Ehrlichia in greyhounds

Ehrlichia is a tick-borne infectious blood disease that greyhounds commonly contract while on the track. Symptoms may not appear in your greyhound until 5 to 7 years after being bitten by an Ehrlichia-carrying tick. Your greyhound may have contracted the disease while on the track and was later adopted from another area of ​​the country where Ehrlichia is not common. So be sure to tell your vet if you know what region your dog was raised in or if you are a former runner who may have been infected by a tick. The most common species is Ehrlichia canis but there are also other species of Erhlichia. Ehrlichia canis is a rickettsia (an organism somewhere between a bacterium and a parasite) transmitted by the brown dog tick. Unfortunately it is very common on the track. All greyhounds mix sharing the ticks between them.

There are 3 phases in the disease:

1. Acute phase. This phase is short-lived and is where the dog initially becomes infected with the disease. If the dog doesn’t die from the infection in this phase, then he moves on to the next phase.

2. Subclinical phase. This phase can last for months or years. It is characterized by a thin line between the parasite and the dog’s immune system. This balance can be upset by a number of things, including environmental stress, additional illness or infection, immunodeficiency, spleen removal, surgery, stress, hard work, use of corticosteroids (prednisone is not recommended). The dog may show few clinical signs during this phase other than intermittent fever and loss of appetite. If the balance is disturbed, the parasite will begin to grow slowly and the dog will move on to the next phase. Greyhounds are often in this phase when they are adopted.

3. Chronic phase. If the dog’s system is still unable to clear the parasite, it enters this final phase. The most obvious early sign for an owner is lethargy, loss of interest in food, and a gradual loss of body condition, especially around the eyes and along the spine. Other symptoms include viral tumors of the face, mouth, and muzzle, bleeding even when blood counts appear normal, clotting problems, low or high calcium levels, seizures, muscle atrophy, skin infections, neurological signs, diarrhea, low platelet count, urine too. alkaline, vomiting, low white blood cell count, anemia, bleeding from the nose or eyes, arthritis, weakness, incontinence, pneumonia, cough, kidney failure, increased thirst or urination, lack of coordination, neck or back pain , enlarged lymph nodes, and irreversible bone marrow suppression.

You can test for Ehrlichia with antibody titers. The titers measure the body’s immune response to the insect, not the amount of insect in the dog’s body. Generally, the more chronic the infection, the higher the titer.

Ehrlichia dogs respond dramatically and rapidly (within days) to doxycycline. For this reason, Greyhounds should be started on doxycycline as soon as Ehrlichia is suspected. Once the dog has responded to treatment, close observation of your greyhound and follow-up of CBC and titers every 6 months is recommended.

On a personal note, my greyhound Maggie was diagnosed with Ehrlichia when she came to our rescue group. All the trail that came from the track had Ehrlichia. She immediately started her on doxycycline and she has had no symptoms since. She is a healthy and happy gray. We check on her at OSU frequently and keep a close eye on her, but she is expected to live a normal life.

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