Tick Disease: Protect Your Dog! Protect Yourself!

Boy, was I ever mistaken in thinking that, since my dog and I live in an urban, lawn-covered area, she didn't need tick preventer such as Frontline.  Now, don't start reaching for the Kleenex just yet -- this has a happy ending.  But, my poor pup Hannah, the insane Chesapeake Bay Retriever, has had her second bout of tick disease -- a re-emergence of her suspected original infection back in October.

You see, this is the point of this post: tick disease may not hit just once.  There are several types of tick-borne diseases, and each one can take a while to cure or it may be an on-going condition with occasional recurrences. 

Hannah's first known episode began this past October.  She started with HGE -- hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.  Yep, it's as nasty as it sounds -- both ends fully engaged accompanied by blood in the stools and vomitus.  (By the way, I say "known", because she had at least one other case of HGE prior to this.)  After a mad dash to the vet's office with my pleading for a last-minute appointment, Hannah was given subcutaneous fluids, a shot to shut down her intestinal tract and a another injection of antibiotics.  My normally crazed CBR was curled up on the vet's floor, seemingly relieved to be at the vet's and too weak to be her normal ornery self.  She was so sick that at one point I feared she would die.

She got through the night without any "incidents", but the next morning she refused to put any weight on her rear right leg, instead weakly hobbling around on three legs in tripod-fashion.  A second trip to the vet resulted in x-rays to assure there was no damage, and at that time she was running a high fever, which was not the case the day before.  It was then that my vet started to ask if I had found a tick on her recently.  The joint tenderness and high fever were typical symptoms.  So, in addition to her original prescriptions for antibiotics and "gut stuff", Hannah was given a tick-specific antibiotic and anti-inflammatories.  Within a few days, Hannah was back to putting full weight on the leg and being her usual wild self.  (Funny how a dog's bad behaviors, that normally make you crazy, alarm you greatly when they are suddenly absent ... and how happy you are to see those ornery habits return.)

The vet had me bring Hannah in for blood tests for various tick diseases, such as Ehrlichia, Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  The numbers, or "titers", came back testing positive for RMSF, although her number was the lowest on the scale.  I needed to bring Hannah back 3 weeks later to test again: the thought being that if she did, indeed have RMSF, the numbers would significantly increase.  But, her tests came back the same -- no change.  So, the vets decided that she had some kind of tick illness, although none of their tests could determine which one. 

Well, this past week started with the HGE.  Not wanting Hannah to "crash" like in October, I immediately got her to the vet.  As with the last time, she was pumped up fluids and given the two injections.  Luckily, there was no fever.  Those wonderful medicines kick in quickly, and we had a good night.  But, the next morning, Hannah wouldn't put weight on her rear LEFT leg.  I called that symptom in to the vet's office, and the doctor confirmed that it was the tick disease having re-emerged.  She prescribed doxycycline, a tick antibiotic, and anti-inflammatories. 

Now, as you can imagine, I'm kicking myself for not having had a product like Frontline on Hannah.  For those of you pet owners who don't, please start!  I am worried that Hannah might continue to have cycles of HGE and lameness, which could have easily been prevented.  I thought being in an urban area meant we were safe.  Boy, was I wrong!  Here's what Dogs & Ticks says:

Each year, thousands of dogs contract Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and other vector-borne diseases. With their furry coats, proximity to the ground and love of exploration, dogs are 50 to 100 times more likely than humans to come in contact with disease-carrying ticks.

Ticks can be present anywhere—from the deep woods to urban parks ... 

Despite the availability of simple testing, prevention and treatment options, many people don’t know their dog is suffering from these debilitating tick diseases until it’s too late.

Let me also make clear: We humans need to protect ourselves, as well!  Since Hannah's illness first hit in October, I have met three human friends who have also been infected by tick diseases: my cousin, my colleague's father, and my neighbor.  Each of them was in urban areas and not, as you would think would be the typical tick haven, out in the woods.

My poor neighbor T became seriously ill last summer, resulting in hospitalization and almost a week of tests by several specialists before they arrived at the diagnosis: Lyme disease.  Prior to this diagnosis, he had months of odd ailments coupled with significant weight loss.  T is presently on his second round of multi-month sick leave with this week ending in another hospitalization due to pneumonia.  His immune system remains impaired.  The question remains if T will ever be "cured."

Be smart: If you can prevent ticks, do so.  Check out your local area for how prevalent tick disease is. 

Oh, and don't forget about nasty mosquitoes either -- they carry wicked diseases for both man and dog, as well.