We lost a great up and coming gyp, she was Big E's dog.. a 16 month old pup out of Cwards Ike and his Girlfriend! She wasnt my dog but I hunted her and her littermates all summer with my pups and she sure was a good one. She would hit the ground running and you wouldnt see her again til she was flat out of gas. She hunted super hard and had the "it" factor everyone looks for in a star hog dog. We had big plans for her, she's been striking hogs sonce around 8 months old.
She died do to 2 tick borne illnesses known as Spotted Rocky Mountain Fever and E.Canis. She was sick for a month steadilyt losing weight, high temp, raised white blood cell counts but the vet never could seem to get the diseases diagnosed. At first thought it was pneumonia and she was given some very strong antibiotics but after 2 weeks she was only getting worse. She was literally skin and bones when they finally sent off for a tick assay on her blood and it came back positive for these two. It was already too late by then and she was but down. Heads up to everyone that has a dog that is sick and constantly losing weight, and so on... ask for a tick screen if the vet is having trouble diagnosing the problem.
She was the second dog from the right!
Common Tick Symptoms!!!
anorexia (lack of appetite)
weight loss
fever
lethargy (mild to severe)
discharge from the nose or eyes (in puppies, sneezing or clear nasal discharge)
diarrhea (may contain blood or raspberry gel-like component) cough-deep or merely hacking
neurological signs including seizures, repetitive obsessive/compulsive actions such as chewing fur and/or licking legs, un-coordination or palsy
depression
vomiting bile (yellow and possibly frothy) stained fluid
hemorrhaging even when blood count looks normal
lightening of nose color
nosebleeds
blood clotting problems-even with normal CBC (complete blood count)
edema (swelling) of the extremities
muscle wasting
chronic ear and skin infections that do not respond to normal treatments
low platelet count (thrombocytopenia)
ocular signs including bloodshot and glassy eyes, anterior uveitis, retinal hemorrhages, dilated pupils, photophobia
low WBC count (leukopenia)
elevated WBC count (leukocytosis)
regenerative or non-regenerative anemia
arthritis, unexplained lameness in one or all legs
weakness
pallor (pale gums or tongue)
incontinence
enlarged liver, spleen
liver, kidney failure
elevated liver enzymes or kidney function tests
increased thirst and urination
neck or back pain
bleeding under the skin or a rash (purpura)
enlarged lymph nodes
irreversible bone marrow suppression
protein in urine (proteinuria)
prostatic infections and/ or enlarged prostates in young, intact dogs
