Treating a dog after a tick bite with medications. Supports the cardiac and respiratory systems. Borreliosis in dogs after a tick bite. Signs of the disease, treatment

What to do if your dog is bitten by a tick? The question is relevant in spring and summer. The first ticks can be found in April. After hibernation they need food - fresh blood animals and people. Their activity peaks in May. During the breeding season, the number of blood-sucking colonies increases millions of times. In June, offspring (larvae) are born, which can feed on blood from the first minutes of life.

  • encephalitis;
  • borreliosis;
  • piroplasmosis.

Veterinarians define piroplasmosis as tick-borne encephalitis. Pyroplasmas (protozoa viral organisms) enter the bloodstream with the insect’s saliva.

Ticks are able to mutate and adapt to chemicals. Often the means used have a short period of action or weak protection.

Bitten by a tick - primary actions

Before penetrating the skin, he performs “anesthesia”, and the dog does not feel pain from the bite. Next, it gnaws a tiny hole and begins to screw into it clockwise and strengthens itself in the wound. Having drunk blood, it increases in size and looks like a huge papilloma, digests food and injects digested “waste” containing the virus into the victim’s body.

Not every tick bite is dangerous. The likelihood of infection is low. According to statistics, it is 6-14%.

How to remove a tick at home

You can extract the “vampire” yourself. Unscrew it counterclockwise, like a bolt. The capture is made as close to the victim's body as possible.

It is extremely important not to tear the insect’s body away from the proboscis and mouthparts. Do not pull or try to pull out the tick with a sharp jerk, otherwise parts of the insect will remain in the body. This will lead to inflammatory process, putrefaction and abscess.

Tip 1 - pharmacy tweezers

You can use special tweezers (sold at the pharmacy). They have curved ends and allow you to unscrew the insect efficiently, without breaking.

Tip 2 – tweezers

Tip 3 - “Lasso” made of strong thread

Take a strong silky thread and form a lasso loop in the center. Throw it over the bloodsucker and secure it. Then pull the left and right ends of the thread alternately, thereby loosening the insect.

Tip 4 – manual removal

Tip 5 – syringe

Buy insulin syringe and cut off the tip with a knife. Apply the cut syringe to the “vampire” and, pulling back the plunger, try to get the insect. The method is suitable if it has not yet penetrated deeply into the skin.

All operations must be carried out with gloves and care must be taken to ensure that parts and entrails of the pest being removed do not come into contact with the skin and mucous membranes.

Stages and symptoms of piroplasmosis

  • number of bites containing infectious virus;
  • the health status of the pet before the bite;
  • age (it is believed that individuals over 4 years of age are more resistant to the virus);
  • whether vaccination was carried out.

It is not always possible to detect and remove a tick in a timely manner. It is possible that, having drunk blood, he fell off on his own. To understand that a dog has been bitten by a tick,” you need to know what the clinical picture of the development of piroplasmosis looks like, and what its stages and symptoms are.

Primary stage

  • lethargy, depression;
  • loss of appetite;

A positive result of treating the disease at an early stage is achieved within 2 days. Next, recovery therapy is prescribed.

Advanced stage

  • a sharp increase in temperature to 41-42 degrees;
  • urine takes on a dark, atypical color.
  • smell from the mouth;
  • body trembling;
  • dyspnea;
  • diarrhea with blood particles;
  • vomit;
  • eyeballs acquire a yolk tint.
  • vaginal bleeding in bitches.

Extremely difficult stage

  • a set of symptoms of primary and secondary stage;
  • unsteadiness of movements
  • limb failure
  • convulsions

The chance of salvation in a severe stage is small. The treatment period lasts from 1-3 weeks and has serious further consequences. Failure of the limbs and convulsions lead to cerebral edema, rescue is impossible.

According to veterinary reports, in case of advanced stage diseases, 98 dogs out of 100 die. If a dog is bitten by a tick, then timely recognized symptoms and timely treatment These are the fundamental factors.

Drug treatment and consequences

Virus-infected plasma strikes vital important bodies animal. At the first symptoms, try to contact a veterinary clinic. To detect infection, you will need to take urine and blood tests.

