Tick-borne Disease in Dogs
 In memory of Bauernhoffen's Thunder
2 September 1997- 2 June 2000
There are four major tick-borne diseases that affect dogs in the United States: ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. They are all dangerous and most can be fatal unless diagnosed in time and treated aggressively.
On the 2nd of June, 2000, I lost my German Shepherd Dog, Thunder, to the ravages of chronic Neorickettsia risticii, once known as Erhlichia risticii. He was not even three when he died, the best dog I've ever owned, and I watched him die by inches over the course of a year and a half. Here in the deep South, where ticks are right at home, no one recognized tick disease until it was too late to save him.
In the years since he died, I've learned, and I'm far from alone, that most vets know next to nothing about TBD, how prevalent it is, how dangerous it is, or how best to treat it. You often have to fight even to have your dog tested, fight again to have the serum sample sent to a lab that is fast and produces consistently on-target results, then brace yourself to fight even harder to get the most effective treatment.
As Pam Barbe, who's been through the hell of TBD with her Samoyeds more than once, told me long ago, "You are your dog's only advocate. If you won't fight for him, who will?" If you seriously suspect your dog has a TBD, do not listen if you're told he can't have one and you'd just be wasting your money on testing. It's your dog and your money. If your vet won't work with you, find one who will.
I've been there and I can tell you that until you've seen your own dog look up at you with those bright eyes which are all that's left to show he's hardly begun his life; until you've seen his fur matted and wet with the blood constantly seeping through his skin; until you've seen your magnificent young animal reduced to one that can no longer work or play or even walk without difficulty, you can't even come close to understanding how cruel tick-borne disease can be.
With luck and some knowledge, you won't have to find out. I hope you never do. Read on and I'll try to supply some of the knowledge.
Acknowledgement A great deal of whatever good and useful information there is on this site is attributable to our generous advisor on Tick List, Tom Beckett, DVM, who has treated more dogs with tick-borne disease over the years than he probably cares to think about. We are endlessly grateful for his help. Search the archives for Tom Beckett's posts on Tick List
| Site Index
In a Nutshell: an article, an overview, you might call it a short version of the site.
Ehrlichiosis: E. canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Neorickettsia risticii, A. platys, E. ewingii.
Babesiosis: B. canis, B. gibsoni
General references: pain control, vaccination, links to general veterinary reference websites
and articles by Dr. Tom Beckett.
An Important Note to the Reader
What you'll find here is general information intended to give you a better idea of what TBD is
and what it can do. It comes from my experience, my research on the web and the emails
of those on Tick List who are always so willing to help one another. I am not a vet, nor do I
pretend to be one.
References are linked in the text and in the column to the right. Any errors of fact or interpretation are unintentional. If you see something that you believe needs correction, correct the address below, email me and we'll talk about it.
Gil. Ash. blackgsd @ gmail.com |