That’s because Hector’s bloodwork showed that he has a tick-borne disease called anaplasmosis. When we think about ticks, we automatically think about Lyme disease. And yes, dogs can get Lyme too. But they can also get anaplasmosis, which is a serious but treatable disease (and not transmissible to humans, other than by ticks). This diagnosis also explains a few other things we’ve noticed with Hector, such as a lack of appetite and weight loss. However, often anaplasmosis shows no symptoms at all, so it was fortunate that we caught it.
Anaplasmosis can affect various organs, but it can also affect the body’s ability to clot blood, so Hector’s surgery is on hold for now (we suspect he’s not heartbroken about that!). The good news is that with treatment, especially when caught early, the disease is completely curable through a course of antibiotics. Improvement can be seen within a day or two! So Hector has been put on a liver enzyme medication for 2 weeks and a course of strong antibiotics for 4 weeks. At the end of the 4 weeks, we’ll recheck his bloodwork and with any luck, he’ll have his neuter surgery then.
We’ve heard so much about the high number of ticks around this year, and while we thank Hector for being a good object lesson for our friends and followers, we’re sorry he’s having to go through this. We don’t know exactly when Hector was infected, but we did ensure he was treated with a quality tick prevention medication the very same day he came into our care. And you need to be thinking about tick prevention too…veterinarians suggest taking the following steps:
• Year-round tick preventatives for all pets
• Backyard management (e.g. keep lawns cut short, remove leaf piles, etc.)
• Routine tick checks
• Prompt removal of ticks (using the appropriate tool)
• Avoid high-risk areas (wooded areas with a dense understory, tall grass and leaf litter)
Hector’s foster mom and dad will make sure he gets all the care he needs to beat this disease, but he’d appreciate help with his vet bills. If you are able to help towards the costs of his vet bills, no matter the amount, we would be so grateful. You can donate directly from our website and receive a tax receipt at the same time…https://wenswaydoxrescue.com/donate.
Hector thanks you!