Veterinarians do not recommend drug treatment at home on your own, but if for some reason the owner cannot take the pet to the hospital or call a doctor to the house, then you can purchase necessary medications at a veterinary pharmacy and try to save your pet yourself. The drugs used in this case: Piro-stop, Berenil, Azidin-Vet, Pirosan, Veriben or their analogues. Injections are given with novocaine, intramuscularly, in the back thigh.

If a dog is bitten by a tick, then treatment at home gives only 20% positive result. She needs 1-2 hours intravenous drips for blood purification. Without special education Not a single owner is capable of placing an IV.

When suffering from piroplasmosis, immunity is not formed. Each subsequent case of infection will be more difficult to cure than the previous one.

Often, lifelong complications develop after a course of treatment:

  • heart failure;
  • disruption of the central nervous system;
  • organ anemia;
  • joint diseases;
  • kidney dysfunction.

Be carefull! If a dog is bitten Tick-borne Encephalitis, then there is a danger of a person becoming infected with the encephalitis virus (if he comes into contact with a sick animal through the entry of infected saliva into the blood).

Preventive measures

In order to protect your tailed friend from ticks in the spring-autumn period, you need to use available funds: drops on the withers, special collar, spray for fur.

Many dog ​​owners, trying to protect their pet, use them at the same time. Drops are given, tablets are given, a collar is put on, and the animal is treated with a spray before each walk. This cannot be done!

All products are toxic. Follow the regulations for use. An excess of toxins can lead to poisoning.

After a walk, carefully examine your pet. Special attention require breeds with voluminous and thick hair.

Currently in the Russian Federation there are two vaccines designed to protect pets from tick-borne piroplasmosis: Pirodog, Nobivak Piro.

Vaccines are aimed at creating weak immunity to fight the disease. To consolidate the result, injections are administered twice with an interval of 14 days. Vaccines are effective for 6 months. The principle of their action is to help the disease progress more mildly in case of infection.

reference Information

The answer to the question of whether animals suffer from encephalitis still remains controversial. It is possible that encephalitis may be a consequence of piroplasmosis. Veterinarians do not isolate this disease separately and there are no methods for treating it today. The patient's death occurs in a short time. In this case, euthanasia (euthanization) is performed.

Let's sum it up

  1. Remember that a tick bite does not always lead to illness.
  2. Use only high-quality and proven protective equipment.
  3. Get your vaccinations up to date.
  4. Study the first symptoms of piroplasmosis.
  5. If you suspect a virus, do not delay an emergency visit to the veterinarian.
  6. Do not try to cure the animal yourself (exception is force majeure).

You can also ask a question to our site's staff veterinarian, who as soon as possible will answer them in the comment box below.

Sometimes entire outbreaks of piroplasmosis, an infection spread by ticks, are directly recorded. What are the symptoms and consequences after their bites? Is it possible to organize treatment at home? Every owner four-legged friend– absolutely everyone – should be able to notice special Clinical signs, determining that the dog was bitten by a tick and knowing what to do about it later.

What is important to pay attention to

If your dog is bitten by a tick, symptoms may not appear immediately. Incubation period in practice it can vary from several hours to 3 weeks.

During this period, you need to be very attentive to the health of your dog, because... piroplasmosis is quite variable in its symptoms and does not always occur with all the main classical signs.

What is usually noticed

When visiting the clinic, the veterinarian pays attention

  • elevated temperature body (and the indicators can be either blurred - stay slightly above 39°C, or critical - up to 40-42°C). Those. There is always an elevated temperature, the only question is within its limits;
  • visible mucous membranes and whites of the eyes turn yellow, the mouth may become very pale (sometimes this is noticed by the owner of the house).

Additionally, it may still be revealed

  • tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) and shortness of breath (breathing is frequent, heavy, especially worse after physical activity) - signs of developing heart failure against the background of hemolytic anemia;
  • bloody diarrhea with mucus;
  • “yellow” vomit;
  • failure of the hind limbs (weakness in support, up to paresis);
  • against the background of dehydration, the dog turns into a “bicycle” in 2-3 days and skin turgor decreases significantly (no skin fold does not expand in any part of the body);
  • severe yellowing of plaque on the teeth near the gums.

