Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tick-borne illness causing paralysis and anemia in hunting dogs
By Charles, Roxanne A et al.·Published in Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)·2024·School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Completing the Puzzle: A Cluster of Hunting Dogs with Tick-Borne Illness from a Fishing Community in Tobago, West Indies.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Eight hunting dogs in Tobago were brought to a veterinarian after their owners noticed symptoms like loss of appetite and paralysis in five of the dogs. The vet found signs of a tick-borne illness, including fever and lethargy, and collected blood samples and ticks for testing. The tests revealed that some dogs had infections from different tick-borne organisms, which can cause anemia and other health issues. While the specific treatments used were not detailed, the findings emphasize the importance of checking both dogs and ticks for these infections.
People also search for: dog paralysis tick-borne illness · hunting dog loss of appetite · symptoms of tick disease in dogs
Abstract
Eight hunting dogs were visited by a state veterinarian on the island of Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, as owners reported anorexia and paralysis in five of their dogs. The veterinarian observed a combination of clinical signs consistent with tick-borne illness, including fever, anorexia, anaemia, lethargy and paralysis. Blood and ticks were collected from each dog and submitted to a diagnostic laboratory for analysis. Microscopic analysis revealed a mixed infection of intracytoplasmic organisms consistent withspp. (erythrocyte) andspp. (monocyte), respectively, from one dog, while a complete blood count indicated a regenerative anaemia (n = 1; 12.5%), non-regenerative anaemia (n = 4; 50%), neutrophilia (n = 3; 37.5%), lymphocytosis (n = 2; 25%), thrombocytopaenia (n = 3; 37.5%) and pancytopaenia (n = 1; 12.5%). DNA isolated from the eight blood samples and 20 ticks (16and 4) were subjected to conventional PCR and next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene forand, respectively. The DNA ofspp., closely related to, was detected in the blood of three dogs (37.5%),spp., closely related to, in two (25%),in one dog (12.5%) and seven ticks (35%) andandspp., in one tick (5%), respectively. These findings highlight the need to test both the vector and host for the presence of tick-borne pathogens when undertaking diagnostic investigations. Further studies are also warranted to elucidate the susceptibility of canids to
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38392899/