We're in tick season. Ticks do carry a host of diseases. Lyme disease is one of the most common tick transmitted diseases in the world. If undiagnosed it can lead to arthritis, internal organ damage, and heart failure. Most veterinarians can diagnose and treat Lyme disease with much success if caught early enough. Here, we are going to focus this article a bit more on the deadly tick borne virus called ehrlichia-and how to prevent it.




If there is any one element that makes the virus ehrlichia especially deadly, it is the ability it possesses to mimic other diseases. Misdiagnosis can and will result in death if not detected and treated. Ehrlichia is an infectious blood disease. The organism lives and reproduces in white blood cells and has the capability to reach the bone marrow. Once an animal is stricken with the condition called ehrlichiosis, caused by the virus ehrlichia, white cells die off faster than the bone marrow can replace them. Since the body needs white blood cells to fight off infection, it will frantically try to produce new, healthy cells. In its haste, the body produces premature cells, which will not work efficiently to fight the disease. This can result in a multitude of health problems, and will commonly be misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis costs your pet's health the longer the virus has time to spread, and you more money at the Vet.




Animals who do contract this deadly disease often develop anemia, which can be mistaken as an immune mediated disease. We have also seen it misdiagnosed as brain cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, spleen cancer, lupus and cancer of the lymph nodes. It is recommended that ehrlichiosis be ruled out in any type of unexplained illness, so don't be afraid to ask your veterinarian to test your animal.




The greatest challenge in battling ehrlichiosis is early detection. The signs and symptoms of this silent killer could be tricky to spot, and thus where most people incur huge vet bills for diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms may be very subtle ranging from fatigue, eye and nose discharge and intermittent fever to spontaneous bleeding, disorientation and seizures. Sometimes these symptoms will disappear on their own, only to reappear with a vengeance. All animals are different and some may show all of these symptoms, while others may not. Trust your instincts. Remember you know your animal best, and virtually any unusual sign of illness or odd behavior is worthy of further investigation.




Confusing? Intimidating even? Don't let it be. This is just another virus (although serious) like the many humans can contract. But this one fortunately has a single source.




So how do you deal with ehrlichia? Cut it off at the source. A few easy to follow steps can keep your pet safe from ticks.






* Make sure your pet is eating a natural well balanced diet to feed and strengthen the immune system. Ticks (parasites) do not select healthy animals (hosts).


* Put your animal on a B vitamin complex. Animals with high levels of vitamin B-1 in their blood stream are intolerable to insects and parasites.


* Add fresh crushed/chopped garlic cloves to the food (1 clove per 15 pounds of body weight).


* Include apple cider vinegar in their drinking water (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon, depending on the size of the bowl you use).


* Check your pet over thoroughly for ticks, they are big enough to see and feel.






Sounds easy right? It is!




Tick viruses are spread in 12 hours. So after a long walk or hike be sure to check for ticks that may be climbing through the fur or starting to embed themselves in your pet's flesh. It's a great idea to check your pet over regularly for new bumps, sores, stickers, etc. anyway This task gets easier for you and your pet each time you do it. For even the biggest dog, it's a 3-minute job!




Other Big Tips


Always treat your animal on the outside as well as on the inside. We urge you to stay away from chemicals, they could be very harmful to your animal, and there are dependable, nontoxic methods to keep ticks at bay. None of us here at Pet Consumer Report vaccinate our pets for Lyme Disease (see why in our report on Vaccines in your November 2000 issue), nor do we use the highly advertised flea and tick products you see in every pet store.




In today's market there are thousands of natural products to repel fleas and ticks such as herbal (non-pesticide) collars, shampoos, powders, sprays, even herbal dips. The level of threat ticks pose to your pets depends on geographical location. Check with your local vet office. You may want to try one or more of these products together. Think prevention and protection.




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