Ticks aren’t as widespread in Washington compared to other states, but the bloodthirsty parasites still can transmit serious illnesses to your pet. Our team wants to provide information about tick-borne illnesses diagnosed in Washington to help you protect your pet.

Babesiosis in pets

Babesiosis is an infection caused by a parasite that targets red blood cells.

Transmission — The disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected black-legged or brown dog tick. A tick must feed for at least 48 hours to cause infection. When an infected tick bites a pet, Babesia sporozoites are released into the bloodstream, and the parasites attach to red blood cells. Once inside the red blood cells, the sporozoites mature to merozoites, and at this stage they can be ingested by another tick when it takes a blood meal from the pet. In addition, the parasite at this stage can be transmitted if the pet bites another pet.
Disease process — An infected pet’s immune system recognizes the parasite and attacks the affected red blood cells, killing the Babesia organism, as well as the red blood cells. If enough red blood cells are infected, anemia can occur. In addition, the pet’s immune system may begin destroying uninfected red blood cells, a condition called immune mediated hemolytic anemia.
Signs — Signs include fever, weakness, pale mucous membranes, red-colored urine, and a yellowish tinge to the mucous membranes.
Diagnosis — In some cases, the Babesia organisms can be seen on a blood smear. Other testing options include antibody testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which detects the parasite’s DNA.
Treatment — A combination of antibiotics and anti-parasitics typically is needed to treat babesiosis. In addition, many pets require blood transfusions to address the severe anemia.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever in pets

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is an infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, an intracellular bacteria.

Transmission — RMSF is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, including the Rocky Mountain wood tick, the American dog tick, and the brown dog tick. Research in Brazil demonstrated that unfed ticks had to be attached for more than 10 hours to transmit the disease, while fed ticks could transmit the disease in as little as 10 minutes after attachment.
Disease process — The parasite causes inflammation in the small blood vessels of the body, resulting in organ damage. Any organ can be affected, and the disease may be mild or severe enough to cause death.
Signs — Signs include fever, lethargy, enlarged lymph nodes, nasal and ocular discharge, cough, lameness, and nosebleeds. If the brain is affected, signs can include lack of coordination, weakness, balance problems, and seizures.
Diagnosis — Testing includes a complete blood count to look for anemia and a severely low platelet count. Serology to test for the RMSF organism typically requires paired titers from blood samples taken 14 to 21 days apart, but a single high titer in pets showing clinical signs can indicate infection.
Treatment — The organism typically responds to a particular class of antibiotics, and supportive therapy may be needed, depending on what organs are affected.

Tick paralysis in pets

Tick paralysis is caused by a neurotoxin secreted by the salivary glands of pregnant female ticks while they feed.

Transmission — Ticks that can induce tick paralysis in pets include the Rocky Mountain wood tick, the American dog tick, and the western black-legged tick. Pregnant female ticks are likely responsible for the neurotoxin transmission because they feed longer, allowing them to inject more neurotoxin than males or non-pregnant females.
Disease process — The neurotoxin acts on the pet’s presynaptic nerve terminals, affecting their motor neuron pathways. A tick typically has to be attached for six to nine days for effects to be seen.
Signs — Initial signs may include hind limb incoordination. As the disease progresses, signs include difficulty breathing, loss of reflexes, an inability to stand, facial weakness, and an inability to swallow.
Diagnosis — No specific tests for tick paralysis in pets are available. Other conditions that need to be ruled out include myasthenia gravis, botulism, and acute polyradiculoneuritis. Finding a tick on a pet showing signs is indicative of disease, especially if the signs resolve once the tick is removed.
Treatment — Removing the tick is the most important aspect of treatment. Signs typically resolve in one to three days after removal, and supportive care should be provided until the pet is fully recovered.

Tularemia in pets

Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, is a bacterial infection caused by Francisella tularensis.

Transmission — Tularemia is transmitted through the bite of infected insects and arachnids. Ticks are the most common transmitters, including the American dog tick and the Rocky Mountain wood tick.
Disease process — The bacteria initially accumulate in the lymph nodes in the head, neck, and gastrointestinal system, and the infection is spread to the lungs, liver, spleen, and bone marrow.
Signs — Signs include lethargy, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, and draining abscesses.
Diagnosis — PCR testing can identify tularemia in blood or tissue samples, and blood tests performed two to four weeks apart can demonstrate rising tularemia antibodies, indicating infection.
Treatment — Antibiotics are used to treat tularemia, and pets may need supportive care, depending on the severity of their case. In addition, if draining abscesses are present, they will be surgically removed.