When lubricated clinical picture It is recommended to take a blood test for accurate diagnosis. The main symptoms do not always appear, leaving no possibility that a tick bit the dog and it is piroplasmosis. For example, there is chronic form a course in which all the symptoms are so mild that owners do not always pay attention to the condition of their pets.

How and with what to treat piroplasmosis

As soon as it was placed accurate diagnosis and it is confirmed that the dog was bitten by a tick, treatment should just start immediately! The pathology is terrible in its consequences - destroyed red blood cells “hit” the liver and kidneys first, then capturing cardiovascular system in the form of developing heart failure.

The question that worries dog owners is what to give their dog if they are bitten by a tick? We answer - nothing!

It is impossible to overcome piroplasmosis at home! There are no folk recipes. The animal is at risk of dying because the owners delayed their visit to the veterinarian for so long that irreversible damage began in many organs and systems. pathological processes. If you are bitten by a tick, the consequences mainly affect the liver, kidneys and heart.

Upon confirmation of diagnosis therapeutic regimens usually always have three main stages, not counting the recovery period:

  • a special antipyroplasmosis medicine is injected;
  • the state of intoxication is eliminated;
  • maintenance therapy is prescribed for lesions internal organs and systems responsible for the evacuation of destroyed red blood cells.

The first thing pet owners ask is: “if the dog is bitten by a tick, what should I inject?” A common person is not required to know the names of the drugs used to treat piroplasmosis. It is enough to notice changes in the animal’s health status in time and take it to the veterinarian. If your dog is bitten by a tick, your veterinarian will confirm the symptoms and prescribe treatment. What to treat and in what dosages will depend not only on the animal’s body weight, but also how much the body has suffered from the disease.

The most important injection is considered to be an injection against piroplasmosis. specific drug, which effectively kills the pathogen, stopping the destruction of the body from the inside. After this injection it begins rehabilitation therapy those organs and systems that have suffered from infection.

It is advisable to take a blood test - clinical and biochemistry - to know for sure the dog’s condition after piroplasmosis! Only based on the test results can you correctly select restorative and restorative treatment.

Well-fed and hungry tick

Direct drugs for piroplasmosis

Diminosene based:

  • Azidine;
  • Neosidine;
  • Berenil;
  • Veriben;
  • Pyrogard;
  • Triponyl.

The composition of these drugs usually immediately includes an antipyretic - a substance that reduces body temperature. It is important not to use anything additional antipyretic with them, especially NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)! It is not recommended to repeat injections over the next 6 weeks, although some instructions state repeating after 24-36 hours.

Based on imidocarb:

  • Imizol;
  • Imidosan;
  • Forticarb;
  • Diprocarb;
  • Pyro-stop;
  • Imidocarb.

Repeated injections are given no earlier than after 2 weeks. They combine well with diminazene drugs, the main thing is that there is an interval between doses of at least 1 day. In case of overdose it is used symptomatic therapy, preventing cerebral edema.

Dosage: Empirical dosages are most often used to provide the required therapeutic effect, but at the same time minimal by-effect. The dosage indicated in the instructions is not always adequate for a given animal.

According to the instructions, injections are made subcutaneously or intramuscularly, but in practice it has been noted that it is better to inject into the muscle - a slower entry into the blood gives a softer and longer-lasting effect.

Features of application: It is important to very accurately calculate the dosage by weight - medications have a certain toxicity. Overdose should also be avoided severe course piroplasmosis. In case of mass death of pathogens, the body can get toxic shock also from poisoning by their decay products. That is why It is recommended that these drugs be administered simultaneously with prednisolone or dexamethasone.

Side effects from the administration of drugs are prevented by the administration of atropine.

If it is not possible to determine the exact weight of the dog, it means that less is always administered, but with a mandatory repetition after 24 hours, rather than immediately giving a potentially larger dose than necessary.

Depending on the general condition organism against the background of piroplasmosis, additional supportive therapy is used. The selection of medications, dosage and duration of treatment is determined only by a veterinarian!

Droppers or subcutaneous injection of solutions to relieve intoxication

  • saline;
  • glucose 5%.

