What to do if a tick bit a dog and how to protect a pet from infection with pyroplasmosis

Good day. One of the main conditions, which must be avoided without fail, is panic.

Because it is very difficult to make the right decisions. The first time I saw my daughter's panic when she returned from a walk with a dog.

Her beloved pet was bitten at once by two ticks. The daughter was all in tears and could not find a place for herself. I reassured her, and together we helped the dog. Want to know what to do if a tick bit a dog? What actions to take first? I will sign everything in great detail.

The dog was bitten by a tick: what to do to provide competent help to the animal?

From April to the coldest times, owners need to be more attentive to the health of the pet. Ticks lurk their prey everywhere: in the bushes, grass and trees.

Parasite danger

It is impossible to insure 100% of your doggie from a bite of an ixodid tick. Even if the dog walks only 30 minutes a day and wears a special collar, from April to the coldest times the owners need to be more attentive to the health of the pet.

The danger of contracting a disease arises not only with a tick bite, but also when the dog accidentally swallows it.

The insect itself is digested in the digestive tract, but the parasites it carries have time to penetrate the bloodstream. In addition, even with a thorough examination of the skin of the dog, you may not notice where the enemy of health has lurked. After all, he chooses the most tender and inaccessible places for visual assessment.

Symptoms of bite disease

The tick itself is not very dangerous, a parasite that it can carry with itself is a threat to health. After all, among other things, it can provoke the development of staphylococcus in your pet.

Various ticks are carriers of "their" parasites. And therefore, the observed symptoms are significantly different.

At bartonellosis the dog may have drowsiness, weakness of the hind legs, weight loss, inflammation of the eyelids, cardiovascular problems, weight loss, inflammation of the joints. There are hemorrhages in the eyeballs, nosebleeds.

Hepatozoonosis It does not manifest itself in any way, while the dog is all right with immunity. As a result of stress - childbirth, moving, colds - parasites are activated.In the dog, discharge from the eyes intensifies, fever appears, pain in muscles and joints, weakness.

Borreliosis is also dangerous not only for animals, but also for humans. The dog's joints become inflamed in the nearest place to the bite, then arthritis develops. Lameness usually manifests itself completely suddenly and is accompanied by various neurological disorders.

Then all this also suddenly passes and the next stage begins: poor appetite, apathy, weakness, inflammation of the joints.

Pyroplasmosis is the most common ailment that occurs if a dog is bitten by a tick. What to do, what to treat depends on the stage of development of the disease. Doggie after a bite is languid, drinks a lot, but doesn’t want to eat.

Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract begin, shortness of breath develops, temperature rises. Urine has a very dark color - red, brown and even almost black.

What to do?

Treatment for the detection of this parasite on the skin of an animal, of course, is not a priority. It is important to extract the whole insect, along with the head.

When a ghoul is detected and removed, it is necessary to carefully monitor the behavior and condition of the dog for 3 to 30 days.

How to pull out a tick:

1. It is necessary to weaken the insect. Do not flatter yourself, simple vegetable oil is not enough here, because ticks can do without oxygen for a long time. It is better to purchase a special remedy directed against parasites in the veterinary pharmacy in advance, for example, Amitrazin. The technology in this case is this: every minute you need to drip a drop on the insect.
2. If after 15 minutes the tick itself does not fall off, take the tweezers and grab the parasite with it at the very base of the head or as close to the skin of the dog as possible. Now, with unsharp rotational movements, unwind the insect, then gently pull it towards you. When turning 360 °, the jaws open at the tick and can be easily pulled out. Ghoul does not give in? Drip again, twist and pull.
3. Treat the inflamed bite site with iodine or brilliant green. Observe for several days whether the swelling and redness spread further on the dog’s skin.

What can not be done

When to take to the vet?

Suppose the owner safely removed parasites from the skin of his pet. And then what should I do if a dog is bitten by a tick? Symptoms of insect-borne diseases may not appear for weeks or even months. And in some cases, the animal may suffer, it would seem, from the usual diseases that are characteristic of the breed.

You need to contact specialists in the following cases:

1. There is a suspicion that not all the tick was extracted from the skin of the doggie.
2. All ghoul insects were safely removed, but the dog has a heat period and it is preparing for mating.
3. There are obvious deviations from the norm in the well-being and behavior of the animal.

