I’m just back from a week’s vacation, wherein my husband and I picked up his grandson from a suburb of Boston and drove to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania to indulge in said grandson’s fascination with the Civil War. We took a hike in Connecticut (on the way) and took several hikes all around the battlegrounds of Gettysburg, on wide, gravel trails and small, forested paths alike. One night in our hotel, after walking all over the hills and trails in Gettysburg, I felt something crawly and found a big dog tick walking along my forearm. Ack! I flushed the tick down the toilet and told my husband and grandson to be alert for ticks on themselves, too.
I honestly thought no more about it until this morning, when I read a 2021 article that a Pennsylvania friend had just shared about the detection of a new strain of Rikettsia, a potentially deadly disease affecting both dogs and people. The new strain of this tick-borne disease was first detected in a handful of dogs who either lived in or had recently visited southern states. I was not bitten by the tick, so I know I don’t have to be worried for myself, but any new tick-borne disease is bad news that dog owners in particular should be aware of.
Ticks can carry quite a few pathogens that can cause disease in dogs and humans. Some of these pathogens are viruses, some are bacteria, and some are protozoa (single-celled animals). Rikettsia are very small bacteria species that grow inside the living cells of their hosts. Different strains of Rikettsia are responsible for diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and various strains of typhus.
The new strain of Rikettsia has likely been around for a while, but researchers identified it as a novel species only in 2020, after obtaining laboratory samples from tests conducted on dogs who had been diagnosed in 2018 and 2019 with Rikettsial diseases and certain symptoms (fever and specific hematological abnormalities). Researchers obtained DNA gene sequences from canine blood specimens that were seroreactive for R. Rickettsia and found identically unique genetic markers in samples from three dogs who had been bitten by ticks in three different states (Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma). After extensive analysis, it was determined that these three dogs had been affected by identical and never-before identified strains of Rickettsia. Additionally, the new strain was found to be related to two strains of Rickettsia that affect humans (R. heilongjiangensis and R. massiliae). The researchers concluded that this unique Rickettsia species has clinical significance for dogs and potentially humans. The disease caused by this species, they warn, could be underdiagnosed and geographically widespread.
The good news is that this strain, like other Rikettsia species, can be successfully treated with the antibiotic doxycycline; sometimes, more than one course of treatment is required. However, this presumes prompt detection of the infection (via PCR test for Rikettsia). Sometimes, dog owners need to push for this testing, as TBDs are not always the first thing that comes to mind when vets are faced with the varied array of symptoms and biochemistry abnormalities that TBDs can cause. Sometimes, additional medications ar required to treat side effects. For example, one of the three dogs whose novel infections were first detected (a Boston Terrier who lived in Illinois, but apparently got bitten by an infected tick on a trip to Arkansas) was treated with doxycycline to treat his rickettsiosis, prednisone to treat potential immune-mediated component, omeprazole to prevent gastric ulcers (doxycycline can be notoriously hard on a dog’s digestive tract, causing many dogs to stop eating during treatment), and metronidazole to treat “assumed dysbiosis” (disruption to the microbiota homeostasis caused by an imbalance in the microflora, i.e., super upset gut balance caused by the doxycyline).
Some readers of WDJ have complained that we promote the use of topical pesticides that repel and/or kill ticks (such as this recent one that listed all of the better flea and tick preventatives currently on the market). In truth, we want dog owners to know as much as possible about the tools that are available, so they can choose appropriate tactics for protecting their dogs from fleas and ticks, based on their dogs’ individual health conditions and environment. We do not advocate for pesticide use on all dogs, but we do want owners to be aware of the risks of failing to adequately protect the dogs who are at high risk of parasites and the deadly diseases that they (ticks in particular) carry. Tick-borne diseases are widespread, varied, and, left undiagnosed or inadequately treated, capable of making humans and dogs alike very ill – even killing them. It’s critical to prevent your dog’s exposure to ticks – and to get your dog tested for tick-borne diseases if he develops any symptoms of lethargy, fever, lameness, or lack of appetite after being exposed to ticks.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7706976/
When we first got our dog (rescue from southern Ohio kill shelter) she had a really high white blood cell count and got a blood test that came back positive for rocky mountain spotted fever. The vet said it must have been a mistake and her blood went to normal after antibiotics. When. she was 9 years old she got Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. Could that be the result of this Rikettsia tick? She passed away after a couple of year and a lot of treatment that really didn’t help at all. But could she have been bitten by this tick somehow (we got her when she was about 6 months old). She had every test we could find and no one came up with any answers. We don’t use chemicals in the yard and hadn’t been out of Michigan. But possible she came in contact with the tick in southern Ohio.
