Understanding Canine Vector-Borne Diseases in Pets

Canine vector-borne diseases are a significant concern for pet owners. These diseases are transmitted to dogs through bites from infected ticks, mosquitoes, and other vectors.

Dogs can contract diseases such as Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis from ticks. Mosquitoes can transmit diseases like Heartworm disease.

The risk of vector-borne diseases varies depending on the region and time of year. In areas with high tick populations, dogs are more likely to be exposed to these diseases.

Prevention is key in protecting your dog from vector-borne diseases. Regular tick checks, using tick preventatives, and avoiding areas with high vector populations can help reduce the risk of disease transmission.

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Symptoms of canine vector-borne disease can be quite variable and may take months to years to develop. This means that even if your pet has recently traveled abroad, it's not uncommon for symptoms to appear later on.

Clinical signs of the disease may include lymphadenomegaly, alopecia, dermatitis, and anorexia, among others. These signs can be caused by various factors, including immune responses and disease history.

Some common clinicopathological abnormalities associated with the disease include mild to moderate non-regenerative anaemia and plasma protein changes with hyperglobulinaemia and hypoalbuminaemia. These changes can be indicative of the disease's progression.

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Lyme disease in dogs can be tricky to spot, but common clinical signs include fever, lameness, myalgia, and lethargy. In some cases, puppies may be at higher risk of polyarthritis.

Lymphadenomegaly, or swollen lymph nodes, is a common sign of Leishmania infection in dogs. Dermatitis and hyperkeratosis, which is a thickening of the skin, can also occur.

Dogs with Lyme disease may not show any clinical signs at all, and it's estimated that less than 5 percent of dogs with suspected Lyme disease actually have the disease due to B. burgdorferi. However, if they do show signs, they may include lameness in one or more joints.

Some dogs with Leishmania infection may also experience anorexia, weight loss, conjunctivitis, and epistaxis, or nosebleeds. Mucosal lesions and osteolytic or osteoproliferative lesions can also occur.

Clinical signs of Lyme disease in dogs can take months to years to develop, so it's possible that a dog may not show symptoms right away. Mixed infections with other tick-borne pathogens are common, so a dog positive for Lyme disease may have other infections as well.

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Heartworms are a serious concern for pets, especially those living in areas with multiple mosquito species.

Dirofilaria immitis, the parasite responsible, is now spreading to regions like Hungary and Slovakia, where previously only isolated cases were reported.

This parasite causes pulmonary endarteritis, a condition that can lead to pulmonary hypertension.

Chronic pulmonary hypertension can eventually result in right-side congestive heart failure.

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes, which is why it's crucial to take preventative measures against these pests.

Screening and detection for CVBDs are crucial for catching diseases and coinfections early on, which can improve a dog's prognosis.

Screening is especially important in areas with high prevalence and inadequate vector prophylaxis.

In Europe, the awareness of CVBDs is increasing, and comprehensive screening for tick-borne diseases caused by Anaplasma spp., B. burgdorferi, Ehrlichia spp., D. immitis, and Leishmania is relevant.

According to ESCCAP guidelines, routine tests for CVBDs that are prevalent and pose health risks to animals should be performed.

Regular diagnostic testing in endemic areas can minimize risks for humans as well.

LeishVet recommends serological screening of apparently healthy dogs living in or travelling to or from endemic areas.

PCR for donor dogs is also applicable.

Early detection of CVBDs can help veterinarians identify co-infections that can potentiate disease pathogenesis and complicate treatment.

Screening for CVBDs can also help prevent the spread of diseases in areas with high prevalence.

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Veterinarians may not screen for vector-borne diseases due to logistics, not medicine. Implementing new protocols can be challenging with clients and patients.

Comprehensive VBD screening is critical to a pet's health, but it's often overlooked. This is a concern because vector-borne diseases can have severe consequences for pets.

Some veterinarians may not prioritize VBD screening, but it's essential to do so to ensure the well-being of pets.

Veterinarians may not recommend comprehensive VBD screening because of logistics.

Some veterinarians may not screen for vector-borne diseases due to difficulty in implementing new protocols with clients and patients.

Logistics can be a significant barrier to VBD screening, making it a critical issue to address.

Veterinarians may not prioritize VBD screening because of the challenges in implementing new protocols.

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In areas where veterinarians think vector-borne diseases (VBD) are rare, they might not screen their patients for them. However, data from CAPC shows that heartworm, along with Ehrlichia spp., Lyme, and Anaplasma spp., has been detected in each of the 50 states.

The increased mobility of people, pets, and rescue animals means VBD can be found anywhere we're testing for it. Even if heartworm or tick-borne diseases are not considered endemic in your region, it's more difficult to keep track of which patients are local and which have traveled than including the VBD screen as part of their annual preventive care.

According to CAPC, veterinarians screened almost twice as many dogs for heartworm disease as they did for evidence of tick-borne diseases in 2020. This discrepancy is evident in states like Illinois, where 451,780 tests for canine Lyme disease were submitted with 10,980 positive results, compared to 735,094 heartworm tests with 7,328 positive results.

In some areas, the number of heartworm tests submitted is close to 50% more than tick-borne disease tests. For example, in Oregon, where neither heartworm nor tick-borne diseases are considered endemic, 566 of the 115,585 dogs screened for heartworm tested positive, while 507 of the 65,244 dogs screened for tick-borne diseases tested positive for Ehrlichia spp.

Here are some key statistics on the number of tests submitted for heartworm and tick-borne diseases in different states:

Some veterinarians may not test their patients for VBD because they aren't sure what to do once they have a case with a positive result, especially if the patient is asymptomatic.

Comprehensive tests can help address this concern by providing reference guides for veterinarians, outlining how to proceed with positive or negative results in both symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs.

These tests also include quick reference material, such as images of the most common tick species that can transmit VBD pathogens, their geographic distribution, and a summary of each of the six pathogens included in the screening.

This information can be a game-changer for pet owners, who expect their veterinarians to recommend the best course of action for their pets' health.

As veterinarians, it's our responsibility to recommend what's best for our patients and for public health, and comprehensive VBD screening can contribute to surveillance and understand the success of preventives.

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Working dogs are exposed to vector-borne pathogens and can serve as sentinels for their human handlers, indicating potential health risks.

Our research targeted several nationally reportable diseases in the United States, including ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, leishmaniasis, Lyme disease, spotted fever rickettsiosis, and Chagas disease.

We unexpectedly found dogs with antibodies to visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which suggests that imported VL in dogs could pose zoonotic risks to humans.

In endemic areas, dogs are reservoir hosts for human VL, and the presence of sand fly vectors indicates a local risk.

Surveillance studies in dogs can inform both veterinary and human medicine, particularly in new areas of endemicity, and help clinicians identify local risk factors.

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