In the first case, the veterinarian will help clean the skin of the dog from the remains of parasites and disinfect it. In the second, and especially in the third, it will be necessary to conduct analyzes.

Only they will show if treatment is necessary and what should be if the dog is bitten by a tick. What to do, to conduct treatment at home or to visit the dog with a doggie, the specialist decides in this case.

Prevention

Prevention cannot provide ideal protection against ticks, but with its help the risks of attack by these nasty insects can be significantly reduced.

But nevertheless, at the peak of activity of these insects - April-May, and also August-September - it is worth refraining from walking in the forest or park. But the dog can "catch" a tick in the yard or square, so after each walk you need to carefully examine the pet's body.

The next step will be the use of acaricides. Today, a great number of them are sold in veterinary pharmacies - these are collars from ticks, and drops at the withers, and sprays. In drugs that protect against tick bites, they have a fairly short duration, often no more than a month. Therefore, for their proper use, read the instructions.

Please note that any "chemistry" that you use to protect your doggie from parasites will not work immediately. The protective function of the drug "turns on" usually after a couple of days. It is also necessary to carefully study the packaging so as not to purchase expired goods that could poison the dog.

And when the owner is attentive to his pet, the risks associated with serious consequences or death from a tick bite are reduced to the minimum possible.

Ticks in a dog: prevention, symptoms and treatment

Spring, warned by veterinarians, the beginning of the season of incidence of pyroplasmosis - a deadly disease for dogs transmitted by ixodid ticks. Currently, pyroplasmosis is recorded almost throughout the country, where its main carriers are ticks.

Owners of animals should take care of prevention, be aware of the signs of the disease and the first measures of help with a tick bite.

Although this disease has been well studied and there are highly effective treatments, pyroplasmosis often ends fatally, usually because the animal was taken to the veterinary clinic too late. The longer the pyroplasmosis lasts, the worse the consequences for the dog’s body.

The pyroplasm itself is not terrible, but what happens in the dog’s body under the influence of their vital functions. Pyroplasmas parasitize in the blood, or rather in red blood cells, destroying them. The breakdown of red blood cells, the release of a large amount of hemoglobin - internal organs can not cope with this work. In this regard, toxic decomposition products are formed.

In this case, the liver, kidneys, spleen suffer. And brain hypoxia can also occur, which will cause dire consequences. The causative agents of the disease are unicellular parasites of pyroplasm, which enter the body with a tick bite. The parasite is carried by ixodid ticks of the genera Dermacentor and Rhipicephalus.

Pyroplasmas are found in the salivary glands of a tick and, when bitten, along with tick saliva, enter the dog’s blood.

Ticks usually attack dogs while walking in places overgrown with shrubs or tall grass.A newly attached tick no larger than a pinhead; pumping blood, it can reach the size of a large bean. Be sure to carefully inspect your pet after each walk for ticks, and carefully comb out the hair.

How to pull out a parasite?

If you notice a tick sticking to a dog, in no case try to pull it out, since only the body comes off and the head remains and causes inflammation. To remove the tick, it is necessary to drip on it with any oil, alcohol, gasoline.

After a few minutes, the tick will either fall off itself or loosen its grip, and then it can be pulled out (preferably with tweezers). Capture the tick follows the head. After removing the tick, treat the wound with 5% iodine solution.

Not every dog ​​will become infected if it is attacked by a tick. But, unfortunately, it is not indicated on the tick whether it can infect or not. So, now your main task is to carefully monitor the health of the pet and measure its temperature several times a day. The incubation period of pyroplasmosis lasts 6 to 10 days.

The course of the disease is most often acute, but can be chronic, as well as over-acute, when dogs die in a matter of days. Therefore, if you detect the first symptoms, you should immediately contact a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment.

Symptoms that you need to pay attention to are:

• Dark urine (or urine of brown, brown, red color)
• Yellowing of visible mucous membranes and eye proteins
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness (lethargy)
• The dog falls on its hind legs. Difficult gait.
• Temperature 39.0 - 40.0 C or higher (Normally it should be 37.5 - 39 ° C, in small breeds up to 39.5)

The diagnosis of pyroplasmosis is made on the basis of clinical signs, anamnesis (detection of sucking ticks on the dog’s skin), and epizootological data.

