Dear Dr. John: The information has been fairly constant these days in speaking about tick ailments not simply regionally however throughout New England. We have our canine vaccinated yearly for Lyme Disease however apparently there are another ailments that ticks can carry and surprise if you happen to can handle these. I examine one newer illness that simply appears to be rising in Connecticut known as Powassan. Is this one thing we should always concern ourselves with close to Boston? Which ticks ought to we be most involved with round right here? We do use tick preventatives on our canine, particularly in the summertime months when there appears to be the next danger of publicity. G.B.
Dear G.B.: The information has all the time lined tick borne ailments primarily as a result of they are often so devastating to the animals or people that contract these ailments. You are smart to vaccinate your canine and to additionally use preventatives to keep away from ticks from transmitting something detrimental to your canine. Readers ought to beware — I just lately examine buying low-cost drugs on-line which might be counterfeit and even harmful. I recommend all the time working along with your veterinarian and buying from or via them in relation to these preventatives.
Your timing in writing about that is good in that May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, April 30 was World Veterinary Day, and May 1-7 was National Pet Week! Different elements of the nation have completely different tick points. In the Northeast, Lyme Disease is most prevalent, however Massachusetts has the very best incidence of Anaplasmosis. Other ailments that ticks can carry embody Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Powassan, which is comparatively new on the scene.
Diagnosis of a tick-borne illness is usually based mostly on historical past and medical indicators, adopted by blood exams, since one typically has no concept that they or their canine was uncovered. The case in Connecticut just lately concerned a middle-aged man who contracted it from a tick chunk. Ten p.c of those instances could be deadly and roughly half have long run results that may differ in severity. Many of those ailments current equally with fever, lethargy, decreased urge for food, lameness, or joint swellings. Doxycycline is the drug of selection in treating many of those maladies and infrequently with a very good charge of success. One needs to be involved with every kind of ticks, right here and elsewhere. Some species are the Lone Star, Brown Dog, Deer, Rocky Mountain Wood, and others. The deer tick is accountable for Lyme and Powassan, however ticks can carry multiple pathogen at a time which is why precaution to keep away from tick bites is so essential. If any canine goes into areas the place ticks stay then they need to use correct precautionary preventatives and be vaccinated for Lyme.
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic.He could be reached at 781-899-9994.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”