Quote: Connie Sutherland

Tom Beckett, DVM, our advisor and mentor on Tick-L, has worked with rescued greyhounds and shelter dogs for more than 25 years; in that time, approximately a quarter of the large number he has treated for TBD had it recur when he used the standard protocol. He now prefers to treat dogs aggressively, as recommended above. Suzanne Stack, DVM, who has treated large numbers of rescued greyhounds in Arizona for E. canis, agrees and has made aggressive treatment standard practice.

Yuppers. Tom Beckett frequently chimes in on that list. The list is a great source of detailed info. Fortunately my vet (who I was about to fire after he sent the blood to another lab) is also knowledgeable regarding TBD's thanks to first hand experience.

A California vet who has not had a TBD and rarely encounters them? Errrm....research for your dog's sake.

We should probably all research for our dogs' sake .... I'm thinking that areas where infected ticks are either rare or rare-but-increasing are probably areas where the vets have seen few if any cases.

Thanks everyone for all the info on TBD! My girl is eating more and consistently improving, I don't have her temp (but will tomorrow) which will hopefully be lower. I'll definitely look into sending blood for that panel. Interesting about treating for 20+ days too, I'll research that more as well.

For some reason, they thought fungal primarily because she was a GSD. And to be fair, my dog did not have straightforward signs of TBD (swollen joints, discharge from nose/eyes, etc). She only had fever, loss of appetite, and lethargy which, as people have mentioned here, could be a number of different things.

No chance she got into poison, same with the raw salmon. In regards to her platelets, if they clump a lot, I guess the numbers appear lower than they could actually be. The e-vet did a smear and noticed clumping, so she sent it out to a more reliable lab. I have yet to get those results back.

Thanks everyone for your input!

For anyone who lives in California, this was a good resource on the etiology of TBD:

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/Documents/TBDPhysicianTutorial.PDF

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/glossaryterms/a/CW-Ehrlichiosis.htm

Ehrlichia is a type of bacteria that infect dogs and other species worldwide, causing a disease called ehrlichiosis. Ehrlichiosis has also been called tropical canine pancytopenia (and several other names). Ehrlichia is commonly transmitted by ticks.

Cause
Ehrlichia bacteria infect white blood cells. There are many species of Ehrlichia, which infect a wide variety of animals, but there are only a few species that affect dogs. A closely related infection affecting platelets is caused by a bacteria called Anaplasma platys and is sometimes referred to as ehrlichiosis as well (Anaplasma platys used to be called Ehrlichia platys until recently).

Most Ehrlichia infections are acquired through tick bites. Infection is also possible via blood transfusions.

Risk Factors
Ehrlichiosis occurs worldwide in areas where the ticks that carry the disease are common. While any dog can be infected, some breeds, most notably German shepherds, are prone to more serious chronic infections.

Retired racing greyhounds from areas where ehrlichiosis is common may suffer from chronic, undetected infections and should be checked for ehrlichiosis and other tick-borne diseases when adopted.

Signs and Symptoms of Ehrlichiosis
The symptoms and severity of illness seen with ehrlichiosis depends on the species of Ehrlichia involved and the immune response of the dog. Generally, Erlichia canis appears to produce the most severe illness, and infections tend to progress through various stages.

The acute phase occurs within the first few weeks of being infected and is rarely fatal. Recovery can occur, or the dog can enter a "subclinical phase" which can last for years, where there are no symptoms. Some dogs, but not all, eventually progress to the chronic phase, where very severe illness can develop. However, in practice is is difficult to distinguish these phases.

Signs and symptoms of ehrlichiosis may include:

•fever
•lethargy
•loss of appetite
•weight loss
•abnormal bleeding (e.g., nosebleeds, bleeding under skin -- looks like little spots or patches of bruising)
•enlarged lymph nodes
•enlarged spleen
•pain and stiffness (due to arthritis and muscle pain)
•coughing
•discharge from the eyes and/or nose
•vomiting and diarrhea
•inflammation of the eye
•neurological symptoms (e.g., incoordination, depression, paralysis, etc.)
Signs of other organ involvement can appear in the chronic form, especially kidney disease.

