Anaplasmosis in Dogs - Here's Everything You Should Know

Dog disease


Ticks are more than just parasites. These blood-sucking insects cause all kinds of trouble to our canine friends. Not only do they live on your four-footed children and feed on their blood but they also cause relatively harmful diseases. Anaplasmosis is one of the many illnesses ticks can transmit to dogs. If left untreated, this condition only worsens and causes severe health complications.

This blog provides all the essential information you should know about this lesser-known dog disease. Read through to learn more.

Anaplasmosis - The Tick-Borne Condition

Anaplasmos is or dog tick fever is a tick-borne bacterial disease that compromises dog's bloodstream. There are two forms of this condition:

1. The most common form of Anaplasmosis is caused by the infectious bacteria  Anaplasma phagocytophilum. This form of disease is transmitted by deer ticks (black-legged ticks). This bacteria affects the dog's white blood cells.

2. The less common form of Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacteria Anaplasma  platys. This form of the disease is transmitted through the bite of brown dog ticks. In this condition, the bacteria infect the dog's platelets.


Understand The Causes

Nine out of ten infected dogs contract Anaplasmosis infection through a tick bite. Rarely though, some dogs can get the infection by coming into direct contact with contaminated medical tools such as needles.

Know The Symptoms

Dogs suffering from Anaplasmosis begin showing signs of infection within 1-2 weeks of the disease transmission. Since both types of Anaplasmosis affect different cells, the symptoms differ with infective organisms.

Dogs infected with A.phagocytophilum bacterium show a variety of symptoms that usually begin from one to seven days post-infection. The symptoms include:

  • lethargy
  • fever
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea
  • joint pain
  • difficulty in breathing
  • seizures
  • coughing
  • Lack of muscle coordination

Dogs suffering from A. platys bacterium infection display reduced platelets in the blood, bruising, nosebleeds, red splotches on the belly and gums and inability to stop bleeding.

Ways to Diagnose

If your dog shows the signs mentioned earlier and you suspect your dog may have come in contact with ticks of late, take your dog to a veterinarian. The veterinarian may perform a range of investigations such as evaluating blood and platelets including ELISA, IFA and PCR.

Course of Treatment

After confirming the condition, the veterinarian shall prescribe a course of antibiotic, doxycycline. The dog starts showing improvement in symptoms within 2-3 days after the initial treatment. Some dogs may recover fully and appear healthy but may test positive for the condition even after completing the antibiotic treatment.


Anaplasmosis - Prevention is Key

It is always better to prevent the disease instead of running to the vet for treatment. Here's how you can prevent the dog from contracting Anaplasmosis.

Tick Control

The best way to prevent the disease is by administering antiparasitic to your dog that kills black-legged ticks (deer ticks) and brown dog ticks.

1. Frontline Plus

2. Bravecto Chewables 

3. Nexgard Chews 

These treatments are effectively eliminate both black-legged ticks and brown dog ticks from dogs and prevent dogs from contracting tick-borne diseases including Anaplasmosis.

Avoid Tick-Prone Places

Stay away from visiting tick-prone areas as you may carry infective ticks on clothing that can travel from your clothes to dogs and cause the infection.

Regular Inspection

Perform a complete physical examination of your dog especially behind the ears, between toes and under the collar every time they come from an outing from parks, long grass or woody places.

Remove Ticks

If you find any ticks on your dog, immediately remove them from the dog's body using tweezers or a tick-removing tool.

Maintain Your Yard

Regularly trim long grass and bushes in your yard. Mow lawns and spray insecticides in your yard to kill infective ticks.


In the End

Due to the identical symptoms and their transmission by the same family of ticks, time and again, Anaplasmosis is confused with Lyme disease. This is often true with tick-borne diseases due to the shared infective vectors. Therefore, you must get in touch with a vet as soon as you are doubtful of your dog being infected with a tick-borne illness such as Anaplasmosis. Using an effective tick control treatment and following the preventive measures mentioned in this article will help protect your canines from this menacing disease.

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