In such cases, the diagnosis is based on the course of the animal’s disease, medical history and the results of other laboratory tests (urinalysis, blood biochemistry, general blood test). Treatment is carried out in two directions:

1. pathogen destruction
2. removal of intoxication and maintaining the general condition of the body

For the destruction of the pathogen, preparations of the group of organic dyes (berenyl, azidine, verbene) and imidocarb derivatives are used. A common property of these drugs is their toxicity not only in relation to the pathogen, but also to the patient. Since the drugs do not have a preventive effect, they are used only after diagnosis, under the supervision of a veterinarian!

To remove intoxication and maintain the body, a large number of drugs are used: saline solutions, vitamins, heart preparations, etc. the volume and duration of treatment depends on the condition of the patient. In any case, the recovery period lasts at least one month and requires control analyzes.

Prevention of pyroplasmosis is to prevent ticks from attacking the animal; for this, dogs are treated with acaricidal drugs, which are available in the form of collars (Kiltiks, Bolfo, Harz), sprays (Front Line, Defendog, Bars) and drops at the withers (Advantix, Front Line, Harz, Bars, Serko).

These products are distributed over the skin and hair without being absorbed into the blood. Contact with treated hair and skin, the tick dies.

Unfortunately, these products do not provide 100% protection against ticks; the effectiveness of these drugs depends on how much time has passed since they were applied.Protective equipment must be used in advance (2-3 days before going to nature or going on vacation).

It must be remembered that:

Very often, veterinary clinics ask owners to vaccinate their pets against pyroplasmosis. Unfortunately, there are no such vaccinations in Ukraine yet. There is a Pirovac® vaccine for pyroplasmosis abroad, but it is not certified and officially imported in our country. The effectiveness of this vaccine is about 80%.

If you find similar symptoms in your dog - do not experiment! An urgent need to contact a veterinary clinic, if for some reason this is not possible, use the service to call the veterinarian at home.

Bite Prevention

The choice of drugs for ticks is quite large, however, leading dog breeders prefer drops that repel parasites, such as Advantix. The action of the drug occurs quite quickly.

Drops destroy from 98.5% to 100% of fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and bloodsucking flies preventing them from biting a dog. And this is the most important thing - not to allow the parasite to bite.

The story of one dog

So far, we have not encountered ticks. My first dog lived for more than 14 years and we never knew such a problem as ticks ... And now, unfortunately, now we have got such a sad experience.

The day after returning from vacation, we went for a walk to the river - my husband Denis, Borya and I. We are very pleased that we have the opportunity to walk with the dog in the fresh air along the river near the house. Returning home, we once again noticed that Borya is itching.

Even on the trip, he began to scratch a little - either the back, then the legs, or the tummy. We constantly examined him and found nothing. Honestly, I wrote off this scabies to sea water or to a change of food, because after all, I couldn’t always cook porridge with meat on a trip to him ...

So, after this walk, I decided to wash Borya after the trip, and then comb and thoroughly examine. Fortunately, I did not find anything. After a couple of hours, having noticed Borina's scratching again, I already asked Denis to carefully examine Boria, but he also did not find anything.

And only in the evening, at about 9 p.m., Borya climbed into her husband’s arms and Denis groped to find a lump in Bory’s spine. When he parted his hair, he saw a sucking tick. Personally, I had a shock!

Due to the fact that we did not know what exactly needed to be done, we began phoning all the familiar “dog lovers”. But as luck would have it, they could not get through to anyone. And then I called our veterinary clinic, where they gave me practical advice:

It is advisable to pull out a dead tick. There are several ways to kill him:

• water the tick with vegetable oil so that it does not have the opportunity to breathe;
• or pour the tick with alcohol.

In our case, it was like this: twice for twenty minutes we kept a cotton wool on the tick, well soaked in olive oil, but the tick remained alive, i.e. when he tried to pull it out, he moved his paws. Then we dripped alcohol on a tick and held a cotton wool also soaked in alcohol at the site of the bite for another 20 minutes.

