Tick Fever (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever)
Rickettsia rickettsii is an intracellular parasite which can be spread through the bite of an infected American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, or brown dog tick. If your pup is bitten by an infected tick transmission of the bacterial will take about 10 minutes if the tick has recently fed, however, if the tick has not recently fed it can take up to 10 hours for the bacterial to be transmitted to your pup.
People are also susceptible to tick fever. While there are no reported cases of direct dog to human transmissions, pet parents need to be especially careful when removing ticks from their pet, since people can become infected following contact with tick blood, lymph fluids or excretions during the removal of engorged ticks from their pets.
Tick fever is not contagious between dogs however an infected tick may move from one pet to another spreading the disease between pets.
What’s The Prognosis For Dogs With Tick Fever?
The prognosis for dogs with tick fever is generally good if the condition is caught early and treated promptly. Most dogs make a full recovery and do not experience any long-term health problems. However, some dogs may develop complications from tick fever, such as pneumonia or kidney disease. These complications can be serious and may even be fatal. Therefore, it is important to seek veterinary care for your dog as soon as possible if you suspect that he or she has tick fever.
There are a few things you can do to prevent your dog from getting tick fever.
Prognosis For Dogs with Tick Fever
Dogs diagnosed and treated early for tick fever generally recover well, with few complications. In some cases, lifelong immunity will occur after the infection has been cleared.
Unfortunately, dogs with more advanced cases of tick fever are at higher risk for complications of the disease such as kidney disease, neurological disease, vasculitis, and coagulopathies. In these cases, the prognosis is guarded since complications can be severe.