Understanding The Various Health Complications Of Tick Bites

Dogs are man's beloved pet. Some are even raised and adopted to be part of the family. Dog owners look after and care about their pets just as a parent to a young kid. Pet dogs are lucky for the reason that they are fed, groomed and well taken care of. When a dog is queasy, it is brought to a veterinarian who specially cares for animals. Clearly, one of the most common health complaints when raising dogs are tick invasion.

Ticks are pests. They belong to the family of spiders and mites. They are arachnids, although many still believe that ticks are insects. Ticks are damaging because they are vectors to a number of diseases. As previously mentioned, they fed on their hosts by sucking on its blood. By this method, they transfer diseases from one host to another.

The most common symptoms of tick bites are fever, sudden loss of desire for food, irritation, swelling in the area, stupor and depression. For proper diagnosis and management, pet owners should report these symptoms rightaway to their vet.

If tick bites are overlooked, it can develop and become critical. Complications from tick bites often have general symptoms. It is important to know the different complications of tick bites in order to arrest the condition as soon as possible. Following are some of them:

Ehrlichiosis
Brown dog tick bites and lone star tick bites are the most common causes of this condition. Rickettsia organism is the causative agent. It is bacteria. But some say that it is a virus because it produces flu-like symptoms. The general symptoms of this disease range from loss of appetite to fever, joint pain, anemia and bruising. Other possible symptoms are eye inflammation and decrease levels of all types of blood cells. Generally, the management for Ehrlichiosis includes antibiotic therapy like doxycycline or tetrachycline.

Anaplasmosis
This condition is often misguided as Ehrlichiosis because their symptoms are relatively equivalent. Pets that are anguished from Anasplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis can exhibit signs of fever, headache, muscle pain, chils, nausea and lethargy. On the other hand, their causative factors are different. If Ehrlichiosis is caused by rickettsia organism, Anasplasmosis on the other hand is caused by rickettsial parasite of ruminants. Same treatment with Ehrlichiosis, antibiotic therapy is the most effective management for Anaplasmosis.

Tick Bite Paralysis
This is not common in dogs. When the female wood or mountain ticks release a poison, this condition usually follows. The toxin blocks the interaction between the muscles and the nervous system. When the nerve function is lodged it consequently results to paralysis. Watch out for signs of weakness, difficulty of breathing and walking. The best management for tick bite paralysis is elimination of ticks. Once the tick is removed, the pet is on its way to improvement. Nevertheless, complete recuperation is achieved in twenty four to seventy two hours. If symptoms on the other hand become severe or if the paralysis has progressed intravenous fluid may be given or the dog may necessitate a ventilator to assist in breathing.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
This disease is very fatal. Some countries call this disease as tick typhus and Tobia fever. The disease is transmitted by the bite of the Rocky Mountain wood tick or the American dog tick. Rickettsia then enters the dog in the tick spit. The most common signs and symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are hyperthermia, nausea and vomiting, decrease in appetite, muscle pain and headache. Late signs of the disease are Petechial and maculopapular rash, abdominal and joint pain. Doxycycline is the medication of choice for the management of this disease.

Tick bites should not be taken for granted. It can cause complications and the symptoms are very frightening. Prevention is still best key to manage tick invasion. So be sure to maintain a tick free home conditions!

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