In order to avoid this, you need to turn the tick a couple of times counterclockwise, and then start removing it. It is also very important not to crush the body of the tick in the hands, because in this case, the process of its extraction will be delayed.

My husband did not manage to pull out the tick with his hands and then he used tweezers. After turning the tick several times counterclockwise, he slowly pulled it out, fortunately, with his head. After that, we treated the edges of the wound with iodine and put the tick in a closed jar.

Having called several laboratories and clinics, we came to the conclusion that, in principle, it makes no sense to pass a tick for research, because the results of the analysis will be ready within three days, and during this time, if the tick is a carrier of diseases, the dog will already show signs of infection.

In one of the veterinary laboratories we were told that it is still possible to check the dog itself immediately after the bite, having passed a smear for analysis. After asking what a smear was, the doctor explained that several incisions were made in the dog’s ear and blood was taken for analysis. Although in another laboratory we were told that it was impossible to determine the tick-borne infection so soon.

Somewhere by 10 pm, our dog lovers got in touch with us and, having also given us some valuable advice, they recommended that we carefully follow Borey over the next few days.

After analyzing all the advice received, we decided nevertheless, for our peace of mind, to take the tick for analysis. At least after three days, you can already know for sure what to expect.

Fortunately, the laboratory assistant said that the tick is not a carrier of pyroplasmosis. For us and Borenka this story ended well, but conclusions for the future have been made. Despite the fact that we treat Boria every month with special drops from ticks (drops from Hartz), we realized that one remedy is not enough.

We will surely now apply both the collar and sprays, and also carefully examine and comb out our saffron milk cap after each walk ...

Having scanned the entire Internet over these few days for ticks that are dangerous for dogs, we came across a very interesting article that very competently wrote how ticks are dangerous, how to protect your pet from them, and what to do if a tick does bite.

I think it will not be superfluous to bring here the text of this article, despite the fact that, in principle, the sequence of actions for a tick bite was described by us correctly.

The danger of pyroplasmosis

“Tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis are not terrible for dogs and cats, they do not get these diseases. For them, ticks are primarily dangerous infectious disease piroplasmosis.

Pyroplasmosis is a serious infectious disease of dogs and cats, unfortunately, quite widespread.The causative agent of pyroplasmosis is unicellular microorganisms of the type Piroplasma canis, which parasitize on red blood cells - red blood cells.

The main method of transmission of this disease between animals is a tick bite. Most of the diseases with pyroplasmosis occur in the season of tick activity, that is, in spring and autumn.

First of all, do not forget to protect your pet from tick attacks. Today there is a large selection of different products in the form of sprays, collars and drops at the withers. How do these drugs work, and which one to choose to protect your pet? And the form of the drug, and the quality of the product, and the credibility of the company that produces it, matter.

The composition of any form of protective preparation includes the active substance and the excipient in which this active substance is dissolved. Drops differ from sprays by the concentration of the active substance in a unit volume, and in insect-acaricidal collars both the active substance and the solvent are applied to a special synthetic base in the form of a tape (collar).

From there, along with the secret, the insectoacaricide for a long time is released on the surface of the skin in small portions. Therefore, the treated animals in two or three days you can swim.

It should be borne in mind that ticks and other insects can attach to the animal’s hair, but immediately after that the active substances of the protective agent begin to act on them. This leads to a sharp decrease in the activity of ticks, and then to death.

Recommended by the manufacturer, the patterns of use of most drugs are as follows: the drug must be applied in some way to the skin of the animal - drops and sprays are distributed at several points every two to four weeks, and the active substance from the collars is absorbed into the skin gradually during wear.

But for more “tenacious” ixodid ticks, additional protection is required in the form of a daily spray application on the animal’s hair. This is especially true for long-haired dogs and cats.

Based on this, the most effective means of protection are insecticaricidal sprays, used according to the following scheme: basic treatment by spraying the skin once every few weeks, in the amount recommended by the manufacturer, plus daily spraying of a small amount on the animal’s hair.

For example, Front Line spray, 250 ml of the French company Merial or its analogue Fipron spray, 250 ml of the Czech company Biovetta is recommended to be used as follows: once every three to four weeks, based on four clicks of the distribution head on one a kilogram of live weight of the animal, jet on the skin of the animal - as the basic treatment (spray distribution head has two positions - for spray application and spraying), plus daily spraying on the wool (two to six strokes of the distribution head are enough).

