When we decide to bring a dog home we have to know that we must take care of it as it deserves during all the years that it is by our side. This means that in addition to giving him water, food and a good place to live, from time to time we will also have to take him to the vet since unfortunately there are many diseases that can affect him. Among all of them, the canine babesiosis it is one of the most dangerous.
For this reason, it is important to know what is it characterized and how is it treated to avoid problems.
What is it?
Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by a hematozoon, the Canine babesia. This acts as a host for ticks, especially those Rhipicephalus sanguineus, which is brown in color and also acts as a vector (that is, it protects it and transports it to the body of a possible victim). What the microorganism does is colonize the intestine, ovary and salivary glands of ticks; so that as soon as they bite they infect the dog, cat or person.
What are the symptoms?
Once the hematozoon has managed to reach the dog's body, it will not show symptoms for 1 to 2 months, a moment that can be dangerous since the red blood cells, lung and liver tissues are quickly affected. For this reason, it is necessary that we be very attentive to any symptoms that may appear, like these:
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Excessive sleep
- General weakening
- Rupture of red blood cells
How do you make the diagnostic?
As soon as we suspect that our dog is not well, we must take him to the vet as soon as possible. Once there, do a physical exam while they ask us what symptoms you have, and then do a blood test in order to detect the haematozoa causing the disease. If it detects them, it will give you the most appropriate treatment depending on your case.
How is it treated?
Considering that it can get worse quickly, what it will do will be give you medicines that help your immune system clear blood cells. You can also choose to administer curcumin, olive leaves and cat's claw as natural and home remedies.
If the dog is very sick, the only thing that can be done is to give him blood transfusions in order to make it easier for him to recover.
Can it be prevented?
You can never prevent a disease 100%, but there are several things we can do to minimize the risk, which are:
- Checking the dog daily for ticks. If you have them, we will remove them with special tweezers. Here you have more information on how they are removed.
- Treat it with dewormers. We can put pipettes, necklaces or sprays on it. Of course, it is very important that we follow the introductions so as not to cause any discomfort to the furry.
- Bathe it with an antiparasitic shampoo. We can bathe him once a month. Here you have more information on how to bathe the dog.
- Give you a vaccine. In Europe we have the possibility of asking the veterinarian to give him the vaccine against canine babesiosis, but you have to know that its effectiveness is still not very clear.
- Take him to the vet. If something has changed in the dog's routine, even if it seems like a minor change, it is best to take it for a specialist review.
As we have seen, canine babesiosis is a disease that can be very serious if it is not treated in time. For the sake of our friend, and for ourselves, we better keep ticks as far away from him.