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Lyme Disease
Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis are prevalent diseases in Minnesota. These diseases can be difficult to diagnose and can cause severe, chronic abnormalities in your dog. Adequate tick control is the key to prevention for both of these diseases. 
We recommend Frontline Plus, a monthly topical tick preventative. In addition, we recommend vaccinating all at-risk dogs for Lyme disease.
We are currently offering a special on Frontline Plus - Buy 6, Get One Free - to help protect your dog from these dangerous diseases.
Ehrlichiosis is a disease caused by a rickettsial organism that is transmitted by ticks. In Minnesota, Anaplasma phagocytophila and Ehrlichia canis are most prevalent. Dogs are the most common host, but both cats and humans are susceptible if bitten by an infected tick. Transmission cannot occur directly between animals or between animals and people. Unfortunately, this disease is on the rise in Minnesota and should be of concern for both you and your pet.
Clinical disease depends upon the organism involved and the host’s immune system. Infections generally consist of acute, subclinical, and chronic phases. The acute phase is recognized most often during the tick season and lasts approximately 2-4 weeks. During this phase, your pet may have a fever, discharge from the eyes and nose, lack of appetite, weight loss, difficulty breathing, and enlarged lymph nodes. Vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) is the major pathological change in this stage, and occasionally spontaneous bleeding is seen due to a consumption of platelets. A pet in the subclinical phase has no clinical abnormalities. While some animals can clear the organism during this phase, most dogs remain infected, and this phase can last up to 5 years before signs of the chronic phase are seen. The clinical abnormalities during the chronic phase are mainly a result of the body’s immune reaction against the intracellular organism and can affect any of the body’s systems.
Diagnosis of ehrlichiosis begins with a complete medical history, especially a history of exposure to ticks, and a thorough physical examination. Your veterinarian will perform some basic laboratory tests including a complete blood count, a serum chemistry profile, and a urinalysis.
A presumptive diagnosis of ehrlichiosis can be made with a positive antibody test. Unfortunately, false negatives are possible if tested too early in the disease, and any animal that has been exposed may have a positive titer even though Ehrlichia may not be causing the current clinical signs. Identifying the organisms in the blood cells confirms the diagnosis, though this is only possible in some cases and only within the first hours of infection.
Doxycycline is the most common medication used to treat ehrlichiosis. Treatment must be continued for at least 4 weeks to ensure complete clearance of the organism. With the appropriate treatment, the prognosis is good for animals in the acute phase and variable for those in the chronic phase.
There is no vaccine for this disease. Adequate tick control is the key to prevention. Various products are available to prevent ticks in our pets. We recommend Frontline Plus, a monthly topical tick preventative. While Frontline Plus does not prevent tick attachment, it generally kills the tick before it can transmit the organism. Make sure to avoid bathing 2 days before and 2 days after application of Frontline Plus.
It is important to realize that both the adult tick and the tiny nymph stage can transmit the organism. These ticks are very small, so don’t rely on just checking your dog daily as a means of tick prevention. While this is a good habit, it is not enough.
If you have any questions about Lyme disease or Ehrlichiosis, please contact St. Francis Animal & Bird Hospital. We are currently offering Frontline Plus – Buy 6, Get 1 Free – to help protect your dog from these dangerous diseases.
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