The combination of insect-acaricidal collars, drops on the withers and sprays of various companies cannot be recognized as rational for the following reasons.

Firstly, the interaction of two or more protective substances on the surface of the skin of an animal can result in a third, less effective or even toxic substance, and secondly, the likelihood that your pet will develop an allergic reaction increases sharply.

It is important not only how effective the drug acts on parasites, but also whether it has side effects (high toxicity, allergenicity). Therefore, it is better to choose high-quality, proven drugs.

There are no other preventive means of preventing pyroplasmosis infection: to date, no vaccine or serum (immunoglobulin) has been invented against this disease.

It is worth mentioning right away that the listed insectoacariside drugs, even with daily use, do not protect against tick attacks by one hundred percent, so an additional examination of the animal after a walk will not hurt.

What to do if, despite all the measures taken, the dog is still bitten by a tick?

First, remove and burn the parasite. You should not remove the tick with your bare hands (use tweezers, gloves, etc.) - the main thing is to avoid contact with the tick of your skin and mucous membranes - there is a danger of contracting other diseases that are already dangerous to humans.

There are special devices for removing ticks. These devices have an advantage over clamps or tweezers, since the body of the tick does not squeeze, squeezing the contents of the tick into the wound is excluded - it reduces the risk of infection with tick-borne infections.

Well-proven Uniclean Tick Twister (UNIKLIN TIK TWISTER) - this tick removal tool can be purchased in Russia.

If you cannot remove the tick yourself, contact a veterinary clinic. Secondly, pay attention to the general condition and behavior of your pet: lethargy, refusal to feed, fever up to 39.5-410 C, discoloration of urine - any of these symptoms is a reason for going to the clinic.

In addition, the use of this drug, which is very non-specific for animals, will not only not bring any benefit, but can also seriously allergize the dog's body (and cause significant damage to your wallet with senseless expenses).

It is also not worth rushing to set up a specific anti-pyroplasmid drug, such as verbene or azidine. On the one hand, these drugs are extremely toxic (in fact, they are poisons), on the other hand, their effect does not last long.

Therefore, if a tick that bites an animal turns out to be uninfected (and an average of 3 to 14 percent of insects are infected with pyroplasm), then the so-called preventive therapy will inflict a severe blow on the entire body, in the liver and immune system in the first place.

In the veterinary clinic, in addition to conducting a clinical examination, your pet must be tested for pyroplasmosis. A drop of blood for a smear is taken from the dog’s ear (not from a vein!) - it is in the peripheral vessels that the largest amount of pyroplasma is deposited. The diagnosis of pyroplasmosis is considered established only after its laboratory confirmation.

If laboratory diagnostics are not carried out, then even in the case of the appearance of the classical triad of symptoms characteristic of pyroplasmosis: hyperthermia (high temperature), hematuria (“bloody urine”) and ectericity (jaundice) - not a single doctor is safe from fatal errors.

Therapy of pyroplasmosis should not be reduced only to the course of a specific anti-pyroplasmid drug. Such limited treatment is fraught with the development of a mass of chronic diseases in the future. Moreover, the dog can become infected repeatedly: immunity after the disease is not formed.

As already noted, with pyroplasmosis, the kidneys, liver and hematopoiesis system are primarily affected, on which the state of immunity largely depends.

And if kidney and liver problems are usually not forgotten, then not all veterinarians remember about the total immunodeficiency accompanying pyroplasmosis, which arises as a result of the combined toxic effect of pyroplasm and poisons introduced to destroy these pyroplasmas.

And in this case, not every immunostimulant is suitable for correction. First of all, it should be a drug that stimulates blood formation (i.e., the production of new red and white blood cells in blood depots) in the most effective way and, at the same time, activates existing cells of the immune system.

The most modern product that meets these requirements is RONCOLEIKIN® (IL-2), manufactured by BIOTECH LLC (St. Petersburg). The use of this immunomodulatory drug in the complex treatment of piroplasmosis will not only facilitate the fight against the disease itself, but also help to avoid undesirable complications after treatment. ”

If a dog is bitten by a tick

Most ticks that live on the territory of Moscow, the Moscow Region and surrounding areas belong to the ixodid tick family. They do not live on dogs, cats, people, but are temporary parasites, feeding on their blood.

