Anaplasmosis – Hidden Threat

The season of ticks is back again and so it is the right time to start protecting our pets. These parasites also bring anaplasmosis except from borreliosis. And the fact that this disease is not generally know does not undermine its serious impacts on animal’s health. Do you know what to pay attention to?

Whether you choose any protection against ticks, some may still bite your dog. Whether you put an anti-parasitic collar, use a pipette or choose the natural way to protect your dog, you can never be a hundred percent sure that your dog cannot have any ticks. That is why it is good to know what the symptoms are so you could react quickly in case it is necessary. And today, we’ll take a closer look to anaplasmosis.

What anamaplasmosis is

It is an infectious disease transmitted by ticks. It’s caused by the bacterium called Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The infection causes damaging and destroying of white blood cells. The tricky aspect of this disease lies in its repeated manifestation and unclear symptoms. If it is not diagnosed in time which can happen quite easily because of its non-specific symptoms, it manifests in dog repeatedly whenever its organism is weakened (the influence of stress, winter, other diseases, etc.).

How can you recognize anaplasmosis?

You may notice the first symptoms of the disease in 4 – 11 days from infecting, although with some dogs the disease may occur later. The reason for it is that the immune system of healthy dogs can sometimes suppress the disease and the symptoms then manifest when the immunity is weak

Some of the symptoms are:

• high fever that occurred suddenly;
• loss of appetite, apathy;
• vomiting and diarrhea with neurological symptoms;
• reluctance to move, paralysis as a result of the inflammation of the joints, pain in the joints;
• depression;
• weight loss;
• sensitivity to cold;
• disorders of blood coagulation, enlargement of the spleen or liver.

The disease may also affect the internal organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys or eyes. The animal may become blind as the consequence of this disease.

Prevention

There is no special vaccination against anaplasmosis and the best is therefore to get a high quality parasticide, check your dog’s fur every day and immediately remove any ticks found. We can also get the dog regularly tested for the presence of antibodies in blood as a part of annual preventive examination. If you spend a lot of time outdoors or the dog lives in the garden, you can have it tested twice a year in spring and autumn, outside the main season of ticks. The check-up can be done through quick test SNAP or by sending the blood for laboratory examination. If the infection is found out quickly, there is a big chance for a treatment to be successful.

Treatment

It is treated by administering specific antibiotics for four weeks. It is crucial to reveal the disease so the prognosis could be positive.