GudrunTheRed
Well-known member
My next door neighbor Earlene has an adorable little Papillon named Riley and he and Chester are best friends. Here's Mr. Riley in all his cuteness:
Three weeks ago Riley became very lethargic, had a fever, wouldn't eat, wouldn't play, and was basically all out of sorts, BUT there was no rash, vomiting or diarrhea. To make a long story short, after 3 vet visits, multiple blood drawings, x-rays and extensive physical exams the vet concluded that Riley had contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tick. Riley was put on the appropriate antibiotics and he is all better.
I don't mean to scare anybody with this story, but I want to make everyone aware that even if your dogs aren't very outdoorsy they can still get tick-borne illnesses. Riley is always on his Frontline and is thoroughly brushed and checked over by his Mommy every few days to check for mats, ticks or any other annoying things. We live in a townhome community in Richmond, VA and there are plenty of trees but no deep woods nearby...just your normal suburban lawns and hardwood trees.
Always make sure to check your furbabies for ticks and if they have one on them make sure you remove it correctly, especially if it's head has become embedded.
Here's a very good article on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in dogs: http://www.vet.uga.edu/VPP/clerk/otis/
And here's how to correctly remove ticks: http://www.ehow.com/how_2257_remove-ticks-pets.html
Thanks for your time!
Three weeks ago Riley became very lethargic, had a fever, wouldn't eat, wouldn't play, and was basically all out of sorts, BUT there was no rash, vomiting or diarrhea. To make a long story short, after 3 vet visits, multiple blood drawings, x-rays and extensive physical exams the vet concluded that Riley had contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tick. Riley was put on the appropriate antibiotics and he is all better.
I don't mean to scare anybody with this story, but I want to make everyone aware that even if your dogs aren't very outdoorsy they can still get tick-borne illnesses. Riley is always on his Frontline and is thoroughly brushed and checked over by his Mommy every few days to check for mats, ticks or any other annoying things. We live in a townhome community in Richmond, VA and there are plenty of trees but no deep woods nearby...just your normal suburban lawns and hardwood trees.
Always make sure to check your furbabies for ticks and if they have one on them make sure you remove it correctly, especially if it's head has become embedded.
Here's a very good article on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in dogs: http://www.vet.uga.edu/VPP/clerk/otis/
And here's how to correctly remove ticks: http://www.ehow.com/how_2257_remove-ticks-pets.html
Thanks for your time!