Anaplasmosis: The OTHER Tick Disease

Pretty much everybody has heard of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  But did you know that there was another type of tick-borne disease that affects dogs called Anaplasmosis?  Here is what you need to know:

• Anaplasmosis is becoming increasingly more common.
• The disease is sometimes called Ehrlichiosis.
• The deer tick is responsible for most the Anaplasmosis in the northeast and upper Midwest, which the black-legged tick is the culprit in the western United States.
• The bacteria transmitted by the tick attacks the white blood cells and spreads throughout the body, often affecting platelets witch interferes with blood clotting.
• Symptoms of infection can include fever, lethargy, and painful, swollen joints.  Other less consistent signs are swollen lymph nodes, eye problems, or bleeding.
• Blood testing can confirm the disease.
• Most dogs can be successfully treated with a specific antibiotic, although they can relapse or become re-infected.

As if you needed another reason to use tick prevention!  Be sure to protect your dog from exposure to Anaplasmosis.