Ehrlichiosis

Ehrlichiosis is primarily transmitted by the Lone Star tick. Its symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and vomiting. A rash may or may not appear. Babesiosis is generally transmitted by the deer tick. Its symptoms include fatigue, discomfort, fever, headache, and muscle pain. This disease can prove fatal if it is not treated immediately.

Lyme Disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. It is carried from host to host by deer ticks. The disease must be acquired by the larvae tick, usually from a host like the deer mouse. Nymphs are the main vector to people since they can remain undetected for the 48 hours necessary to transmit the disease to man. The exact amount of time for transmission to take place is unknown but appears to be more than 36 hours and probably closer to 48 hours.

Ticks are a bunch of tiny arthropods and their main source of food is the blood of animals which includes humans. Ticks live in tall grasses, trees, leaf litter, shrubs and sometimes in your own backyard. Ticks cannot jump or fly onto their host's body. Instead they burrow into the skin without detection and start drawing blood. Soft-bodied ticks usually have their fill after a few hours but their hard-bodied cousins may stay on the host's skin for up to 2 weeks.

The final disease to affect pet heath, which is very rare, is Babesiosis. It is a parasite that once bitten lives in the red blood cells of dogs. It causes the cells to rupture and eventually leads to severe anemia. If untreated the dog could die from internal damage to the red blood cells. Most people notice lethargy and a general yellow appearance to the skin, eyes, and mouth of the dogs. This yellowing is actually a by-product of ruptured red blood cells called hemoglobin.

Joint Abnormalities: Conditions such as hip dysplasia put extra stress on animal’s joins, increase a dog’s risk of arthritis. In addition if your dog has surgery such as a knee replacement surgery, like my Wanda did, your dog will likely develop arthritis around that joint.

Dog ticks must be removed immediately if found attached to a host. Tweezers or commercial tick removal aids should be used for this purpose. Gloves must be worn during tick removal. Ticks should never be touched with bare hands because they can transmit infections. The correct method is to slowly pull the tick out from the point of attachment, ensuring that its mouth is not embedded in the skin of the host. The tick should not be crushed in the process.

Lone Star Tick is found primarily in the southern and south central U.S. It is a reddish-brown species and the common hosts include a wide variety of mammals, including humans and ground-feeding birds. The adult female has a distinctive white spot on her back. The male has a white marking around the outside of its back. This species can transmit ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia.

A tick is not just a passing irritation; it can cause many problems to your dog. The least that can happen to your dog is skin irritation as the tic is implanting itself into your dog's body. That is the least of your dog's problems. Tics can also carry horrible diseases that your dog is well likely to catch. In the UK, your dog could catch lyme disease- this is caused by the most common tic in the UK and in dogs it can cause a fever, arthritis and may cause skin disease and irritation.