Dogs & Tick Diseases and Illnesses
As a dog parent, you must place parasite prevention as a high priority. Ticks can be problematic because they can cause skin diseases and carry blood-borne pathogens that can make your dog very sick. You may be wondering how dogs get ticks in the first place. Ticks love to hide in dense, woody areas with tall grasses. If your dog brushes past a tick, the tick can latch into your dog’s coat. Once they establish your dog as a “host”, it bites the skin, which creates a solid anchor, making it difficult to remove without proper tools.
Bacteria can be transmitted from the tick to your dog while the tick is feeding. There are certain diseases and infections that your dog can develop from tick bites, which can cause similar clinical signs. These include Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and hepatozoonosis. Allow us to explain each of these diseases in further detail.
Lyme disease – This is the most common tick-borne illness, which is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. The most common species of tick known to carry the bacteria for Lyme disease is the deer tick in many parts of the United States, the Northeastern and upper Midwestern regions are the most common.
Ehrlichiosis – This is caused by the bacteria Ehrlichia canis, carried by various tick species but commonly caused by brown dog ticks found in southeastern and southwestern states.
Babesia – This is known as transmission via dog-to-dog contact, which occurs through bite wounds or the placenta of a pregnant dog.
Hepatozoonosis – This commonly occurs in the southern and southeastern United States. Interestingly, this protozoan is transmitted when a dog ingests a tick instead of being transmitted by a tick bite. Trust us, it can happen!
Unfortunately, it may be challenging to detect ticks on your dog; by the time you find it, it may already be too late. Ticks can transmit disease once they’ve been feeding for several hours. We recommend you speak with your veterinarian about tick prevention, especially if you live in the area we mentioned above. Tick-borne illnesses can cause other significant diseases that can be difficult to diagnose. Prevention is key to ensuring your dog is safe, happy, and healthy!
