Dog tested positive for ehrlichiosis tick disease
As many of you regulars know, we are rescuing a dog from a shelter in Brazil. He was due to fly out in 2 weeks, then on the 24th of December his pen mate was found dead. No signs or symptoms, she was perfectly healthy the day before, and then suddenly she was just gone.
In Brazil it's tick season, and ehrlichiosis is very common there. As a precaution they started our dog on antibiotics as soon as they found his pen mate dead. Sadly they couldn't easily get him tested, the labs for the vet they use, are closed until after New Years.
Well this morning our little pup (he's a terrier mix, 10 pounds), had a high fever, was lethargic and not eating. So they drove 2 hours to the animal hospital. He was tested for ehrlichiosis, and was found to be positive for that. They're also testing for febre Maculosa, and babeosis. Those tests have to be sent to a different lab, so the results won't be back until Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest.
They started an IV with antibiotics, and he's showing signs of improvement. He's now eating, and has energy.
I know absolutely nothing about tick disease. It's not an issue where I live. I've tried to do some research, but you know how it is online, you get many different opinions, and that's all they are, opinions. No way to know what's true or not. I called our vet, but he has no experience with this, has never had a case, because like I said, it's not something we deal with here.
I 'm looking for more info about this, someone that has actual knowledge about it. What are the long term effects if he survives? Is it contagious or is it only caught through a tick bite? I read online that it can stay in their system for years, and reinfect during times of stress (a flight from Brazil to Canada will surely be stressful, but then again, he's at risk staying in Brazil). If this is a chronic case, or if he tests positive for the other two things they're testing for, what are his chances of survival, and what is his future prognosis? Will he always have issues because of this? What will his quality of life be if he survives?
He's less than a year old. He's got a family (us) waiting to give him a forever home. We're so very worried, and we're stuck here, thousands of miles away, not able to be there, not able to ask the vet questions, and not really knowing what it is he's dealing with because we don't have this issue here.
Any info would be very much appreciated, along with prayers.
If you are a friend on Facebook and you're reading this, please do not mention it on fb. The wonderful people that run this shelter where we're getting our dog, have a vet nearby, but he's not equipped to handle something like this. He has threatened in the past, that if they take their dogs to another vet, he will drop them as clients. They need him. He's nearby. But for emergencies, this animal hospital is better equipped. He only has a small clinic. With 64 dogs in your care, and only two people to look after them, and all their needs, you cannot spare one person to drive 2 hours to that hospital, wait all day, and then drive back, and repeat for days. So they cannot lose the local vet. So please, do not mention anything on Facebook about this. I do not want to be responsible for them losing their vet. They have enough to deal with.
