Important warning: tick-borne parasites in dogs

[isanbirder]

All dog-owners here are familiar with the dog tick, a nasty little crittur which they pick off their pets from time to time (if they don't, it probably means they don't exercise their dogs enough). For my first almost four years here, I admit I didn't take them too seriously; there were never many, and I just took them as one of the downsides of living in the sticks. I treated my dogs with Frontline, Heartgard, and more recently Ivermec. I never had even a minor infestation in the house until recently,

A few weeks ago, my GSX went off his food, and started getting very lethargic. He rallied and I thought he was recovering by himself, but then he got worse again, so finally I took him to the vet in Buriram. A blood test showed very low red blood cell count, a badly over-strained liver, and blood parasites which were causing the problems. The parasites caused a condition called erlichiosis. A month on pills, and he has apparently recovered.

Then my toy poodle started to show the same symptoms. Yesterday the same diagnosis, so another month of pill-pushing.... and don't the dogs hate it!

My two other small poodle-type dogs don't show any symptoms yet, but have to go in for blood tests as soon as possible. They may just not be showing any symptoms yet.

The worse-case scenario is that I could lose all four dogs; even the GSX could relapse.

So be warned. Take ticks seriously. One bite from an infected tick can cause erlichiosis.

[taurus]

 Yeah Quite right Isanbirder, I have spent quite some time in South Africa were they have a  big problem with what they call "tick fever" in Dogs, however the Vets there have a unique way of tick prevention ,behind every Vets is a large bath which is full of a brew which smells like "sheep dip", they give you a rubber pinafore for protection  ,and you just totally immerse your dog in the brew for seconds which kills everything and costs about 40 baht in our money   , most caring owners such as yourself take their mutts there every month to repeat the treatment ,as the old adage goes "prevention is better than cure" 

[mxyzptlk]

All dog-owners here are familiar with the dog tick, a nasty little crittur which they pick off their pets from time to time (if they don't, it probably means they don't exercise their dogs enough). For my first almost four years here, I admit I didn't take them too seriously; there were never many, and I just took them as one of the downsides of living in the sticks. I treated my dogs with Frontline, Heartgard, and more recently Ivermec. I never had even a minor infestation in the house until recently,

A few weeks ago, my GSX went off his food, and started getting very lethargic. He rallied and I thought he was recovering by himself, but then he got worse again, so finally I took him to the vet in Buriram. A blood test showed very low red blood cell count, a badly over-strained liver, and blood parasites which were causing the problems. The parasites caused a condition called erlichiosis. A month on pills, and he has apparently recovered.

Then my toy poodle started to show the same symptoms. Yesterday the same diagnosis, so another month of pill-pushing.... and don't the dogs hate it!

My two other small poodle-type dogs don't show any symptoms yet, but have to go in for blood tests as soon as possible. They may just not be showing any symptoms yet.

The worse-case scenario is that I could lose all four dogs; even the GSX could relapse.

So be warned. Take ticks seriously. One bite from an infected tick can cause erlichiosis.

Before seeing this post, I had 2 non productive visits to a local vet. After reading this post, I took my number 1 dog to the vets in the centre of Nang Rong, and within 10 minutes of taking the blood test, he informed me that my dog had parasites in his blood & a fever caused by a bite from an infected tick. My dog got 2 injections and some tablets to take for a fortnight. After the fortnight, I have to take him back for one more injection. Then he should be OK. Many thanks for the valuable info from your post  isanbirder...

[nookiebear]

CoCo wants to know if it affects 2 legged dogs too!!

[isanbirder]

The main thing, mxyzptlk, is to keep your dog as clear of ticks as possible.  This means monthly injections or pills of Ivermec, or use Frontline or Detick, and keeping the bedding clean.

[mxyzptlk]

ok Thanks for the injection/pill info isanbirder. As for keeping the bedding clean....my 5 dogs are free dogs in that they come & go as they please and don't have fixed places to sleep...

