Diseases Caused by Tick Bites In Your Dog

I know it seems alittle soon to post on this subject, but flea and tick season will be upon us before you know it and I just want to prepare you ahead of time.There are different types of ticks in the United States that, if your dog is bitten by them can cause diseases. I am going to list them and give the symptoms from my research.

The 1st one is called the Deer Tick or Black legged Tick. It can cause a bacterial disease that is transmitted through the bloodstream, when the dog is bitten, and remain on the dog for a long period of time. It is called Lyme Disease. Humans can also be infected, if bitten by a deer tick.

Symptoms: They are hard to recognize in both dogs and humans, but include, bouts of lameness, loss of appetite and possible kidney failure, in severe cases. If you have been bitten by a deer tick and you or your dog develop any of these symptoms, I suggest you contact, either your vet or your doctor right away.

Another tick in the United States is called the Brown Tick. This tick  can cause a bacterial disease called  Ehrlichiosis, if your dog is bitten by it. As withe the Lyme disease, it is also transmitted through the bloodstream and symptoms are also hard to detect, but again, if your dog has been bitten by a tick and develops these symptoms, call your vet right away.

Symptoms: Runny nose, loss of appetite, swollen glands, depression, and nose bleeds. Left untreated it can kill your dog. Also, symptoms can leave the dog for months or years and then come back. I am not telling you this to alarm you, I just want to make you aware of this, so you make sure that if your dog has been bitten by a tick and it gets these symptoms, immediate action is required.

Another bacterial  diseases caused by a  bite from a deer tick is called Canine Anaplasmosis or dog fever. Also, the brown tick causes another form of this disease.

Symptoms are: Joint stiffness, when the dog walks, high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. Possible seizures and neck pain.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can occur from being bitten by several species of ticks and can last about 2 weeks and can also kill the dog, if untreated.

Symptoms:  Include fever, stiffness and lesions on the skin.

Prevention is the best cure to protect your dog against any of these diseases. Check with your Vet. There are alot of different methods that he can suggest. I wouldn't advise buying any over the counter products, without checking with him first.  I made that big mistake one time and all 3 of my Golden Retrievers had a terrible reaction from the product and later found many pet owners lost there dogs using this product. That is going to be in a later post. I will also write a post on fleas. The medication for ticks, most likely will also protect your dogs form getting fleas but I can't stress it enough, consult your vet. He is the professional!
 I hope this has been somewhat informative!