Most often, we are warned that ticks can give dogs Lyme disease, which can result in a serious infection and cause long-term damage. Because of this, it’s important to know what to look out for. In this post, we’ll look at the pathogens carried by the three most common tick plagues, brown dog tick, common wood tick and alluvial forest tick.

Lyme disease

In the northern latitudes of Europe, Lyme disease is the most common infection spread by ticks. It is triggered by a spiral-shaped bacteria, the so-called Borrelia, which sits in the tick’s intestine and migrates to the salivary gland after 16-24 hours. After the tick stings the dog, the bacteria is passed into the dog’s bloodstream, from where it mainly affects the joints although other organs and the nervous system can also be affected. Unfortunately, dogs' immune system react quite slowly to Borrelia, and symptoms only appear after 5-6 weeks. When they do, you can recognize Lyme disease by a loss of appetite, fever up to 40.5°C, and difficulty walking or stiffness due to joint inflammation. If the disease takes a severe course, it can cause serious damage to the heart and kidneys. If your pet is treated promptly an antibiotic course is usually enough to treat Lyme disease. However, if the disease has progressed further before being caught, it can't be treated successfully, resulting in chronically recurring symptoms and/or relapses.

Anaplasmosis

Anaplasmosis is another common bacterial infection that comes from ticks, this time due to an infection by the bacterium Anaplasmas phagocytophilum, which attack the pets’ white blood cells. Almost one in ten ticks found in Europe carry this bacteria, although the percentage is higher in southern Europe – so be extra careful when bringing your dog with you for holidays. Studies show that while two in every five dogs get infected, only few dogs get seriously ill. The symptoms of anaplasmosis are similar to those of Lyme disease: loss of appetite, fatigue, joint inflammation and stiffness. However, anaplasmosis can also lead to blood clotting disorders or bleeding from the mucous membranes (lining organs and body openings such as eyes, ears, nose, mouth and so on). Treatment with antibiotics is the most common way to treat the infection. Note that your pet can get anaplasmosis and Lyme diseases at the same time.

TBE

The TBE virus is most common in the south, and while it is common in humans, it is less commonly found in dogs. However, if a dog does get infected with TBE, the disease can become more severe and usually ends up with the animal being put to sleep. Typical symptoms of TBE are fever, muscle tremors, symmetrical paralysis and over-stretching of body and limbs. Since there is no vaccination or treatment options for dogs with TBE, the infection can impair the dog for the rest of its life. Generally, otherwise healthy dogs have antibodies against the virus.

Babesiosis

Babesiosis is a rare infection caused by tiny parasites called Babesia. It is most commonly transmitted by the alluvial forest tick, and acts by destroying the dog’s red blood cells. If undetected and therefore left untreated, babesiosis can be acute and, in most cases, kills the pet within a few days. Currently, the number of ticks infected with this pathogen is a pretty small, with only 0.5% of pathogens found in ticks being babesia. However, as the alluvial forest tick is becoming more numerous and spreading across the continent, so is the diseases as the babesia is transferred from mother to tick eggs, in contrast to other diseases. If your dog has been infected with babesiosis, you will notice a very high fever followed by fatigue, loss of appetite, dark urine discolouration and, often, jaundice (when the whites of the eyes and mucous membranes turn yellow). Sometimes, infection with babesia is followed by another inflammatory reaction of the body, which can lead to multiple organ failure. If caught early, the disease is treatable with the help of antiprotozoal drugs which are used to treat parasitic infectious diseases.

Prevention is more effective than treatment

As symptoms to all of the five diseases usually appear first 3-6 weeks after the infection, i.e. after the tick bite, it’s easier to prevent the diseases than to treat them. If noticed early and not seen as a temporary infection but rather treated promptly, your dog will most likely recover. More effective than that is, of course, prevention. You can prevent this with little effort by nipping the pathogen in the bud. All you need is Inuzid.

Inuzid is a reliable and purely natural way to keep skin parasites away from your pet. It contains a natural extract from feverfew instead of the chemically produced phyrethin which is used in most pesticides. In contrast to these, Inuzid doesn’t enter the bloodstream and can therefore be used for puppets and kittens. It’s also to apply with a spray bottle, as it can be sprayed directly onto your pet’s fur or on the basket or stable. Inuzid is available at your veterinary clinic.

P.S. They spray works not only for cats and dogs, but is also effective against mites such as grass mites or red bird mites, who often attack chickens, and for keeping flies away from horses who often suffer from annoying fly swarms.