Introduction Features: you need to be very careful when placing IVs, because... with severe kidney damage and problems absorbing fluids, there is a high risk of pulmonary edema. It is safer to administer subcutaneously in smaller dosages.

Drugs that support and improve liver function

not always needed, because The liver is the last to suffer:

Cardiac and Respiratory Support

  • lauretin C: 1-5 ml/animal once a day - every other day or daily - until the condition normalizes. It is administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously, but very slowly.
  • sulfocamphocaine: maximum injection– up to 2 ml, depending on the dog’s body weight.

Active vitamin preparations that stimulate hematopoiesis (production of red blood cells)

  • gamavit: intramuscularly 2-3 times a day for 5 days, 0.5 ml/kg (but not more than 10 ml at a time);
  • vitamin: 3-5 ml/10 kg twice a day intramuscularly or subcutaneously for 5 days;
  • catozal: subcutaneously, intravenously or into the muscle, 1-3 ml/10 kg of dog’s body weight every other day for 2-4 weeks. In particular severe cases administered daily;
  • butasteam: 1-5 ml into the muscle, subcutaneously or intravenously once a day for 5 days, repeat the course after 5-14 days;
  • vitamin B12: daily into the muscle, subcutaneously/intramuscularly, 500 mcg if the dog weighs up to 15 kg and 1000 mcg if more than 15 kg (1 or 2 ml, depending on the dosage in the bottle).
  • duphalight: 50 ml/5 kg subcutaneously or slowly intravenously.

Features of application: duration of courses of vitamins and metabolic drugs determined by a veterinarian. Vitamin B12 is best administered intramuscularly. There is rapid absorption into the blood with slow excretion (up to 24 hours), i.e. maximum effect.

General immunomodulators

  • ribotane: 3-5 days, 1-2 ml intramuscularly or subcutaneously once a day. Repeat the course after 10-15 days;
  • azoxyvet: by any possible injection method, 0.3-0.5 mg/kg is administered once a day if the dog’s weight is up to 3 kg, 0.3 mg/kg - more than 3 kg, but less than 10 and 0.2 mg/kg when the weight exceeds 10 kg. Usually 5-7 injections are enough;
  • immunofan: 1 ml subcutaneously or intramuscularly once a day. The number of injections is determined by the veterinarian.

It is strongly recommended that after the course of treatment you undergo blood tests - general and biochemistry. You need to know exactly what state the body is in after the disease. Recovery period can take up to six months. Piroplasmosis is a dangerous and insidious infection, terrible for its complications. Based on the test results, a decision is made whether to stop therapy or continue.

When the long-awaited spring comes, many people go outdoors, of course, taking their beloved four-legged friends with them. But besides the green grass, warm sun and many pleasant moments that this wonderful time of year gives to people and animals awaits you on walks serious danger. At this time, ticks begin to become active. If you don't resort to preventive measures, then the pet may get sick, and in some cases even die. Many people have a question: the dog was bitten by a tick, what to do?

What is the danger of a tick bite for a dog?

6-10 days after the tick bite, the first signs of infection of the dog may appear. But the manifestation of symptoms largely depends on the form of the disease:

  • The hyperacute form is characterized by the fact that the first signs of infection begin to appear already on the second day after the tick bite, which in most cases leads to fatal outcome pet.
  • The acute form is the most common, usually the first manifestations of the disease begin after 5-7 days - this is the incubation period.
  • The chronic form is difficult to diagnose, characterized by weakness of the pet and a rise in temperature for a short time, after which there is an improvement. After a short period, the dog begins to refuse to eat without noticeable reasons. Such changes occur long time, but in the end the animal weakens, feels constant fatigue and the disease wins.

A tick bite can cause the following diseases:

  • Encephalitis.
  • Piroplasmosis (babesiosis).
  • Lyme disease (manifests in very in rare cases).

Main symptoms of an infected tick bite

Every dog ​​owner should know these symptoms. If the course is hyperacute, then it will not be possible to save the dog; the disease develops too quickly. But this type of illness occurs in isolated cases. Most often, encephalitis manifests itself in acute form, its symptoms are:

  • The dog’s body temperature rises to 40–42 degrees Celsius and lasts for 1–2 days. After which it returns to normal and after a while begins to decline.
  • As the temperature rises, the dog may have convulsions and motor skills may be impaired.
  • Lethargy is also a sign of infection. The animal loses activity, stops frolicking during walks, and just lies most of the time.
  • One of the main symptoms is refusal to eat.
  • Paralysis.

