Ticks carrying the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi cause canine tick diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease; according to the North Carolina State University Entomology Department. The bacteria is passed to the dog through tick bites. Symptoms of canine tick disease may come and go and vary from mild to severe. The signs your dog may have canine tick disease may not appear until two to five months after your dog has been infected by a tick that carried the bacteria.
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Stage I
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Stage I, or the acute phase, occurs within one to four weeks after being infected. The dog may show flu-like symptoms during this stage such as fever, lethargy, weight loss due to a lack of appetite and diarrhea. It may also act as though touch is painful and may even whine or yelp when picked up.
Stage II
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Stage 2, or the sub-clinical phase, occurs if the dog is left untreated during stage I. The dog's body weight normalizes and laboratory abnormalities may be subtle. This stage of canine tick disease can last for months. If the dog is not subjected to a situation that causes undue stress, symptoms may even disappear. The parasite is simply living with the host and not overpowering the dog's immune system.
Stage III
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Stage III is also referred to as the chronic stage. This stage is brought about when the dog's immune system is compromised in some way. A compromised immune system can happen if the dog experiences infections, surgery, stress, pregnancy or when using immunosuppressive therapy, which includes the use of corticosteroids.
By this point the parasite has lived inside the dog long enough to have taken over vital organs and recovery with treatment is rare, and death can occur.
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