In our region, the most common dog disease, the causative agent of which is transmitted by ticks, is pyroplasmosis, a blood-parasitic disease caused by simple organisms (Piroplasma canis).

Currently, seasonal outbreaks of pyroplasmosis in dogs occur annually in any district of Moscow and the Moscow region.

What are they like?

Ixodid ticks are quite large, visible to the naked eye. Males have a size of about 2-3 mm, females are much larger and can reach a centimeter or more. The life cycle of a tick is in different regions from 2 to 4 years.

Ticks love to live in moist shady places, and are found not only in the forest, in the park, in the garden, but also in the area covered with shrubs, i.e. almost everywhere, and even in the shrubbery zone of open spaces - meadows and fields.

When are they dangerous?

Ticks are most active in March-May and August-October. In summer, the activity of ticks decreases, and in winter they "sleep".

It is at this moment that ticks actively attack warm-blooded animals, including dogs and humans. The second peak of tick activity occurs in early autumn. Due to the fact that meeting a tick can be very dangerous for your dog, it is important to prevent the possibility of a bite during these periods of the year.

How to protect yourself?

To protect against ticks, there are a number of agents (acaricidal preparations) that are applied to the withers of the dog, along the spine, or to the entire body of the animal and have a repelling effect on ticks. They are produced by various manufacturers in the form of drops at the withers, aerosols, collars.

These drugs and collars can be bought at any pet store or veterinary pharmacy. If your dog is prone to allergies, you should consult your veterinarian or dermatologist before using antiparasitic drugs.

Unfortunately, the tick has become quite an urban resident and a meeting with him can occur in the yard, in the park, and in the city center.

If the tick has already sucked

The tick can be on the body of the animal for up to 10 days. Favorite areas of the dog’s body are the head, the area behind the ears, the neck, the elbow and the groin. When bitten, the tick secretes saliva, which prevents blood coagulation. It should be removed from the body of the animal, and you can do it yourself.

To do this, generously lubricate the area around the tick with vegetable or liquid paraffin, using tweezers or another tool available to you, making slow rotational movements while pulling it up gently pull the tick out.

After removing the tick, the wound should be treated with an antiseptic, and the tick should be destroyed (it is best to burn it in a closed container, previously moistened with a combustible substance). If for some reason you cannot remove the tick yourself, then show the dog to the veterinarian.

The tick must be removed entirely, but there are times when its body comes off and the head remains in the wound. In this situation, you should also consult a doctor, as this can cause the formation of an abscess.

After removing the tick, it is very important to monitor the well-being of the dog. Not every tick is a carrier of pyroplasmosis and, moreover, it is not possible to immediately determine whether a dog is infected.

Pyroplasmosis

If the tick is a carrier of pyroplasmosis, then during a bite with tick saliva, a small amount of pyroplasma enters the dog’s blood. Within a few days to two weeks, the pyroplasmas multiply in the blood, their number increases rapidly, they affect red blood cells and blood-forming organs of the dog.

The clinical picture of pyroplasmosis develops - the dog develops lethargy, loss of appetite, body temperature rises to 40 ° C or higher, urine acquires the color of “dark beer” or reddish-brown color, weakness of the hind limbs is noted.

Vomiting and diarrhea may occur. In this case, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. Treatment of pyroplasmosis is carried out with the use of specific drugs, it should be timely and comprehensive, since in its absence, the disease usually leads to the death of the animal.

There is no effective vaccine for the prevention of pyroplasmosis, and the only means of preventing the disease is regular seasonal treatment of the animal with acaricidal drugs that repel ticks.

The dog was bitten by a tick. What to do?

Ticks are bugs from the arachnid class. Of which there are so many that they are considered the largest group in their class. They are microscopic, and can also reach a size of more than 1 cm.

Ixodid ticks are visible to the naked eye, quite large. The size of the males is 2-3 mm; females can reach 10 mm or more. Ticks live from 2 to 4 years, depending on the region.

Ticks live in shady, humid places. Most often found in the forest, in the park and garden, in fields and meadows. And also they can be found in urban areas overgrown with shrubs. In short, ticks are everywhere.