The acute form of the disease is a characteristic sign of infection from a tick bite.

The symptoms of piroplasmosis are slightly different, but they can also be caused by another infection caused by the tick:

  • The appearance of shortness of breath.
  • Chills.
  • Paleness of the mucous membranes.
  • The dog rolls over onto its back and begins to whine (thus, it reacts to pain in the abdominal area).
  • Bitches may have bleeding from the loop.
  • Unsteady walking and failure of the pet's hind limbs.
  • In rare cases, diarrhea and vomiting may occur.

If infection If the dog has developed sufficiently, then it can be felt from the mouth bad smell, urine acquires dark color mixed with blood.

When the owner sees the symptoms, the question arises: how can he help the pet at home? This is what it's all about main mistake, because the first step is to immediately take the dog to the veterinarian. He will diagnose and prescribe necessary treatment medications.

Does a tick always infect a dog?

Knowing such statistics, owners, fearing for their pet, often panic, which is absolutely not allowed. First of all, you need to consult a doctor to remove the bloodsucker, and then the owner must carefully monitor the animal’s condition and, if the dog’s condition worsens at the slightest level, immediately contact a veterinarian.

Diagnosis of the disease

It often happens that the symptoms that appear from tick bites can be detected without any apparent reason. In this case, the owners do not understand what is happening to their beloved pet?

Diseases carried by ticks can often appear only a few days after infection. It happens that an infection that has entered the dog’s blood does not begin to act due to strong immunity animal, she “calms down” for a while and waits for protective system the body will weaken. It happens that the dog loses his appetite and winter time years, in such cases the owner will not even think that such behavior is associated with a tick bite six months ago. But it’s still better not to risk it and take the dog to see a veterinarian.

There is such a nuance: the tick that carries the disease bites the dog and immediately falls off. Similar cases it is almost impossible to notice them, especially if your four-legged friend has dark or black thick fur.

How to remove a tick?

The insect should not be pulled out abruptly, otherwise the head of the tick may remain in the wound. Any manipulations when removing a tick should be carried out using medical gloves to avoid infection.

How to treat the bite site after removing the tick?

First aid after tick removal

After removing the tick, you should immediately begin treatment for your pet. The right thing to do is take your dog to the vet. But there are times when this is simply impossible to do and then you have to take full responsibility for the pet’s health.

If the owner notices that the dog has begun to refuse food and water, then in order to avoid dehydration in the dog, it needs to pour 50–100 ml of water into its mouth every 30–40 minutes. In case of vomiting, you need to give a water enema. Thanks to this, you will be able to avoid dehydration.

If the situation is hopeless, it is not possible to get to a veterinary hospital, and all the symptoms of tick infection are clearly visible, then in order to save the dog you need to inject Azidine or Veriben, the dosage should be calculated based on the dog’s weight.

When the animal’s condition normalizes, tests are still needed to clarify the diagnosis. The veterinarian must prescribe a set of therapeutic drugs, because if the infection is not treated, it can lead to relapse of the disease and serious complications.

Only the owner’s attentiveness to his four-legged friend will help him to promptly notice a tick bite or the manifestation of symptoms of infection and take action, thereby saving the dog’s life.

Prevention

In the warm season, dogs can be attacked by so-called ixodid ticks. Such cases are especially frequent in May and September.

When ticks begin to be absorbed into the skin, the causative agent of piroplasmosis enters the bloodstream, which begins to multiply in the blood of dogs.

Piroplasmosis (babesiosis) is quite serious illness . Even if the dog makes a full recovery, there may be further health problems in the future.

How does infection occur?

Infection with piroplasmosis occurs during a tick bite, since in its salivary glands there are pathogens of this disease, which enter the dog’s blood through the wound.

Piroplasmosis is non-communicable disease Therefore, it is impossible to become infected with piroplasmosis from another animal.