To protect your pet from tick-borne diseases, provide them with year-round prevention medication. In addition, check your pet closely any time they are outside, and remove any ticks promptly. If your pet shows signs consistent with a tick-borne illness, contact our team so we can determine the best course of treatment.

Understanding Your Pet’s Blood Work

Since your pet cannot talk, we have to use every tool at our disposal to evaluate their health and find hidden problems. In addition to a thorough physical exam, we often recommend blood work to obtain a complete picture of your pet’s health. Whether your four-legged friend is healthy, ill, or needs regular monitoring, blood work can tell us a great deal about their internal function. To help you understand why we recommend blood tests for your pet, read on, and learn what each test reveals about your pet’s health.

Why is blood work important for my pet?

Blood tests are used to determine illness causes accurately and quickly, and to monitor the progress of medical treatments or chronic conditions. Regular blood testing over the course of your pet’s lifetime will establish a baseline of their normal values, allowing us to detect small changes that can indicate development of a serious health issue.

Depending on the situation, we may test the blood sample in our in-house laboratory, or use an outside laboratory for additional or specialized testing.

What does my pet’s blood work mean?

In general, two main blood tests—a complete blood count (CBC) and blood chemistry profile—are run on healthy pets. We may recommend additional testing to fully diagnose a condition, based on the initial information provided by traditional blood tests. Some of the most common blood tests include:

Complete blood count — A CBC quantifies the cell types in your pet’s body. By taking stock of your pet’s numbers of red and white blood cells, and platelets, we can determine if they are anemic or dehydrated, or have an infection, inflammation, or clotting issue. If your pet needs surgery, a CBC is an essential part of their pre-anesthetic testing to detect bleeding disorders, dehydration, infection, or anemia that needs correcting prior to their procedure.
Blood chemistry profile — A blood chemistry profile imparts important information about your pet’s organ function and electrolyte levels. For example, ALP (i.e., alkaline phosphatase) and ALT (i.e., alanine aminotransferase) changes may indicate liver damage. BUN (i.e., blood urea nitrogen) and CRE (i.e., creatinine) elevations indicate kidney function issues. Blood chemistry profiles also measure calcium, phosphorus, potassium, chloride, and sodium, which can show electrolyte imbalances. Additionally, a chemistry profile shows blood glucose, which can indicate whether a pet is hypoglycemic or diabetic.
Thyroid panel (T4) — As pets age, we often recommend checking a T4 panel, which measures their thyroid hormone level. Older pets are more likely to develop thyroid disorders, with dogs more prone to hypothyroidism, but cats more prone to hyperthyroidism.

Specialized blood tests that are sent to outside laboratories can measure cortisol levels, early kidney disease, and much more. If your pet is predisposed to developing a certain condition—for example, a geriatric cat is prone to kidney disease—we may recommend including a specialized test as part of your pet’s routine early detection screening.

When should my pet have blood work?

Your pet should have blood work performed for a variety of reasons, but we usually recommend blood work for your pet in these four circumstances:

Illness or injury — If your pet is vomiting, has diarrhea, or is not acting like themselves for any reason, blood work can reveal the cause.
Therapeutic drug monitoring — If your pet is on medication for a chronic condition, such as epilepsy, heart disease, or a thyroid imbalance, they will need regular monitoring, to ensure their dosage does not need adjustment. Routine testing will determine if your pet’s medication dosage is staying in the therapeutic range.
Disease progression monitoring — If your pet has an ongoing disease process, such as kidney or liver disease, regular blood work will help monitor their progression, find the most effective treatment, and allow us to better tailor a customized plan.
Routine early detection screening — Blood work can detect disease early, before becoming serious, and is therefore an essential component of your pet’s preventive care plan problem. Rather than waiting until you can observe disease signs, routine screening tests can show subtle changes in patterns over time, providing clues about underlying health concerns.

Routine blood work is an important part of early detection screening for your four-legged friend. If you have questions about when your pet is due for their wellness exam, including blood work, don’t hesitate to ask our team.

Tick-Borne Disease in Washington State Pets