Heads up N’easters (and the rest of us eventually). There’s a new bacteria in them thar ticks that’s making the rounds & is worse than Lyme. :rolleyes:
Also, don’t forget Ehrlicchia… it exists but is often mistaken for something else in both horses & humans alike.
In dog ehrlichia is referred to as anaplasmosis - ask me how I know.
Thanks Chocomare… Why do these critters have to me so… icky?
[QUOTE=cheval convert;7066780]
In dog ehrlichia is referred to as anaplasmosis - ask me how I know.[/QUOTE]
Really? Our dog was diagnosed with Erlichia (damn ticks!) and no mention was ever made of the other name you gave it? I wonder why the difference in names?
Thanks Chocomare.
I HATE ticks.
No, Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis are 2 different diseases.
Thanks for the heads up, Chocomare! Regards to Tankie, please!
Can someone remind me what good purpose ticks have again? I am missing it.
[QUOTE=Eventer13;7069746]
No, Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis are 2 different diseases.[/QUOTE]
No they’re not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_granulocytic_ehrlichiosis
Ask me how I know.
It also mentions babesia…babesia survivor here. If your symptoms don’t resolve quickly with treatment, make sure you are tested for co-infections. Babesia is a lifelong illness.
[QUOTE=trubandloki;7077260]
Can someone remind me what good purpose ticks have again? I am missing it.[/QUOTE]
To make more ticks. :winkgrin:
They’re probably a food source for something.
Blech. I’m so tired of huge tick populations. It didn’t used to be like it is now. I really wish they would use a picture of a Deer tick instead of a wood/dog tick. It is so misleading for some who don’t know the difference.
[QUOTE=trubandloki;7077260]
Can someone remind me what good purpose ticks have again? I am missing it.[/QUOTE]
The purpose? So you are forced to buy guinea hens or chickens and then let them free range destroying all your flower beds, silly.
Yes, they are different. They are a different genus.
Http://www.capcvet.org/capc-recommendations/ehrlichia-spp-and-anaplasma-spp1/
When your dog has a SNAP test done at the vet, they typically look for E. canis and A. phagocytophilium. You would not say your dog had Ehrlichiosis when he has A. phagocytophilium, or that he had Anaplasmosis when he had E. canis.
Maybe this will be better understood:
https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/docs/Ehrlichia_Anaplasma_Babesia_Testing.pdf
Equine:
Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the new name for the agent formerly called Ehrlichia equi. Illness can include a range of non-specific signs, with fever, anemia, icterus, swollen stiff legs. It can be detected in blood smears early in the course of clinical infection and illness as morula in neutrophils, or by PCR of whole blood samples (EDTA blood) or later by antibody seroconversion with an IFA test.
Neorickettsiae risticii is the new name for the pathogen formerly called Ehrlichia risticii, the causative agent of Potomac Horse Fever. Illness can include a range of signs consisting of fever, anorexia, lethargy, depression, abdominal pain (colic) diarrhea, dehydration (even preceding diarrhea), laminitis, toxemia, and abortion. Infection is detected by PCR of whole blood samples (EDTA blood), and post-mortem colon tissue samples, or antibody seroconversion by IFA test.
For us humans-
It is becoming more and more common that Lyme Disease and other tick borne co-infections are being spread theough various species of ticks (not just black legged deer ticks) and even mosquitoes now. I learned this from a Lyme literate MD recently after my daughter was bitten by a mosquito and developed the typical bullseye rash while at our home here in Alberta, Canada. She is currently on a month long course of antibiotics and is being tested with the Igenex Western Blot test.
The wife of a good friend here in Alberta has been hospitalized several times the past fews years due to complications from Lyme Disease, (which according to the Dr’s and government we supposedly don’t have here in Alberta,) and she has never left the area she grew up in here in Alberta. This disease and a lot of the co-infections that frequently accompany it are found just about everywhere now, not just in the east. If you hop onto the typical online Lyme support forum you will hear from Lyme patients from all over the world, and as an aside, many of them NEVER develop the typical bullseye rash that we hear is always associated with Lyme disease. Scary stuff. If you suspect you may have been bitten, get to a Lyme literate MD quick and get treatment, it is not something to mess around with and the longer you wait, the worse off you’ll be.