The disease is seasonal. The most a large number of Cases of the disease are reported from August to September and from May to June. Piroplasmosis is more severely tolerated purebred dogs and puppies.

Photos of ticks on dogs (Do not look at the impressionable)

Inflammation from a bite
Tick ​​on a dog
Removing a tick using a special device
Type of tick

Symptoms of a tick bite

The disease progresses differently; there are three forms:

  • spicy,
  • I'll sharpen it up
  • chronic.

At various forms This disease exhibits different symptoms.

Acute form of the disease

  1. Complete refusal to eat.
  2. Constant shortness of breath.
  3. Change in color of mucous membranes.
  4. Temperature increase.
  5. Lack of reaction to others.
  6. Frequent heart contractions.
  7. An increase in hemoglobin in the urine is possible.

The acute form of the disease usually occurs in dogs that have not previously been ill. In the first days, body temperature rises to 42 degrees. Sick dogs are noticeably apathetic, do not eat and become lethargic.

On mucous membranes oral cavity and the eyes appear jaundiced. The pulse becomes thread-like and weak. Difficulty walking, may weaken hind limbs, paralysis is possible. In addition, the disease causes intestinal atony.

All of these signs appear on days 3-7. If no treatment measures are taken, it will lead to death.

Chronic form

The chronic form of the disease can occur in dogs that have previously had piroplasmosis and in animals with good immunity. Symptoms may include:

  1. Lack of appetite.
  2. for a few days, which then returns to normal.
  3. Weakness.
  4. Exhaustion.
  5. Possible.

The dog gets tired quite quickly, and his appetite deteriorates significantly. Good mood gives way to depression.

In chronic babesiosis characteristic feature is cachexia (depletion of the body), as well as progressive anemia. The disease lasts from 3 to 6 weeks. After treatment full recovery does not occur immediately, but lasts from 4 weeks to 2-3 months.

Treatment after a tick bite

Helping your pet consists of three areas:

Early treatment of piroplasmosis has a very important - in this case, external recovery may occur after 2 days.

Treatment of complications in advanced cases can take from 5 to 20 days, and often does not lead to complete recovery.

How to properly remove a tick from a dog?

If you find a tick on your pet's body with its body sticking up, then you will need tweezers or a special medical clamp to remove it.

Under no circumstances should you pull it out with an upward jerk, because the tick’s body is completely covered with small spines, which dig into the skin even more when jerked. In this way, you will only be able to get his torso, and after that the head will remain in the wound and will continue to torment the dog.

To begin with, you should grab it right at the head and fix it as close to the skin as possible. After that, just scroll through it a few times.

Animal nutrition with piroplasmosis

After infection with piroplasmosis, the consequences can be very dangerous. And if you don’t make up correct menu, then after a few months you can lose your pet, even after his recovery. This is due to the fact that as a result poor nutrition The kidneys or liver may fail, and acute pancreatitis may develop.

Proper nutrition- this is the most important part of therapy, without which all the consequences of the disease can become the saddest.

If your pet is in in serious condition, for example, he can barely stand on his paws and refuses his favorite sausage, veterinarian will prescribe special nutritional drips. In this case, you should not force feed the dog, for example from a syringe or spoon. At a time when the animal’s body is very weak, the swallowed portion, unfortunately, can become a very large load!

If your pet's appetite is at least partially preserved, feed him several times a day in small portions. Be sure to consult an experienced veterinarian about what to feed a sick dog. Most often, the diet includes dishes such as:

  • meat purees;
  • porridge (buckwheat, wheat, rice, chopped meat);
  • lean meat (turkey, beef, lamb);
  • oil (corn, flaxseed, olive), as an additive to meat;
  • dry food soaked in boiled water to a pulp state;
  • canned food mixed with hot water.

All food must be warm. Ready-made food for this disease is special diets for very weakened animals that have problems with the kidneys or liver, on a meat basis (beef, lamb, rabbit, turkey).

Prevention

Nowadays, there is no 100% protection against ticks, but you can try to protect your dog from ticks while walking.

  • After all walks, be sure to examine the dog and carefully feel the fur.
  • From the beginning of April use special means against ticks: sprays, collars, drops. They can reduce the chance of catching a tick by up to 50 percent.
  • Before long trip, carefully treat your pet's fur with protective products.

