Dogs are man’s best friend. Some are even raised and adopted to be part of the family. Just like a human child, house dogs are given individual attention by their owners. They are being fed, groomed and nurtured. When a dog is ill, it is brought to a veterinarian who specially cares for animals. Evidently, one of the most common health complaints when raising dogs are tick infestation.

Ticks are pests. Some say that they belong to the same family of spiders and mites. They are arachnids, although many still believe that ticks are insects. Ticks are harmful because they are vectors to a number of diseases. As formerly mentioned, they fed on their hosts by sucking on its blood. By sucking, they get to transfer diseases from one host to another.

The most common symptoms of tick bites are fever, sudden loss of desire for food, irritation, swelling in the area, stupor and depression. For proper diagnosis and treatment, dog owners must report these symptoms rightaway to their vet.

If tick bites are not managed, it can develop into serious complications. Complications do vary still they do have almost the same symptoms that is why it is hard to diagnose. It is important to know the different complications of tick bites in order to arrest the condition as soon as possible. Cited below are some of them:

Ehrlichiosis
Brown dog tick bites and lone star tick bites are the most common causes of this condition. The causative agent is rickettsia organism. It is bacteria. But some say that it is a virus because it produces flu-like symptoms. The common symptoms of this condition range from loss of desire for food to fever, joint discomfort, anemia and bruising. Other possible symptoms are eye swelling and decrease levels of all types of blood cells. This condition is managed by antibiotic therapy like doxycycline or tetrachycline.

Anaplasmosis
Anasplasmosis is often mistaken as Ehrlichiosis because they have almost the same symptoms. Pets that are suffering from Anasplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis can exhibit signs of fever, headache, muscle discomfort, chils, nausea and exhaustion. Nevertheless, their causative factors are different. If Anasplasmosis is caused by rickettsial parasite of ruminants. Same treatment with Ehrlichiosis, antibiotic therapy is the most excellent management for Anaplasmosis.

Tick Bite Paralysis
This is not common in dogs. It occurs when a poison is released by the female wood or mountain ticks. The poison blocks the interaction between the muscles and the nervous system. Paralysis is the usual outcome when the nerve function is stopped. Watch out for signs of weakness, difficulty of breathing and walking. The most excellent treatment for tick bite paralysis is removal of ticks. As soon as the tick is detached, the dog is on its way to recovery. Nevertheless, full recuperation is achieved in twenty four to seventy two hours. If symptoms on the other hand become critical or if the paralysis has progressed intravenous fluid may be given or the dog may need a ventilator to assist in breathing.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
This condition is very fatal. Some countries call this disease as tick typhus and Tobia fever. The disease is transmitted by the bite of the Rocky Mountain wood tick or the American dog tick. Rickettsia then enters the dog in the tick spit. The most common signs and symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are hyperthermia, nausea and vomiting, decrease in desire for food, muscle pain and headache. Late signs of the disease are Petechial and maculopapular rash, abdominal and joint pain. Doxycycline is the drug of choice for the treatment of this disease.

Tick bites should not be taken for granted. It can cause complications and the symptoms are very daunting. Prevention is still most excellent key to deal with tick infestation. So be sure to maintain a tick free home environment!

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