Man's best friend is often host to a number of unfriendly parasites and critters.
However, none is more disgusting than the different varieties of North American ticks.
Below are listed a couple of diseases that ticks can transmit, some with definite symptoms and some somewhat vague.
At the end of this paper, I will list some common preventive methods used to help protect Fido from these tick-borne diseases.
Here are the common diseases.
Dog ticks can transmit a parasite called Babesiosis.
These are found in wild dog populations, foxes and mostly in the south.
This bug is more prevalent among dogs in kennels and may spread because of the closeness of the dogs to each other.
The symptoms to watch out for are intermittent fever, weakness, jaundice (in the gums and whites of the eyes) to start.
Other more serious signs like internal bleeding can also occur.
Dogs who survive never seem to fully recover having relapses from time to time.
Brown Dog Ticks transmit the Ehrlichiosis bacteria.
The symptoms of this disease are vague and most observe that the dog is lethargic, looses weight and has a definite loss of appetite.
In more severe cases, symptoms may include arthritis, bleeding from the nose, muscle wasting and some neurological signs.
Treatment doesn't seem to rid the dog of the bacteria completely and relapses often occur.
German Shepherds seem to be especially prone to getting the disease from the bacteria.
The Lone Star Ticks transmit the famous Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF).
The organism that causes RMSF is called Rickettsia rickettsii.
This disease is found in the United States and symptoms to watch for include signs like lethargy, weight loss, and intermittent fever.
Other signs may be vomiting and diarrhea.
Signs of the disease show up in a few weeks after the initial tick bite.
Finally, Lyme Disease, transmitted by tick bites, is caused by the bacteria Forrellia burgdorferi.
The tick that commonly spreads this disease is the Deer tick or the Black-legged Tick.
Even when engorged with the dog's blood, these ticks are small and somewhat hard to detect.
A symptom of Lyme disease is that the dog will start limping and begins to run a temperature.
It usually starts slowly with the limping and finally the dog refuses to use the limb at all.
Eventually, the dog becomes bed-ridden and surgery can be needed since all of the joints are affected.
If earlier treatment is begun, the dog has a good chance of not suffering any long-term effects.
So what is the answer to protecting your dog against tick-borne diseases? The answer is prevention with a capital "P".
Prevention is truly better than the cure.
The use of a flea and tick collar like Frontline Plus or Advantage (for example) provides protection during tick season.
Knowing that tick season begins usually with the first thaw through the first frost and acting to protect your dog with a collar is the best protection.
Other possible preventatives are Advantage, the use of special Shampoos and Itch spray.
It is then very important that you protect your dog from becoming a local host to local ticks particularly if you live in heavily infested areas like the all of the United States.
It is also important to keep your dog protected by providing protection through means discussed previously in this paper.
Another job to perform to keep Fido free of ticks is to spray common breeding grounds with appropriate insecticides to cut down on the presence of these critters.
An all around approach to prevention is the key.