Vaccines and inoculations

The most effective vaccines against piroplasmosis are Pirodog and Nobivak Piro. They contain a special isolated piroplasmosis antigen.

Pirodog

This vaccine is capable of inducing immunity specifically against babesiosis. Vaccinated dogs develop full immunity after 14 days, immediately after double vaccination. Immunity lasts for 6 months.

Nobivac Piro

Effective subunit inactivated vaccine, acting against babesiosis, with a solvent.

Piroplasmosis is a serious disease that can be fatal. Take the health of your four-legged friend very seriously and be sure to consult a veterinarian!

If you do not have time to remove a tick from a dog, as is known, the dog may develop piroplasmosis. How to determine the symptoms of a tick bite, what precautions should be taken?

Answer

In the temperate climate zone, the number of infections transmitted through ticks is significantly lower than in the tropics or subtropics. However, even in our latitudes there are a lot of troubles that can come with a tick bite. Transmissible infectious diseases pose a particular danger viral diseases to which they are subject four-legged pets and their owners.

Danger when a tick is found

  1. Against the background of a bite, there may be allergic reaction or toxic effects on the central nervous system animal.
  2. Infection through a tick bite is now observed not only after being in the forest or rural areas, perhaps even in megacities.
  3. Long row vector-borne infections poses a threat to dogs and humans.
  4. Not always the first signs dangerous diseases occur immediately after a tick bite. The incubation period can take a long time, in addition, a number of pathologies on initial stages leaks hidden.
  5. If you don't give your pet timely assistance, the underlying disease is accompanied by concomitant infectious and other processes that complicate the picture and worsen the animal’s prognosis.

Ticks of the Ixodid family are considered common carriers in Russian latitudes. A common disease transmitted from a tick to a pet is piroplasmosis.

Local signs of a bite


Locally, symptoms of irritation and allergy occur on the skin after the mite has penetrated. Such reactions are common. Hyperemia appears at the site of the tick bite small size. Gradually goes away on its own. The severity of symptoms of local damage depends on the type of tick, the length of stay on the dog’s skin, and the condition of the tick. general immunity animal. The weather outside over the past few weeks plays an important role.

During an external examination, signs of edema and hyperemia are noted on the pet’s skin, which diffusely increase towards the periphery, then gradually subside. Increases in the bitten area local temperature skin, there is severe itching and even some pain. Similar symptoms are typical for all breeds of dogs. The animal is worried, tries to lick or gnaw the bite site, whines, and scratches the wound.

If help is not provided in time, granulomatous dermatitis develops. This happens the next day after the tick is removed. Sometimes they develop at the site of the bite purulent complications. If the bite site is treated promptly and correctly, the prognosis is quite favorable. Give it to your pet antihistamine to reduce itching, pain and swelling.

Signs of piroplasmosis

The disease in animals occurs in two stages. On early stages the dog develops weakness, malaise, lethargy, decreases appetite, and loses interest in games and walks. Body temperature may increase. The dog begins to experience extreme thirst. The duration of the first stage is three days maximum. Then there is a short-term improvement for 1 - 2 days. At this time, consulting a doctor is extremely appropriate.

At the second stage, the causative agents of piroplasmosis begin to actively multiply and release a lot of toxins into the pet’s blood. At this stage there is sharp deterioration condition. The dog does not get up from the bedding and refuses to eat. The urine darkens and acquires a greenish tint. With active hemolysis of blood cells, the urine turns brown or black. The skin and mucous membranes become icteric-pale.

Upon examination, the doctor diagnoses an increase in the size of the spleen and liver. Diarrhea with traces of blood begins.

First aid and precautions

When the tick is removed, generously lubricate the wound at the site of the bite with iodine.

If the tick is not removed in time, the wound must be treated with iodine tincture. Make sure that no suppuration forms on the skin. Then it remains to observe the condition of the dog. Over the next three months Body temperature is regularly monitored.

If you notice a persistent increase in temperature, signs of lethargy and apathy, or changes in urine, contact your veterinarian immediately. The sooner help is provided, the better prognosis diseases.