Ehrlichiosis

Mike,

I used to have a dog named Ace that was diagnosed with Ehrlichia Canis about two years ago. Most blood tests for heartworms also test for Lyme disease and Ehrlichia. It's pretty uncommon...in fact when the one square turned dark on the pad, my vet had to refer to the book to see what that meant. We found it through the yearly heartworm test I do on my dogs, and he didn't show any symptoms.

Unless it's advanced to the chronic stage, it's usually treatable with a simple regimen of antibiotics. Funny thing is, the dog can stay infected but in a less-severe stage for years before it either worsens or the body eliminates it. It's transmitted through tick bites and cannot be transmitted dog-to-dog.

It's rare, but us people are also susceptible but also only directly through a tick bite.