Of ticks and other parasitic critters - Woes of the uninitiated

[Meisti]

Woke up this morning to a Max who seemed to be close to the boiling point - I figured I'd put some eggs under him and they should be ready in no time and we'd start the day off with a hearty breakfast. Not so!. Max was panting heavily and seemed unsteady on his legs - so I decided to take his temperature. Turns out he had a VERY high fever - as high as he's ever had it. Immediately gave him two aspirin (hold the eggs) and brought his temp down to normal within three hours.

We made the arduous journey to the vet this afternoon and got the same diganosis we got just a month or so ago: Tick Fever. And it's true, just two days ago I posted looking for alternative tick prevention schemes because the infestation had reached another high.

It's quite frustrating: Max goes into a half-coma whenever he gets meds and I fear for his life - but if I don't hammer him with chemicals, he gets tick-related diseases, followed my meds to get rid of them, which makes him so weak that I fear for his life. In a way I always have to decided how to make him sick - directly or indirectly. There seems to be no "no-sick" option here.

So we received all kinds of stuff from the vet to prevent ticks and other parasites that are plentiful here. I have to be very careful with what Max gets so that he doesn't fall into complete lethargy and misery. Well, I've made it a habit to check what I give him and research side-effects in an attempt to avoid unwanted surprises. And guess what I found! One of the pills I received contains "Ivermectin" which, incidentally, can be fatal to Collies and Collie-type dogs. What a sure-fire way to solve the tick problem! But what can you do - there are absolutely no Collies in this area - I am starting to wonder why...

Max seems okay right now and we are going to attempt a short walk - he seems interested enough to try although I can tell that he's weak. If this keeps going at this rate I will be the pre-eminent source for all parasite-related information, especially on how to kill them without killing your dog.

[SPCA voulenteer]

aww, poor dog, it sound like your really doing a good job taking care of him. Hope he feels better!

[weimlover0816]

Poor Ole Max.... good luck with the treatment and give him tons of hugs and cuddles from us!

[Dax]

Since we don't have ticks in Edmonton - I'm not quite sure how you guys deal with this. BUT I do know here in the mountains, they pick up ticks in tall grasses and bushes. Is it similar there? What if you were to put old nylons on his legs and exposed areas like stomach, etc. Could something like that protect them?

[Meisti]

Thanks, weimlover. Rest assured that he gets plenty of hugs and kisses - always.

Dax - I wish it were that easy. We live in the rainforest and ticks and other parasites are simply everywhere, including the yard and the house. Since Max does not have full use of all his legs and since he is so ancient, he spends most of the time on his side - preferably asleep under a palmtree. So unless I wrap him up completely, it just won't do.

In the rainy season Max picks up about 100 ticks a day and sometimes they breed on him and the infestation gets completely out of control - which is when I usually do not have any other choice then to chemically treat him and see him get sick from the treatment. If I am not quick enough with my intervention, he'll get sick as well - which is where we are now. I keep trying various products on him hoping to find one that does the job without affecting him so negatively - so far no real luck.

I used Pfizer's Revolution, which I found at the vet today, and applied it to his skin. As expected, he is very tired - although I cannot tell whether it is from the meds or from the high temperature he had earlier. I keep checking his temp and it is almost back to normal tonight but he did not have much of an appetite. I will know more tomorrow. So far "revolution" strikes me as the best thing yet - Max is not completely out and can actually walk, which is not the case with the other meds we've tried.

I do not think that it's life-threatening, though. But at his age and with his history, I am constantly worried, which is not aided by the lack of qualified vets and readily available medications here. I am basically left to my own devices figuring out what he has and what meds he should get. Once I figure it out, I generally have to run to the pharmacy and try to find a human meds equivalent and what dosage and length of treatment to administer. If Max is in okay shape, I can put him in the car and drive for several hours to get to the vet. And then I am stranded trying to explain and understand in a language I do not speak. It can be a little much at times but I manage. Hey, so far he's given me 15 years of unconditional love and the least I can do is to reciprocate.

[Dax]

It can be a little much at times but I manage. Hey, so far he's given me 15 years of unconditional love and the least I can do is to reciprocate

He's a lucky dog too. The world would be a better place if more people shared your committment.

[Meisti]

Although his temperature was normal last night, he woke up with a very high temperature. Looks like the aspirin aren't really doing the trick. We're onto the next stage and he is now on Doxycycline to treat his disease. I also discovered that he had developed nasal bleeding over night. However, although this can be a symptom of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, I noticed that he's been bleeding a lot lately from his self-induced tick removal. He does have a scrape on his nose and I have not yet been able to determine what actually caused the bleeding. Max is wide-awake and alert, drinks normally, but has no appetite.