Thanks for all the information and everyone’s thoughts. I have lived with dogs on 80 acres in rural Southern Illinois for 35 years. Ticks are a definite problem here and I have used the pharmaceuticals and the natural methods. Nothing works 100% so I have chosen to go natural with Bug Off Garlic. It works just as well as the topicals. My big problem now is that I have 2 dogs who wildly resist having a tick removed from their body. Any tips? And does anybody wonder why they come up with all these products for our dogs but not us humans?
Thank you for sharing information and raising awareness!
It is appreciated.
We live in the South of France where Piroplasmosis is endemic in the tick population (I believe it’s called babesiosis in the U.S.) Ticks are a year-round problem here as we have a lot of wild life and there are large forests as well as fields with livestock. One of our dogs was bitten by a tick despite us having used a topical product at the time. He weighed 42 kg but overnight dropped at least 2 if not 3. It was terrifying to see how rapidly he went from being a large, powerful young dog to being close to death’s door. Luckily, we got him to a vet in time to save him, but it took several weeks before he was returned to full health. Since then, I’ve seen other dogs with Piroplasmosis, and know how rapid the progression of this killer disease can be.
Like many, I worry about using insecticides on and in my dogs. But the risk of Piroplasmosis is too great to take any chances. I’m grateful that we have effective tools at our disposal to fight these killer diseases that are becoming more and more common in regions where they were once unknown because of global climate change.
I have tried numerous natural tick repellants over the past two decades. Not one of them has worked effectively. Therefore, I use topical applications (pesticides) that I dread and feel bad about. But the alternative of having no practical tick defense is much worse in my personal opinion and situation.
Thank heavens for rational people. There seem to be folks who do what they can without chemicals as long as they can but bend to practicalities when necessary. Thank you, Nancy for your heads up.
I think everyone has to assess their personal risks for the pets and people in the household individually. Where we live in Oregon we have a lot of deer around our house (deer can carry ticks) but my husband keeps the grass well mowed, my dog and I avoid hiking trails (sadly due to bad encounters with all the off leash dogs) or tall grass and she is very short haired. So while I do occasionally check her for ticks I don’t use a topical preventative because I feel her risk of contracting a tick is low. Not impossible but low. As I said, I do check her. My point being again assess each situation and act as appropriate.
Just to comment that I really appreciate WDJ’s commitment to reviewing all choices in flea/tick prevention to readers. I’m lucky to be able to manage these parasites by herbal means for the most part…but I have traveled in SE USA where my dog was absolutely plagued by ticks. Herbals and my conventional means of managing them didn’t even made a dent, so I chose to use a chemical on a one-off basis which gave my dog some relief. I appreciated having WDJ to call upon as I considered the options.
In the ’70s I got bit by a tick I was 17 years old it paralyzed my body for like 3 months those days I didn’t know what it was they were treating me like with Rocky mounted spotted fever but every joint in my body I could not move I couldn’t walk down the stairs it was a excruciating pain and then whatever they gave me which I don’t remember it took for a month for it to go away ..at that time it really scared my parents..so I believe it was from a tick..check your bodies
Thank you for sharing this great information! My preferred method of tick disposal is transparent sticky tape (Scotch tape). It immobilizes the tick and then I toss it in the trash. I keep a roll in my garage and in my car’s glove compartment, ready for the tick check upon returning from our daily walks and hikes. More convenient than toilets, especially if they are none nearby. And I read that ticks can survive total submersion in water for hours without dying.