6 Deadly Diseases Caused By Ticks

You must have seen small, black-brown colored mole like creature attached to the skin of your dog or perhaps inside the ear flaps. If you run your fingers in the feet and hind region you may probably find more. These bumps are nothing but pesky arachnids called ticks. They attach themselves to the pet, suck blood and in turn transmit host of diseases in the pet’s body. These diseases can happen to dogs of any breed, age or weight. Some of them can even prove to be fatal as they cause various complications that when left untreated may eventually lead to death. Hence it is important to know the enemy to incapacitate it.

Here we have listed 6 major tick-borne diseases that are found more profoundly in dogs today.

1. Lyme Disease

Caused by an infectious bacteria belonging to Borellia family present in the ticks, Lyme disease is rampant in US and Canada. Black-legged ticks are majorly responsible for transmitting this disease in dogs. Other species known as deer tick also contributes greatly in infecting the pet with Lyme disease. It is important to note that a tick stays attached to the host for almost 40 hours before it transmits the bacteria. So, if you find a tick on your pet, remove it with a tweezers immediately.

2. Ehrlichiosis

Ehrlichiosis is found in eastern and south-central parts of US. Lone star tick (Ambylomma americanum) tranmit Ehrlichia bacteria to the dogs as well as humans causing flu-like symptoms viz. fever, sharp headache, muscle cramps and lethargy.

3. Anaplasmosis

Western black-legged ticks and deer ticks are responsible for causing Anaplasmosis in dogs and can also occur in humans. The symptoms of anaplasmosis are similar to the ones found in Lyme disease which may include: vomiting, struggled breathing, diarrhea and cough.

4. Babesiosis

Babesiosis is transmitted in dogs either directly through infected dog bites or by ticks. Black-legged tick is again responsible for infecting the pet with Babesiosis. The protozoa which causes infection affects the red-blood cells of the pet’s body. Upper Midwest population and northeast regions are mostly under the radar of this tick-borne disease.

5. Rocky Mountain Fever

This particular infection is caused by several tick species depending on the region. In Arizona, it is caused by brown-tick. In east, American-dog tick is responsible for Rocky-mountain fever in most dogs whereas the west is infected by wood ticks.

6. Hepatozoonosis

Hepatozoonosis is a kind of tick disease which doesn’t happen by tick bites. Actually, this infection is transferred in the dog’s body when he accidently ingests or eats the infected tick. Symptoms to look out for include: Weight loss, bloody diarrhea, stiffness and muscle atrophy.

Ticks attach themselves to the host by digging their feet deep into the skin. Therefore, one should always pull the ticks cautiously and gently with tweezers so that the tick doesn’t vomit into the skin ultimately spreading infection in the host. Furthermore, pet owners must use tick preventatives like Frontline Plus or Advantage to eliminate and prevent all sorts of tick species. The best part is these preventives can be used year long ensuring complete protection against ticks.

Prevention is the only way you can safeguard your dogs against these devastating diseases. So, act quick!