American Canine Hepatozoonosis

[Burpdog]

I saw on the tick list, a papillon news alert regarding a papillon that was very ill. Turns out that he/she was diagnosed with American Canine Hepatozoonosis and this was the second case the vet had seen. Quite frightening actually. (permission given to cross post)

 

Medical Alert -- Tuesday March 24th, 2009

 

MEDICAL ALERT TOKI Update Go to the bottom for the latest Update Remember our little Toki? 2-9-09 Pain returns! Toki was doing very well until this weekend, His foster Mom, MaryAnn, called to say he was refusing to take his walk or even to eat. So we met at Dr. Wagner’s several days before our appointment. X-Rays show improving bone – breaks finally seem to be healing. But this time, Dr. Wagner did blood work again. 2-10-09 Medical Alert! Toki’s white blood count is sky high! Dr. Wagner conferred with the local internist and they suspect a strange relatively rare ACH American Canine Hepatozoonosis S. A. Ewing* and R. J. Panciera American canine hepatozoonosis (ACH) is an emerging disease of dogs (Canis familiaris) in the south-central and southeastern United States. It is a highly debilitating, tick-borne malady that is spread not by the bite of ticks but by dogs ingesting infected ticks… The species was recognized in 1997, and the disease and its transmission pattern have been characterized, including discovery that the Gulf Coast tick has been reported in the Gulf coastal states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) as well as Georgia. ...it is unclear where ticks acquire infection or under what circumstances dogs are exposed to infected ticks. We speculate that they become infected either through grooming infected ticks from their coats or from ingesting such ticks accidentally as they maul or eat prey that harbor the ticks… Diseased dogs are often febrile, stiff, lethargic, and depressed. Gait abnormalities and muscle wasting are usually obvious, as is copious mucopurulent ocular discharge. Atrophy of head muscles is especially noticeable. Dogs may eat readily when food is placed immediately in front of them, but they often refuse to move to food and water, presumably owing to intense pain, which derives in part from periosteal bone proliferation and inflamed muscles… Confirmatory diagnosis of ACH is achieved by biopsy of skeletal muscle…. 2-12-09 Toki undergoes muscle biopsy. We are awaiting results. 2-26-09 TOKI IS POSITIVE FOR HEPATOZOONOSIS The results are in! Toki has tested high positive for the hepatozoon protozoa. He has already started on a 2 week course of 3 antibiotics. When that is finished, he will have to take medication for about 2 years. But the good news is that at least we have caught it in time – We hope! The important message is that this is the second case of American Canine Hepatazoonosis (ACH) that I have come across in my little community. In both cases, the reason the disease was diagnosed was because there was another presenting complaint. Toki had the broken bones that were not healing properly and his alert doctor noticed both the strange formation of new bone and then when she did a blood panel, she discovered an elevated white cell count. Because of her intuitive actions, Toki will probably survive. Without diagnosis, most dogs with ACH die within a year. I hope everyone in the Atlantic Coastal region will be aware of this often undiagnosed tick borne disease. We will keep you updated as we see Toki’s progress. Foster Mom MaryAnn and Toki 2-26-09 Would you like to read Toki's story from the beginning?

 

I found this link on the disease:

 

ACH

Edited March 26, 2009 by Burpdog

[Ullaluv]

Thanks for the info.

[iluvgreys]

That's a nasty bugger. Thanks for sharing this info.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

I chatted about this with my vet quite a few months ago.

I was pretty shocked to hear my vet know something more about a TBD than I did