Note: Anaplasma platys causes recurrent low platelet counts but tends to produce only mild symptoms, if any.

Diagnosis of Ehrlichiosis
It can be difficult to confirm a diagnosis of ehrlichiosis. Blood tests typically show a decreased number of platelets ("thrombocytopenia") and sometimes decreased numbers of red blood cells (anemia) and/or white blood cells.

Changes in the protein levels in the blood may also occur. Blood smears can be examined for the presence of the Ehrlichia organisms. If they are present, the diagnosis can be confirmed, but they may not always show up on a smear. Blood can also be tested for antibodies to Ehrlichia, though this can sometimes produce incorrect results. Specialized testing can check for genetic material from Ehrlichia, and while this is the most sensitive test, it is not widely available and has some limitations as well. Generally, a combination of lab tests along with clinical signs and history are used to make a diagnosis.

The diagnosis is further complicated by the fact that dogs infected with Ehrlichia may also be infected with other diseases carried by ticks, such as Babesia, Lyme disease, or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Infection with a bacteria called Bartonella has also been found in conjunction with Erlichiosis and other tick borne diseases.The presence of these other diseases can make symptoms more severe and and the diagnosis more complicated.

Treatment of Ehrlichiosis
Ehrlichiosis responds well to treatment with the anitbiotic doxycycline. Improvement in symptoms is usually very quick, but several weeks of treatment is usually needed to ensure a full recovery.

In severe cases where blood cell counts are very low, blood transfusions

 Quote: Megan McBratney

Thanks everyone for all the info on TBD! My girl is eating more and consistently improving, I don't have her temp (but will tomorrow) which will hopefully be lower. I'll definitely look into sending blood for that panel. Interesting about treating for 20+ days too, I'll research that more as well.

If your dog still has a fever after 4 days send the blood panel in, rule TBD in or out.

I personally would be wary of discussing specific labs with my vet, I would ask them to draw blood and then send it (you start saying you read stuff on the Internet and it said...NOT a good idea, you don't explain where you heard the info). Not a matter for discussion. Then again I am old and crochity and don't want to mess around.

No question TBD's are nothing to mess around with, for canines or humans for that matter.
I have known several friends who have had Lyme's disease, and it can take you down rather quickly.

In one case, this friend from Minnesota became paralyzed from the waste down, after it was misdiagnosed for quite some time. She had to be put on rotating antibiotics for nearly a year to recover.

I agree with Sonya, just tell the vet you want a blood panel, it's rather inexpensive but more importantly, catching any type of disease early is the key. advanced TBD's are truly scary and can effect the dog for the rest of its life if not addressed aggressively.

Re: Valley Fever- my old dog only tested positive about two years after he was displaying symptoms. He'd spend time sniffing around ground squirrel holes in Arizona. If this seems like a probable diagnosis- and it is found in Southern California- there is a great list serve that can help you get cheaper meds at a compounding pharmacy or from Canada. Fluconazole is not cheap otherwise. Treat for at least a year... I stopped treatment too soon. Milk Thistle helps keep the liver healthy. I would not make a diagnosis based on the titer for the fungus, rather, I would treat and see if it is effective. I would lean toward the fungal disease over tick illness based on your dog's symptoms. If you can, go to a vet who has dealt with Valley Fever cases- he/she will be significantly more knowledgeable than your regular vet. OR get a phone consult with an experienced vet in Arizona. Push very hard to get that.

Also, my dog died of seizures. If Valley Fever gets into the brain, this is not uncommon in affected dogs. It really really was an awful end for an amazingly great dog. Please seriously consider an RX of Valley Fever and do whatever you need to to get advice on treatment from an experienced vet.

Could be TBD as well, but my gut is saying VF based on your description...

So she seems to be feeling better, wanting lots more food, and has more energy. However, her temperature after 2 different readings was 105-106. I tested the thermometer on myself and my boyfriend to check for accuracy beforehand. Looks like we'll be going back to the vet tomorrow...

Wow. That's very alarmingly high. Any updates?