[SOM LUCK]

Issanbirder
Thanks, for your tick posting.  My dog stopped eating and was lethargic just two days after we got to Buriram.  She developed a rash on her leg by the fourth day, and because of your posting I took her to the vet immediately.  She got the shots and pills and hopefully catching it quickly will make for a fast recovery.
Thanks again

[Mikeh]

Thanks for the post on ticks   I have three dogs  They are not roaming free but house dogs   My wife does daily tick checks on the dogs and they are given the recommended medicines.  What I was interested in was the SA bath dip Does anyone know what the dip is and could we get the formula here to bathe our dogs

[davureborn]

Very late reply. Cattle and sheep get dipped in Bayticol which is readily available in Buriram. I sponged our dogs down with the correct solution of this, after bathing them in tick shampoo as you can find every where. Result, zero. I will try again increasing the dosage, as I noticed no difference in their behaviors last week. Tricky problem, we now find ticks inside the house and my wife gets bitten regularly, diseases transmitted by ticks are more common than is generally admitted.

[nookiebear]

Very late reply. Cattle and sheep get dipped in Bayticol which is readily available in Buriram. I sponged our dogs down with the correct solution of this, after bathing them in tick shampoo as you can find every where. Result, zero. I will try again increasing the dosage, as I noticed no difference in their behaviors last week. Tricky problem, we now find ticks inside the house and my wife gets bitten regularly, diseases transmitted by ticks are more common than is generally admitted.

Easily solved..........Don't allow the dogs in the house

[davureborn]

Great response, Nookie. An adult, female tick can lay thousands of eggs in your house or just outside, so the answer is maybe not so simple. They can hatch out up to three years later, the ticks themselves can also live for a year or two without nourishment. I agree that we won't be buying any more dogs soon, but keeping them outside would result in the village not sleeping.
What meat do you put in your pies exactly, just asking....

[finnomick]

It's widespread this year, or so it would seem. We live 12kms due south of Prakhon Chai and both our dogs have been affected, one a lot more seriously. Vet reckoned one or two days more without treatment would have resulted in digging a hole. Good news is both are on the mend albeit slowly. What type of store would sell Bayticol or should you be able to get it from the vet ?

[davureborn]

I buy my stuff from the big pet shop near Buriram railway station or the 'other place' that sells small animal feed, seeds and so on nearer to the moat. I think this is Siphet 2 alley. You should shampoo the dog first, a tick and flea shampoo, leave it on for 5 - 10 minutes and then rinse it off. I put the Bayticol solution in a bath tub so that the dog has its feet in it, and sponge it down, leaving on to dry. When the dogs are finished, I use it to mop down possibly affected areas. We also go over them manually every day.
Tick alarm: I occasionally stick some tape to the wall with some of the sticky side exposed. If we get a nice decorative collection of stuck ticks, it's time to spray (Chaindrite cockroach spray definitely kills ticks).

[isanbirder]

In my experience, the tick population in 2015 and 2016 was at a very low level  (one tick bite can kill your dog, so this is not as good as it seems).

In recent months, there have been fleas instead of ticks.  They never seem to bite me, so I probably pay them less attention than I should.

Again, Ivermec monthly, Frontline or Preventic round the neck, and Bayticol.....  note that the latter must be rubbed in with a cloth until the coat is saturated.

[Freddy]

Worth regenerating this thread as a reminder.
On Friday a mate called me to say his Rotweiller had lost the use of its back legs overnight and wanted directions to the vet I use in Buriram. I went with him. Vet did blood tests and diagnosed MG which is bloody hard to treat in the most developed of countries. Medication was given and dog sent home ( to die I suspect).
On day 2 another vet was tried. Completed blood tests again and again said the dog has MG.
Lots of research done over the 2 Buddah days and today the dog is at the University Vetinary hospital in Khon Kaen.
Bets there started from scratch. More blood tests. The dog does not have MG, it has a severe case of tick paralysis.
No explanation of what went wrong with the blood tests at 2 vets in Buriram and has made me re-consider my current vets.
There keeping her in tonight but expect signs of improvement within 24 hours now that correct medication is being given.
The owner of this dog de-ticks, baths, treats regularly as I do but just goes to show the ever present risk of tick born diseases.
I saw Dave and his dog yesterday and neither of us expected her to survive the night she was in such a bad way.
The vet at Kohn Kaen said that it was probably the air conditioning and being bashed with ice water that saved her. Apparently the tick toxin becomes almost dormant if the body temperature is cool. The hotter it gets the worse it gets so if you suspect it get your dog in a cold shower.