Once tick season begins, dog owners are the first to encounter these blood-sucking monsters. Because immediately after hibernation, insects are unable to travel long distances or climb tall trees. They prefer to hide in tall grass, in which pets love to frolic. That is why their first victims are wild animals and dogs, but not humans.
It is believed that a tick bite can only be dangerous to humans. After all, insects are carriers of many diseases. However, they are also very dangerous for four-legged friends. The consequences of a bite can be serious.
Characteristics of the disease and its danger
Piroplasmosis in dogs, signs and treatment
Babesia enter the bloodstream, penetrate red blood cells, feed on the contents of the cell, and multiply. Severe anemia develops. The waste products of the parasite affect internal organs.
The functioning of the liver, kidneys, and pancreas is disrupted, and pulmonary edema develops. If the dog is not treated, it will die. Young purebred animals are most seriously ill. Adults and mongrel dogs tolerate the disease relatively easily.
Stages of disease development
The most common places of bites
Dogs get sick after being bitten by an ixodid tick. Arthropods live on low bushes, sense the approach of prey by air vibrations, heat, and carbon dioxide released during respiration.
In order for the eggs to mature, the female must receive complete protein. The arthropod jumps on the dog, travels around it, finds a secluded place, attaches to the skin, pierces it, and finds a capillary.
Ticks love the ears. To prevent the animal from worrying, the parasite injects an anesthetic and an anticoagulant to prevent blood clotting.
How does infection occur?
Ticks become active in early spring and pose a threat to pets and humans throughout the warm season. During frosts and droughts, parasites do not attack. The tick sucks out the first portion of blood and sends it to the intestines.
Food stimulates appetite and stimulates salivation. Along with saliva, pathogens enter the mammal's bloodstream. Babesia live in adult ticks and do not harm them.
The parasite penetrates the red blood cell. Immune cells - macrophages, absorb infected red cells, but do not kill piroplasms, spreading them throughout the body. A day passes from the moment the tick attaches to the invasion. If during this time the owner is able to remove the arthropod from the skin, infection will not occur.
Incubation period
It takes from 2 to 14 days from Babesia entering the bloodstream to the appearance of painful signs. The duration of the incubation period depends on the strength of the immune system and the number of attached ticks.
Painful symptoms appear when the number of Babesia reaches a critical level. When a protozoan parasite emerges from a destroyed red blood cell, toxic waste products are released into the blood.
Ixodid ticks - description
Ixodid ticks (family Ixodidae) in our zone are represented mainly by ticks of the genus Ixodes. This family includes the largest mites, measuring up to 4-5 mm. Unlike insects, ixodid ticks have eight limbs, not six; by this feature they can be distinguished from beetles. The body is flat, the color is usually dark brown or black, the head has a shield, which may be of a different color. A characteristic feature of ixodid ticks can also be considered the ability to significantly increase body size when sucking blood - up to 10 mm (twice). Such ticks are temporary parasites; they bite once, drink blood, and then fall away from the host, laying eggs and reproducing separately.
Contrary to popular belief, ticks do not live on tree branches, but on grass and low bushes. In our area they are found everywhere, including in parks and squares of Moscow, they can be found on any lawn (except those treated for ticks). Therefore, living in a large city or walking only in “civilized” places is not a guarantee of protecting your dog from ticks.
Piroplasmosis in dogs. Symptoms and signs
In the fulminant form of the disease, the dog dies suddenly, before symptoms appear. An acute course develops in young purebred animals.
The chronic form occurs in dogs that become ill again, mongrel pets or mixed breeds. Dogs vaccinated against piroplasmosis get sick, but in a mild form.
In acute form
An infected dog develops the following pathological symptoms:
- The animal looks depressed and lethargic;
- the pet refuses food;
- the mucous membranes first turn pale, then turn yellow;
- the temperature rises to 42 °C, hence the name of the pathogen: “pyroplasma”;
- pulse quickens;
- shortness of breath develops;
- urine becomes brown;
- Digestion is upset: vomiting and diarrhea occur;
- paralysis of the hind limbs develops.
These signs of the disease do not appear in all cases, but if at least some are detected, the dog owner needs to go to the clinic.
In chronic form
With the permanent form, the temperature fluctuates: the heat persists for several days and recedes. The pet diarrhea, loses weight, and gets tired quickly. The animal is capricious, its mood often changes, and the symptoms of anemia increase.
The dog recovers, but not completely; it develops chronic diseases of the internal organs.
Preventive measures
To protect your pet, you need to follow simple rules:
- Examine the dog after every walk, even if it was not in a park or forest. Ticks have moved close to human homes and can attack anywhere. Pay special attention to areas where the parasite likes to feed - ears, neck, stomach, armpits.
- Timely application of acaricidal preparations and repellents will reduce the likelihood of an attack by blood-sucking parasites. The effect of the drugs decreases over time, and with frequent bathing this happens faster.
- If you find a tick in your pet's fur, you must remove it correctly. Over the next week, carefully monitor your dog's condition and behavior. Any manifestation of symptoms of the disease is a reason to contact a veterinarian.
The most caring and responsible dog owners will not be able to prevent a tick bite during a walk. The main thing is to respond competently to the incident and do everything to avoid tragic consequences.
Diagnostics
The doctor makes a diagnosis based on clinical symptoms, medical history, and laboratory tests of the tick, which the dog’s owner brings to the clinic. The parasite is removed from the pet using a tick remover and placed in a bottle or zip bag.
