Anaplasmosis

Anaplasmosis is a blood disorder in which platelets are affected. These blood cells are responsible for blood clotting, making anaplasmosis a deadly disease. Among pets, the disease is most common in dogs. Fortunately, the disease is not transmitted from an infected animal to humans or other pets.

Causes of anaplasmosis

Pets become infected with anaplasmosis through tick bites. The causative agent, the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum lives in the GI tract of ticks. When a tick bite occurs, the pathogen enters the pet's bloodstream and begins to infect blood cells. Ticks that carry Anaplasma phagocytophilum are widespread, so anaplasmosis is a worldwide disease. Humans can also contract the disease. However, as mentioned above, anaplasmosis is not transmitted from animal to human. Nevertheless, theoretically, a person can become infected from the same tick that infected a pet. Therefore, if anaplasmosis is suspected in a pet, all members of the family should be examined.

Symptoms of anaplasmosis

The main symptoms of anaplasmosis are a direct result of poor blood clotting. Pet owners should be alerted to the following signs:

frequent appearance of haematomas in the pet, especially if there is no reason for it;

traces of blood in the pet's urine and sputum.

Also, some signs are manifested at certain stages of the disease. In the first two stages, the disease practically does not give itself away, at this time the pathogenic microbes settle in the body. A sign of anaplasmosis at the second stage can be a decrease in the level of platelets in the blood, but externally it is not manifested in any way.

At the third stage, the main symptoms of the disease are clearly manifested. In addition, sometimes the presence of anaplasmosis is sometimes indicated by bleeding from the nose, mouth, genitals. There is a noticeable change in the behaviour of the pet, it becomes less active, rests more often, avoids games - anemia is affected. The animal may also have fever, gastrointestinal disorders, lameness, fever, acute reaction to pain, and more.

Symptoms of anaplasmosis only rarely allow a confident diagnosis. Therefore, if your pet is suspected of having anaplasmosis, a number of tests should be done:

enzyme immunoassay;

examination of the pet's blood sample under a microscope;

polymerase chain reaction;

and others.

Treatment of anaplasmosis

It is not uncommon for anaplasmosis to go away on its own. Many dogs show good immunity to the disease and sometimes recover in just a few days. Nevertheless, if you notice signs of the disease, you should immediately contact your vet. In not every case the disease goes away on its own.

The main method of treatment consists of taking doxycycline. This antibiotic effectively destroys the causative agent of anaplasmosis. With the timely administration of medication, the well-being of the animal improves after two days. Doxycycline is very convenient, as it is simultaneously an effective remedy against piroplasmosis - a deadly disease for dogs. The fact is that anaplasmosis and piroplasmosis have similar symptoms, it is not always possible to reliably distinguish between these diseases, even with the help of analyses. Therefore, the dog should be treated simultaneously for both piroplasmosis and anaplasmosis. Fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin) may be effective against mycoplasmal infections