How to Address Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Dogs
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a severe, tick-borne illness triggered by a parasite called rickettsia rickettsii. In the United States, RMSF is considered the most severe tick-borne health problem. Individuals and pets can be vulnerable to this condition.
The most typical transmission is from infected parasites such as wood tick, brown dog tick, and American canine tick. These parasites can connect themselves to your dogs for as long as ten hours, but it takes only ten minutes for an infected tick to transmit the disease to your canine.
Symptoms
Many of the symptoms of RMSF are also present with other conditions. Indications will show up between 2 and 14 days after an infected tick bit your dog. To ensure if your pets have been exposed to this condition, schedule a visit to facilities like Trooper Veterinary Hospital.
Here are some symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever:
- Coughing
- Diarrhea, vomiting
- Discharge from the eyes or nose
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Fever
- Swelling in the legs or face
- Sleepiness
- Nosebleed
- Discomfort in abdominal area or joints
- Decreased appetite
Diagnosis
A vet internist in Norristown will bear in mind all the signs and symptoms detailed above. A series of diagnostic examinations like blood work, urinalysis, and x-rays will better help your vet verify the RMSF.
The internist may watch out for any abnormalities in the red blood cells, complete blood count (CBC), and white blood to point out Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Abnormalities in kidney and liver functions, low protein muscles, abnormal calcium and electrolytes levels increase the possibility of RMSF condition.
Treatment
The most recommended treatment for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is antibiotics. Many canines respond to antibiotic therapy within 24-48 hours; nonetheless, dogs with severe cases might not respond to antibiotic treatments.
Prognosis
There’s generally a good prognosis if the illness is found and treated early. Your dog may even develop lifelong immunity after the infection is cleared in many cases. Nonetheless, if your canine had an advanced Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever situation, the risk of complications is high.
Some risks include kidney disease, neurological disease, vasculitis, and coagulopathies. The latter might need the service of a veterinary surgeon; learn more about vet surgery. The prognosis may be less evident in all these issues, depending on the individual cases.
Prevention
Your veterinarian might suggest parasite prevention medications to protect your dog year-round from RMSF and other tick-borne related diseases such as canine ehrlichiosis, canine babesiosis, and Lyme’s disease.
Limit your dog’s exposure in places where ticks usually gather and wait for their hosts. Places like woods, bushes, and yards are generally where ticks thrive. The peak months for ticks are from March to October.
Each time your dog has come from a tick-prone area, examine immediately if there are ticks attached to your dog. The sooner these ticks are gotten rid of, the better chances of preventing the infection.
Constantly use safety gloves when getting rid of ticks to prevent being contaminated. Tick removal kits are inexpensive and can be found in most pet stores and vet clinics; constantly have this device close to your home.
You can decrease the possibility of having RMSF by taking all the abovementioned preventative measures.
