The “AIDS of the Canine World”:
Deadly Tick-Borne Disease Ehrlichia
Ehrlichiosis presents subtle
symptoms that can go unnoticed or can easily be attributed to another disease
or to aging. Millie’s case history is included
because other animals may present a similar course of symptoms. Intermittent excessive drinking and mild
reactions to annual vaccinations (24 hour mild lethargy and possible fever)
were the only symptoms that afflicted Millie prior to a few weeks ago. The cause of her excessive drinking was
undiagnosed after systemic disease tests were negative, but we now know that
this subtle sign was an early symptom of ehrlichiosis. Two weeks before Millie’s death, she
presented with a loss of appetite, a high fever (ranging from 104.5 to 106
degrees), photophobia, red and glassy, reflective eyes. She went through a battery of tests and
x-rays that revealed that she had Lyme Disease
(despite the Lyme vaccination), an enlarged spleen, slightly alkaline urine, a
low urine specific gravity, and a low platelet count. Her mysterious symptoms were attributed to
Lyme Disease, and though she was treated with
amoxicillin, this medication does not affect the ehrlichiosis bacteria. Ehrlichia can only be treated by doxycycline
or other tetracycline antibiotics, which are common medications that also treat
Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses. The amoxicillin helped her immune system
control the ehrlichiosis, lowering her temperature to the normal 101.5 +/- 1 degree,
and her other symptoms disappeared as well.
Several days later, however, the onset of her final, sudden symptoms of
high fever and other internal havoc caused her sudden death within a few hours.
Ehrlichiosis may cause any
(or none) of the following symptoms: weakness; lethargy; cough; fatigue;
pneumonia; intermittent fever; arthritis; muscle wasting; slightly increased
urine alkalinity; mild reactions to vaccinations; low red blood cell, low white
blood cell, and/or low platelet count; discharge from nose or eyes; reflective,
glassy eye appearance; retinal hemorrhages; red eyes; depression; loss of
appetite; increased thirst and urination; head tremors; disorientation;
seizures; neck or back pain; bleeding; anemia; bleeding into the skin; rash; nose
bleeds; spontaneous bleeding; abdominal tenderness; swelling of the legs;
swollen lymph nodes; enlarged liver; enlarged spleen.
Millie was usually indoors,
but one of her few tick bites infected her with this disease. Even if
your dog does not have any symptoms, please have your dog tested for this
deadly disease. The acute stage causes
very mild symptoms that are often undetected and can last for one to three
weeks. The subclinical stage, which does
not cause any symptoms, can last up to five years. Symptoms often wax and wane in the final
chronic stage. Millie contracted ehrlichia
in Connecticut, and if one dog has been afflicted, many others have the disease
as well. Please share this information
with family and friends in all towns and states, as ehrlichia is prevalent
throughout the country and the world. The
importance of early testing cannot be stressed enough; dogs do not act like
they are in the terminal stage of the disease until their final hour.
Millie will become
immortalized in the memories and hearts of those whom she touched, and she will
continue to bless those whom this new knowledge will save. We dedicate this article to Millie Staple; if
her story saves lives, her death will not have been in vain.
If you or your dog test
positive for ehrlichia, please contact [email protected] so that we can
assess the prevalence of this disease.