
ALL TICKS ARE BAD, so prevent ticks = prevent tick fever.
Keywords:
Tick fever symptoms in dogs,
Canine tick fever,
Types of tick fever,
tick fever in dogs ,
tick bites on dogs
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