TICK FEVER IN DOGS
If a dog is bitten by a tick, things can become serious extremely quickly. Tick fever (babesiosis) is often fatal for dogs, says Pretoria veterinarian Sarah-Olivia Nunn, adding that it’s one of the main causes of death among dogs in South Africa.
Two types of ticks, the brown dog tick or kennel tick and the yellow dog tick, are especially deadly to dogs.
Ticks also don’t feed off a single dog, Nunn says. They feed on a dog’s blood for four to seven days and when they’re full they fall off. Then, when they’re hungry again, they latch onto their next victim.
Ticks found on dogs are usually still young (nymphs) and are therefore hard to spot. Nymphs are barely the size of a pinhead, but even so they’re capable of transmitting bacteria.
Symptoms of tick fever in dogs include lethargy, loss of appetite and fever.
“If the animal’s gums and the whites of its eyes are pale or light yellow or greyish, the disease is in an advanced stage,” Nunn says.
The bacteria destroy the dog’s red blood cells, she explains.
“Red blood cells transfer oxygen to the vital organs such as the heart, lungs and kidneys. When destroyed, these organs will start to fail and the animal can also go into epileptic shock.”
Treatment involves administering antiprotozoal medications to kill the bacteria. You can buy these at agricultural co-ops and administer them yourself, but it’s not the best option as you might accidentally overdose your dog, which can cause brain damage.
It’s best to take your sick dog to a vet for treatment, Nunn says. In serious cases, your dog might also need a blood transfusion.
If you find a feeding tick on your dog, don’t try to remove it by pulling it off because chances are that part of the head, which carries the disease, will stay behind.
“Use a pair of tweezers to remove the head,” Nunn says.