What Aberta Horse Girl said, ditto!
I’ve worked for 34 years for small animal vets. My own, biased opinion is that the average vet is a better doctor than the average human doctor.
A friend/co-worker at our clinic told us that her mom had been hospitalized for almost a week with a high fever. Her doctors wre scratching their heads, couldn’t get the fever down. The mom got so bad off she started having heart troubles as well and had to be shocked several different times to get a normal rhythm. " My mom’s going to die and we’re not going to know why."
Our boss vet told her to tell her mom’s doctors to run a tick panel on mom and start doxycycline immediately. Don’t wait for the test results to start the doxy because it could be too late by then. She also said to be prepared for an argument from the docs, that they may not want to do it.
Sure enough, the doctors said it wasn’t necessary. It couldn’t be Lyme disease because there was no bull’s eye rash. And it couldn’t be Rocky Mtn. Spotted fever because we live east of the mississippi. The doctor actually said that!
Friend insisted. Infectious diseases came to pull blood. Mom was started on IV doxy. Twenty-four hours later her temp was normal. Forty-eight hours later she was sent home on oral doxy. A month later the results came back positive for Rock Mtn. Spotted fever.
The mom sent a card and gift to boss vet thanking her for saving her life.
I hope human medicine will soon catch on to tick-borne diseases.
I here you leaf and Alberta Horse girl. I became pretty well read after DH’s catastrophe. Next time we will be using Igenex directly.
Arg! My DH nearly died from a “strange” systemic infection. After 2 years of failed treatments poking and prodding, knee draining, RA drugs, another infection went to his heart. After the double valve surgery he was on a pic line for nearly two months, all the prior symptoms that led up this heart catastrophe ceased. He WAS treated for Lyme early on to no avail. He was sick for 3 years, 12 doctors etc. The whole thing nearly ruined us. In the end there was no definitive diagnosis. It may still be lurking in his tissues waiting for a trauma to take advantage.
I still believe it was a tick borne infection that started the train. We wait for it rear it’s ugly head. It’s nothing to fool with. He was only 50 and prior to mess was healthy and fit. ETA before this his heart was perfectly healthy he DID NOT have heart disease.
A friend of mine died from heartblock from Lyme. Tragic.
[QUOTE=LauraKY;7078554]
A friend of mine died from heartblock from Lyme. Tragic.[/QUOTE]
It was awful! I was watching him die right before my eyes. In retrospect I am almost grateful for the mitral and aortic valve infection. It probably saved his life. However for a person like me, I hate not knowing the original infection or how the bacteria that went to his heart got in his system. He had so much going wrong before the heart thing I totally dismissed the telltale sign of blood poisoning that could have saved the valves. Red line going up his arm. Sheesh I learned about that when I was a kid. In those days blood poisoning was a real threat.
To be honest I needed an advocate while I was being my husbands advocate I couldn’t see the forest for the trees towards the end. I even have doctors in my family that I was consulting. It was one of the very few times in my life I was truly afraid. I don’t know how to function when I’m fearful.
If you live and ride in tick country be vigilant but don’t let it cripple your fun. Use the BEST products on ALL of your pets. Cats and horses seem have a natural immunity. Cats and dogs will transport them into your house. I had a WOOD ticks starting to attach to my lip one morning when I woke up. :eek: I asked DH if he was going just let me walk around with a tick on my lip all day and not tell me? But I apparently didn’t notice it when I brushed my teeth! WTF!
I have heard of horses getting Lyme but with all the info I’ve garnered I am suspect. I’m sure all my horses will titre for it. All my dogs have had it while USING the Lyme vaccine and will always test positive. My GSD had to treated twice, very lame in the shoulders both times. I only treat when there are symptoms or they’d be taking antibiotics their entire lives.
In fact I know more people who have been treated for Lyme, myself included, than those who have not. And, AND we LIVE and BREATHE ticks here. We are following very closely to the North East in reports. So Doctors here should be more knowledgeable than other areas. I resent the fact that I am now more knowledgeable than some of the doctors on Lyme. That ain’t right.
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