What are tick-borne diseases in dogs?

What are ticks?

Ticks are blood-sucking intracellular parasites that bring dangerous bacteria into dog's bodies, live inside a dog's cells, and cause thousands of pups to become ill every year. 

What diseases can dogs get from ticks?

Tick-borne illnesses and diseases can cause long-term, serious, and in some cases, fatal, damage to your dog's health. For these reasons, it's critical to prevent tick-borne illnesses and have signs and symptoms treated early if your dog does contract one of the conditions listed below. 

Here are the most common tick-borne diseases in dogs and their symptoms. These illnesses are diagnosed in dogs across the United States. 

Lyme Disease 

A quickly spreading global issue, Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by deer ticks or black-legged ticks. Signs and symptoms may include limping, pain or swelling in the joints, enlarged lymph nodes, lameness, fever, and lethargy. 

Canine Anaplasmosis 

Also known as dog tick fever or dog fever, this disease is carried by the deer tick and can trigger symptoms similar to those of other tick-borne diseases, including stiff joints, loss of appetite, lethargy, and fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Extreme cases can lead to seizures. 

Canine Bartonellosis 

Though this may be one of the less common tick-borne diseases in dogs, it still causes significant symptoms, including fever and lameness. Left untreated, the condition can lead to liver or heart disease. People can also contract the disease, which is transmitted by the brown dog tick. 

Canine Ehrlichiosis 

Many types of ticks, including the lone star, brown dog, and American dog ticks, can transmit canine ehrlichiosis, which is found worldwide. 

Symptoms start to appear between one and three weeks after an infected tick bites your dog. Poor appetite, fever, and low blood platelets (the cells that help blood to clot) are among the signs and symptoms. You may also notice nose bleeds or bruising on your dog's body. 

While early detection, diagnosis and treatment of canine ehrlichiosis may support a better prognosis for your dog, recovery may be more difficult if chronic symptoms develop as a result of the disease. 

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Carried by the American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, and brown deer tick, RMSF is found throughout North, South, and Central America and is a commonly diagnosed tick-borne disease that can infect dogs and people. 

Signs and symptoms include poor appetite, joint pain, fever, low platelet levels, and swollen lymph nodes. Some dogs experience neurological challenges like wobbly stature or weak limbs. 

Rickettsial Diseases 

Ricketsia is a bacteria that causes the widely recognized tick diseases Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ehrlichiosis, and canine anaplasmosis. Rickettsial organisms are comprised of small, intracellular bacteria. 

Since it can be difficult to interpret diagnostic test results, your vet may need to conduct many tests and several round of treatment before making a definitive diagnosis if your dog has a severe case of one of these diseases. 

Protozoal Diseases

These diseases originate from a protozoal intracellular parasite that lives in your dog’s red blood cells. These include:

Canine Hepatozoonosis

Your pooch can pick up this tick-borne disease by ingesting protozoa, which can happen when your dog eats infected animals such as birds or rodents. This makes it different from other tick-borne illnesses.

Canine Babesiosis

Though tick bites (typically from the American dog tick and/or brown dog tick) are primarily to blame for this disease, they may also be transferred through transplacental transmission and contaminated IV blood.

The breakdown of red blood cells can lead to symptoms such as pale gums, lethargy, jaundice (yellow or orange-colored skin or whites of eyes), and dark-colored urine. Other symptoms may include weakness and vomiting.

What are the effects of tick-borne diseases on a dog's immune system?

Unfortunately, your dog can contract multiple organisms through a single tick bite (co-infection). Different organisms may also work together to release toxins, triggering your pup’s immune system.

Once they enter your dog’s body, these tiny organisms can get into the cells and hijack your pooch’s immune system. These organisms can lead to chronic infections as they help each other survive inside your pet’s body, where several tissues and organs can become infected and inflamed.

Though this can result in a wide range of symptoms, the signs discussed above may not appear until weeks or months after your dog is bitten as the disease hides in inflamed tissue.

What are the common symptoms of tick-borne diseases that I should watch for?

The hallmark symptoms of most tick-borne diseases and illnesses in dogs include lethargy, fever, vomiting, swelling around joints, and lameness. Other signs and symptoms can include:

What are the treatment options for tick-borne diseases?

Early diagnosis and successful treatment are critical for tick-borne illnesses. Your vet may prescribe many broad-spectrum antibiotics in the early stages of the disease, with the caveat that they also destroy beneficial and bad bacteria.

This issue can be addressed by providing probiotics to your dog to prevent gastrointestinal issues from cropping up and following your vet’s recommended treatment plan.

It can be difficult to control or eradicate recurring tick diseases. Even if your dog recovers, it will still need regular blood work to detect recurrences. Ask your vet about how to control ticks.

How can I prevent my dog from contracting tick-borne diseases?

East Coweta Veterinary Hospital offers a full line of parasite prevention products to protect your pet from ticks and other parasites.

However, remember that no method is 100% effective, so always be diligent when considering outings, apply tick control treatments before taking your dog to environments where ticks may thrive, and check your pooch for ticks when you arrive home.

During tick season (which lasts through spring, summer, and fall, and year-round in warm climates), check your dog for ticks. They are typically black or dark brown and can transmit diseases within three to six hours of biting your pooch.

If you discover a tick, it should be removed quickly to prevent infection. Consider bringing your dog to our animal hospital, where a vet can safely remove it.

Are tick-borne diseases in dogs contagious?

Though many of the pathogens that cause tick-borne diseases are zoonotic and can infect humans, disease cannot spread directly between dogs and humans. This is because the diseases are spread specifically through the bite of an infected tick.

One factor in the spread of tick-borne diseases is that dogs often bring ticks into the house after playing outside, resulting in the risk of the tick biting you or a member of your family.

Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.