The following are warning signs that your dog may have a disease that was transmitted by a tick:

• Fever
• Lameness
• Loss of appetite
• Cough
• Sudden onset of pain in your pet's legs or body
• Arthritis or swelling in your pet's joints
• Lethargy or depression

Diseases transmitted by tick bites may affect your dog's health in the following ways:

• Lyme Disease - A bacterial infection that infects both people and dogs, Lyme disease is carried by the deer tick. Signs include lameness, fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and enlargement of the lymph nodes. The signs of Lyme disease often resolve quickly with antibiotics. ^[4]
• Babesiosis - Acute signs may include fever, loss of appetite, and anemia. Shock, coma or death may also occur, especially in puppies. The infection responds to a variety of drug treatments. Blood transfusions and other supportive care may be necessary in some animals.^[5]
• Ehrlichiosis - An infectious blood disease that attacks your pet's white blood cells. Signs include fever, depression, lameness, and loss of appetite. Antibiotic therapy often results in dramatic improvement within 1-2 days.^[6]
• Rocky Moutain Spotted Fever - Often transmitted by the American dog tick and the wood tick. Signs include fever, loss of appetite, coughing, bruising, lameness, depression, vomiting and diarrhea. If untreated, permanent damage and even death may occur.^[7]
• Cytauxzoonosis - An acute, usually fatal disease in cats. Signs include loss of appetite and depression, followed by 1-3 days of fever. Death may follow in another 1-3 days.^[8]

Contact your veterinarian immediately to schedule an examination and a blood test if you believe that your pet has been bitten and infected by a tick.

If you remove any ticks from your pet, save them in a bottle – your veterinarian may want to examine them in order to determine what type of ticks they were. Remove ticks with tweezers, never with your hands.

REFERENCES:

4. Merck Vet Manual 9th ed. p. 485-486

5. Merck Vet Manual 9th ed. p. 20-22

6. Merck Vet Manual 9th ed. p. 638-640

7. Merck Vet Manual 9th ed. p. 641-642

8. Cytauxzoonosis in cats: An overview. http://www.vet.uga.edu/upp/CLERK/Dailey. Accessed June 16, 2003.

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