Have you heard about Ehrlichiosis? Caused by just one bite from a brown dog tick

We hear a lot about how paralysis ticks can be fatal to our dogs and cats, but we’d like to talk about a little tick that doesn’t get much mention, but is unfortunately the cause of deaths to many dogs in rural and remote locations around Australia.

Ehrlichiosis (pronounced Err-lick-ee-o-sis) is a tick-borne disease caused by the bacteria Ehrlichia canis. The bacteria lives in the blood of infected dogs, and is spread by Brown Dog Ticks.  It first appeared in Australia, in a dog in the Kimberley region of Western Australia (WA) in May 2020. Since then, it has rapidly spread to dogs across many parts of northern WA, the Northern Territory, northern South Australia and Queensland. It has also been detected in New South Wales and in dogs in Victoria that have travelled and is predicted to spread to dogs in other parts of the country.

Ticks are external parasites that feed on the blood of animals (and occasionally other species including humans). There are many types of ticks found in Australia, but Ehrlichia canis is only spread by the Brown Dog Tick (also called Rhipicephalus sanguineus or Rhipicephalus linnaei).  

Dogs can get ehrlichiosis when a tick carrying Ehrlichia canis bites them. The tick picks up Ehrlichia canis when it sucks blood from an infected dog.  

What are the signs of Ehrlichiosis in dogs?

Ehrlichiosis can have short-term and long-term impacts for dogs. When they are first infected, dogs with ehrlichiosis often get sleepy, don’t want to eat and lose weight.  They might have a fever, unusual bruising, or nose bleeds. These signs may last 2-4 weeks. Without treatment, some dogs will die in this initial phase.

Some dogs will develop cloudy eyes approximately 2 weeks after the initial infection. This is a sign of the body’s ongoing immune response to Ehrlichia canis and shows that the body is still fighting the bacteria. Usually, the cloudiness goes away after a few weeks. 

Dogs that recover from the initial phase may no longer look sick, but Ehrlichia canis can still be in the blood of these dogs. If these dogs are bitten by ticks, the ticks can continue to spread the disease to other dogs. 

Some dogs that recover from the initial infection might eventually develop long-term health problems due to ehrlichiosis. These problems can take months or even years to show up. Dogs with this chronic phase of ehrlichiosis may have problems with their kidneys, bone marrow or with other infections. Sadly, these problems are usually severe and often terminal, even despite veterinary treatment. 

Is Ehrlichiosis treatable for dogs?

Dogs with ehrlichiosis can be treated with antibiotics from a vet, but the antibiotics work best if they are given as soon as the dog is first showing signs of the disease (i.e. during the initial phase of the disease).  For dogs that have had the infection for a long time, antibiotics and other treatments may not be effective. For dogs in the chronic phase of the disease, your vet might recommend that euthanasia is the kindest option for your dog.

Can people get Ehrlichiosis?

People cannot get ehrlichiosis directly from dogs.   

It doesn’t happen very often, but if a tick carrying Ehrlichia canis bites a person, the person might get sick.  If you have been bitten by a tick and are feeling ill, make sure you talk to a doctor or medical professional and tell them you were bitten by a tick. 

How do I prevent my dogs from getting Ehrlichiosis?

The best way to stop ehrlichiosis is to stop ticks from biting your dogs. All dogs should be treated for ticks and preventatives should be used on an ongoing, regular basis. It’s important to treat all of your dogs in your household, and make sure you read the instructions on the box to know when you need to give the next dose.

Environmental tick control is also important. It helps to keep grass in backyards cut short and to stop your dogs from roaming in bushy areas. Brown Dog Ticks are very good at establishing in houses and sheltered places and can build up in big numbers. Houses and yards can be sprayed for ticks by a licensed pest control technician.

What products are best to prevent Ehrlichiosis?

To prevent the spread of the bacteria Ehrlichia canis, we must prevent the attachment of the Brown Dog Tick to the dog. There are many tick-prevention products registered for use in dogs, but, while most will kill ticks, not all kill the ticks fast enough to stop the transmission of the bacteria that makes dogs sick.  

Products that both kill and repel ticks (stopping ticks from attaching to dogs in the first place) are the best for preventing spread of Ehrlichia canis.

Just For Pets recommends products such as a Seresto collar or NexGard or NexGard Spectra, Credelio Plus, & Simparica Trio chews.

Speak to the Pet Experts at your local Just For Pets store for more information about tick prevention for your pets.

We thank the team at AMRRIC for the research undertaken and information supplied and for bringing awareness to this fatal disease. For more information about AMRRIC click HERE