Question about tick-borne diseases?

Willowy

Since I work at the Post Office, I see a lot of those postcards that people get from their vets, the vaccine/test reminders, and I like to look at them to see what the dog's name is . I saw one the other day that was a reminder for the dog to get a "heartworm, erlichia, & lyme test" (not from my vet). I've never had my dogs tested for erlichia or lyme disease, and I didn't know that vets around here thought it was important.

Lyme disease is not very common in this area, as there aren't a lot of deer ticks here. Lots of dog ticks, but not deer ticks. Occasionally someone will bring a deer tick home from the Black Hills, but it's just not something we usually worry about. And I have no idea about the prevalence of erlichia. Is this something I should ask my vet about the next time I take my dogs in? I doubt he keeps the lyme or erlichia tests on hand. He'd probably have to special-order them.

briteday

Erlichia is transmitted by the brown dog tick, all over the US. However, most cases are in the Gulf Coast states and the Southwest.

Lyme is more prevalent in California, New England, and Southern states...but can be found anywhere in the US.

I would ask your vet about it. Generally if I ask something like that my vet will tell me how many cases he's seen and if it is increasing in our area. On the other hand, I've heard a lot of vets don't think about testing for tick borne diseases so maybe they are missing some, especially when symptoms are vague.

lovemygreys

TBDs are a pretty common issue with greyhounds b/c they spend much of their life in the South - usually by the time the dog goes to adoption they're already in the subclinical phase and show no symptoms. Then one day the dog can become extremely ill seemingly "out of the blue" - Since greyhounds usually race in one state and are shipped to many other parts of the country, there is a problem with vets in areas that don't have high incidences of TBDs overlooking the diagnosis and resulting in delayed treatment or even death of the dog.

That said, I have a few dogs that have/had Ehrlichia. Specifically a father and two of his offspring (a track well known for having dogs with tick disease...but that's another rant altogether). A titer will show you exposure, but won't necessarily indicate whether or not a dog needs treatment. Most vets would want to see clinical signs along with a positive titer. Also keep in mind that even after treatment your dog may show a positive titer simply because they were once exposed to the disease.

TBDs are really a very tricky thing. There is much debate in the greyhound world about how to treat, when to treat, whether or not to treat proactively (i.e. a dog with a low positive titer but no symptoms).

There is a SNAP 4DX test that your vet can use in-house to look for heartworm and three tick diseases. For a more definitive test, though, I'd have blood sent to NC State for a tick panel (which I would do only in the case of a sick dog). Your vet may or may not stock the SNAP 4DX. In a non-endemic state, I would imagine not.

Here's a pretty good article written by a vet I really respect: http://greythealth.com/ehrlichia.htm It's heavily focused around greyhounds, but the info could apply to any dog.

I think the most important thing is to educate yourself on the symptoms of tick disease so if your dog does ever become symptomatic, you can advocate on behalf of your dog if your vet happens to be one of those who considers everything BUT tick disease.

Tick disease is not something I test any of my dogs for on a regular basis...certainly not yearly.

Dogmom07

My dog has had Erliccia. It is diagnosed with a blood test they send to the lab. He was in the chronic stage by the time we figured out what he had. Fortunately with medication, he has recovered 100%. This is a very serious disease if not treated. He lost 9 pounds, which he has not gained back yet, they become lethargic and there is loss of appetite.

There are many vets that do not check for this disease until it is brought to their attention.

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