If laboratory tests do not detect a pathogen, the dog is monitored and chemotherapy is not prescribed because the medications have side effects.
If the owner notices that the pet’s urine has darkened, it is taken for analysis. It is possible to detect the parasite in a blood smear no earlier than 2 weeks after the bite, so this research method is rarely used. If the doctor deems it necessary, the pathogen will be identified using a PCR test.
Treatment
The treatment strategy is developing in the following directions:
- Resuscitation measures.
- Chemotherapy.
- Symptomatic treatment.
- Therapeutic diet.
- Rehabilitation.
When a dog arrives in serious condition, it is saved: drugs are used that support the activity of the heart, liver, kidneys, stop bleeding, and stop dehydration.
Piro-stop: Piroplasmosis in dogs, signs and treatment
The chemotherapy drug Piro-Stop based on imidocarb is administered once, the dosage is determined by the veterinarian. The antiprotozoal component accumulates in the liver and kidneys. The antimicrobial concentration is maintained for 4 to 6 weeks. After the injection, you must wait a quarter of an hour, because the death of parasites and destruction of red blood cells is accompanied by the release of toxic metabolites into the blood.
If signs of intoxication appear: vomiting, excessive salivation, muscle tremors, convulsions, use symptomatic medications.
Treatment lasts from 3 to 6 weeks. The effectiveness of therapy is assessed by blood and urine tests at intervals of 15-20 days. The doctor determines which internal organs have suffered the most and adjusts the treatment.
For a complete recovery, a course of rehabilitation is prescribed.
The following groups of drugs are used:
- multivitamins;
- detoxifiers;
- hepatoprotectors;
- iron supplements;
- immunomodulators.
The dog is considered recovered one month after the end of treatment, in the absence of pathological symptoms. The animal is limited in physical activity. You cannot take a sick dog hunting during the current year.
Beware, scammers!
Over the past two years, owners of sick animals have been increasingly deceived in Moscow. We have collected the most obvious signs that should make a dog owner wary.
Website without prices
When there are no prices on the website or it says that they will help solve the problem for an amount of 1000 rubles or more, the company will charge a lot. It's easy to refuse a service when you see the cost right away. But when they have already come to you and begun to examine the dog, then, willy-nilly, you agree to extortionate conditions.
Honest organizations immediately warn about the cost and do not hide it until a home visit. Of course, this is not the only sign of fraud. Therefore, you should first call by phone, find out the cost of the steps that we described in the block on treatment, and pay the organization strictly at the prices that were indicated to you in advance.
Free doctor call
They may write on the website that you either won’t have to pay for the call at all, or the amount will be up to 500 rubles. This is a trick, because this amount only includes the doctor’s visit, without an examination.
Then the scheme is simple: money is taken for every movement of the “specialist”. Take your temperature - pay, fill out your medical history - pay.
This adds up to 6,000 rubles. Then they begin to “rescue” the dog for 30,000 rubles.
And sometimes it reaches the point of absurdity: they offer to euthanize the animal under the pretext “it’s too late.” In fact, such organizations do not employ professional specialists, but make money from naive animal owners. Of course, it’s easier to put him to sleep and charge him for it.
Be careful.
What to feed a dog after piroplasmosis
You should not force feed a sick dog. With natural nutrition, the menu is drawn up together with a veterinarian. The basis of the diet is puree with pureed meat and porridge. Dry veterinary food for dogs with kidney or liver diseases has the best therapeutic effect.
In the first days, if there is poor appetite, the granules are soaked and given several times a day in small portions. After recovery, the veterinarian evaluates the animal’s condition and recommends remaining on medical nutrition or switching to a regular diet.
Can babesiosis be transmitted to other animals or humans?
A tick that has drunk blood increases in size a hundred times. It falls off, falls to the ground and, after the eggs mature, dies. The tick cannot attack another victim again.
Babesia do not live in the human body, but arthropods carry pathogens of other dangerous diseases. When a person accidentally crushes a tick, he needs to immediately wash his hands.
If there is a scratch on the skin or your hands touch your eyes, you may become infected with encephalitis, borreliosis, anaplasmosis, or Crimean hemorrhagic fever.
We recommend reading:
- The best flea and tick drops for dogs
- Removing fleas from dogs, what to choose?
Preparation for the procedure
If you find an attached tick, you must go to a trauma center to remove it from the body.
If this is not possible, the tick should be removed yourself. To do this, you need to intercept the tick's body with gauze-wrapped fingers or tweezers strictly perpendicular to the surface of the body, as close as possible to its oral apparatus. Then, turning the tick's body around its axis, remove it. It is not recommended to lubricate the bite site and the tick itself with oil. The tick with a piece of damp cotton wool must be placed in a tightly closed container (a special container with a lid for studying biomaterial, a jar, a test tube, etc.). Ticks taken from different people should not be placed in the same container. Disinfect the wound on the skin with an antiseptic (alcohol, iodine, brilliant green), and wash your hands thoroughly with soap after removing the tick. Deliver the container with the tick to the nearest medical office on the day of removal. Currently, you can purchase special devices for removing ticks, which are sold in pharmacies.
Before examination, live ticks can be stored in the refrigerator at +2 +8°C for up to 1 month. Examination of a dead tick is allowed if it is stored after removal in the refrigerator at a temperature of +2 +8°C for no more than 5 days. Taking into account the risk of developing tick-borne encephalitis and the duration of the study (up to 3 working days), it is better to submit the tick for examination on the day it is removed from the body.
