Ehrlichia

 

  1. Ehrlichia is a bacterial infection which is carried and transmitted by a bite from the Brown Dog Tick. It is NOT passed from dog to dog. 2) There have been dogs in WA and NT who have tested positive for this disease last year (May and June 2020). There have now been a few dogs only in the far north of SA (the APY territory) who have tested positive.
  2. Most common clinical signs include fever, lethargy, anorexia, bleeding tendencies, and enlarged lymph nodes.
  3. Diagnosis is made with a blood test
  4. Treatment is with Doxycycline.
  5. This is a reportable disease.
  6. Prevention: fortunately, there are lots of good tick products out there – Simparica being one of them. Unfortunately, all of these tick products require the tick to bite the animal before it kills them which also gives them a chance to pass on the disease. The only drug to repel fleas is permethrin which would have to be applied frequently.
  7. Overall advice – be on a good flea and tick prevention (Simparica is one) – avoid areas of high tick risk (APY land in SA) – check the dogs over for ticks.

 

In summary:

 

  • The disease requires a bite from a tick to transmit. However, almost all tick preventatives require the tick to bite the animal before it dies which still allows the bacteria to invade the body.
  • In case you are out or going to a tick infested area. If this is the case, then you can use the Seresto collar which is a flea and tick repellent.Even though it has not specifically been tested on animals who are on Simparica, they feel it is safe to use on animals getting oral flea and tick prevention because it does not go into the systemic circulation (it is limited to the lipid layer on the skin).
  • It does not require a bite to kill the tick, it kills on contact.
  • It would need to be put on the dog 48 hours prior to going to a tick prone area to allow for time to distribute into the fatty layer. So keep your pets on a good flea and tick prevention, and if you are going into an area at high risk of ticks, a Seresto collar will give extra protection.