Ehrlichiosis

Ehrlichia is a bacterium that infects white blood cells. There are many types of Ehrlichia, but only a few can affect dogs. It is also known as "tropical canine pancytopenia" (among several other names). Most Ehrlichia infections are acquired through tick bites; infection can also occur through blood transfusions.

Transmission routes of ehrlichiosis:

Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne febrile disease caused by Ehrlichia, a rickettsia-like pathogenic microorganism. disease. Ehrlichiae are absolutely intracellular parasites that form small cytoplasmic inclusions in lymphocytes and neutrophils. People become infected when bitten by ticks and sometimes come into contact with tick-carrying dogs.

Ehrlichiosis symptoms and treatment:

The symptoms and severity of ehrlichiosis depend on the type of ehrlichiosis involved and the dog’s immune response. Generally, the mitral valve produces the most severe disease, and the infection can progress slowly in different stages. Plasma, on the other hand, can cause platelet counts to drop repeatedly, but if they do, they produce only mild symptoms.

The acute phase occurs within the first few weeks of infection and is rarely fatal. Recovery can occur, or the dog can enter a "subclinical stage," which can last for many years without symptoms. Some dogs eventually enter the chronic phase, where they may develop very serious disease. In fact, it is difficult to distinguish between these stages.

Signs and symptoms of ehrlichiosis may include:

The incubation period is 8 to 12 days. Sick dogs have periodic fever, loss of appetite, mucus-pus nasal discharge and eye gums, anemia, and weight loss. Severely ill dogs suffer from vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, erosion of oral mucosa, edema of limbs and scrotum, and symptoms of ascites, pleural effusion and gastroenteritis. The skin of some sick dogs' armpits and groin appears red and feels sensitive. German Shepherd dogs often suffer from bone marrow formation disorders and hematopoietic dysfunction, leading to death from severe systemic bleeding such as nose bleeding and intraocular hemorrhage. The course of the disease generally goes through three stages: acute phase, subclinical phase and chronic phase.

Acute phase: lasts for 2-4 weeks, and is mainly characterized by fever, loss of appetite and drowsiness, mucopurulent secretions from the mouth and nose, stiffness, reluctance to move, edema of the limbs or lower abdomen, coughing or difficulty breathing. The disease resistance of the affected dogs is reduced, the lymph nodes throughout the body are enlarged, the spleen is enlarged, and the platelets are reduced. In addition, parasitic ticks can often be found on the body surface of sick dogs in the acute stage.

Subclinical stage: In the acute stage, sick dogs rarely die. Most of the sick dogs' clinical symptoms gradually disappear and enter the subclinical stage, and their body temperature and weight basically return to normal. However, blood indicators were abnormal, such as thrombocytopenia and hyperglobulinemia. The subclinical stage can last 40-120 days, and dogs that still cannot recover will enter the chronic stage.

Chronic stage: The main symptoms of sick dogs are pernicious anemia and severe weight loss. clinical diseaseSymptoms include marked splenomegaly, glomerulonephritis, renal failure, interstitial pneumonia, anterior uveitis, cerebellar ataxia, hyperesthesia, or paralysis. Nose bleeding is common in dolichocephalic breeds of dogs. Hematuria, melena, and ecchymosis of the skin and mucous membranes can be seen in all dog breeds. The blood picture was severely abnormal, all types of blood cells were severely reduced, and thrombocytopenia was observed. When this disease is mixed with Babesia, Haemobartonella, etc., the fatality rate is high. Puppies are taller than adult dogs.

Some affected dogs have round or oval hair loss or coat breakage lesions on their skin. When multiple lesions occur, they can merge into sheets with fine scales or obvious scabs. If there is no secondary infection, there will be no itching. There is localized hair loss or papules, forming small blood scabs. Some have hair loss all over their body and their skin is obviously thickened

Treatment:

Diagnosing ehrlichiosis can be difficult; blood tests usually show a reduced number of platelets (thrombocytopenia) and sometimes a reduced number of red blood cells (anemia) and/or white blood cells. Changes in protein levels in the blood may also occur.

Specialized testing can check for genetic material from ehrlichiosis, and while this is the most sensitive test, it is not widely available and has some limitations. Typically, diagnosis is made using a combination of laboratory tests and clinical signs and medical history.

Dogs infected with ehrlichiosis may also be infected with other diseases carried by ticks, such as babesiosis, Lyme disease, or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, making diagnosis more complicated.

Ehrlichiosis responds well to treatment with the antibiotic doxycycline. Symptoms usually improve quickly, but several weeks of treatment are often required to ensure full recovery. In severe cases where blood cell counts are very low, a blood transfusion may be needed.

Preventing ehrlichiosis:

Preventing contact with ticks that carry ehrlichiosis is the best way to prevent ehrlichiosis. Check your dog daily for ticks and remove them as soon as possible (ticks must remain hidden for at least 24-48 hours to transmit Ehrlichia).