Some species of ticks are carriers of disease. And the most common disease in dogs, the causative agents of which are transmitted by ticks, is pyroplasmosis.

Pyroplasmosis

There is a high probability that your pet may be attacked by a tick, which is a carrier of pyroplasmosis. Pyroplasma (Piroplasma canis) can enter the dog’s blood during a tick bite.

And there comes a moment when your pet’s body is no longer able to compensate for the loss, and the waste products of pyroplasm cause intoxication. After a dog is bitten by a tick with pyroplasm, the following symptoms are observed:

1. lethargy;
2. loss of appetite (refusal of breakfast);
3. increase in body temperature (up to 40 ° C or more);
4. urine is reddish-brown, or the color of dark beer;
5. weakness of the hind limbs;
6. possibly vomiting, diarrhea.

If you observe the above symptoms in your pet, consult your veterinarian immediately. Ignoring or not keeping track of the condition and well-being of the dog, you risk losing it.

There are cases of dogs recovering without the intervention of a veterinarian. After which immunity is developed, and the pet no longer shows symptoms of the disease. In this case, it can be a piroplasmosis carrier and infect other ticks. But, not all dogs can withstand the disease, especially it is not worth risking with breeds that are strongly deviated from the natural form - the wolf.

Therefore, do not be surprised that wild animals in the forest, yard dogs and even guard dogs that live year-round in the courtyard in the aviary or chain are not sick with pyroplasmosis, and your Pekingese, Shih Tzu or York is lying under the dropper for the second time in a row.

I really liked the article on this subject "On the problems of treating pyroplasmosis" from the Great Danes kennel "Classic Dog". It was for me the first sign and the basis for more in-depth reflection on this subject.

Always watch your dog's tail. If during the walk, the tail is not active for a long time, it is worthwhile to examine the pet's health status in more detail. Most likely your dog is thirsty, give him a drink of water while walking. But, if she refused water and continues to mope, the problem should be considered deeper.

It is possible that your pet is sick with pyroplasmosis. Particular attention should be paid to this, if the dog refused to have breakfast (even his favorite treat) - then certainly you should urgently take to a doctor and do a blood test.

Pyroplasmosis is not transmitted to humans. But there are rare cases.

When they are dangerous

In summer, during peak heat, tick activity decreases, and in winter they sleep. In March, as soon as the sun starts to warm, the air becomes moist and smells in the spring, ticks wake up hungry and begin their hunt for animals, also not sparing dogs and people.

It is during these periods: March-May, August-September that you should carefully monitor your pet, apply all necessary measures to protect it from tick bites.

How to protect a pet

To protect the dog from ticks, special drops should be applied to the withers (along the back). Over a period of time (on average 1 month), these products scare away ticks. Flea and tick collars are very popular. They can be a good addition to basic remedies. But, not as the main defense.

Collars are calculated on average for 6-7 months of use. There are also sprays that should be applied directly to the animal’s hair. Spraying a pet with a spray should, on average, once a week, as well as the day before a walk in densely planted areas.

After each walk, and possibly during a long walk, you should inspect the dog in order to detect the tick in time. After getting on the dog’s body, the tick searches for a secluded place for 15-20 minutes. Therefore, perhaps you can manage to simply brush off the bugs from the surface of the dog’s coat.

What to do if a dog is bitten by a parasite

If a dog is bitten by a tick, it can be on the body of the animal for up to 10 days. Places on the dog's body that are most exposed to tick bites:

• head;
• neck;
• the area behind the ears;
• groin;
• ulnar zone.

During a bite, a tick secretes saliva, due to which an obstruction of blood coagulation occurs. Also, tick saliva acts as anesthesia for the animal, so the dog may not feel pain when bitten by an insect.

If you find a tick on your dog, it should be removed. You can go to the veterinarian, or you can do it yourself:

The tick from the skin of the dog should be removed entirely. There are times when, due to the awkward removal of the tick, the body comes off and the head remains in the skin. In this case, you should consult a doctor for help, since it is very difficult to remove the remains of the beetle on your own.

After removing the tick, monitor the well-being and mood of the dog. After all, a tick could be a carrier of pyroplasm.