Clean Run Magazine - August 2007 - 45

Tick-borne Diseases Polley McClure enjoyed agility for years with her Bearded Collie, Ivy. However, as Ivy got older, something began to change. Over a year, Polley began to notice sporadic periods of what she called “unwellness” for lack of a more definite description. Polley said, “I would first notice these when she would very uncharacteristically refuse jumps or the weaves, and so I assumed it was some kind of physical injury.” Ivy never limped, though, and would return to normal within a day or two. Polley tried to work through these problems with rest and training, but eventually she became more convinced that something was truly wrong. Ivy began to have more regular episodes of stiffness, discomfort, decreasing interest in agility, and itchy skin, so Polley began consulting with her veterinarian and several local specialists to find out what was wrong. Physical injury, hypothyroidism, Addison’s, and spinal disk problems were ruled out by testing, so the veterinarians began to test for tick-borne diseases. There are so many different tick-borne diseases that can affect dogs that it is virtually impossible to fit them all into a few sentences. And, as agility competitors travel to different regions of the country, infection is possible even if the dog’s home is in a relatively tick-free area. Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are some of the more common diseases, and many signs are similar. In the acute phase, signs generally include lethargy, fever, shifting lameness, swelling in the joints, loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes, and diarrhea. Some dogs may even show a pain when touched or picked up. Even without treatment, many dogs can spend weeks, months, or even years in the sub-acute (also known as sub-clinical) stage, where the dog’s immune system is not being overpowered by the tick-borne disease organism and he is living a virtually symptom-free life. Yet, when that delicate balance is disturbed by something (stress, other illnesses, or excessive work, for example), the dog will move into the chronic stage. This stage is the most difficult to treat and can lead to impairment of the dog’s immune system and possibly even death. variety of other diseases as well, so diagnosis is made through blood tests. These blood tests look for antibodies to the organisms carried by ticks. Antibodies may be detected by IFA (indirect immunofluorescence antibody), ELISA (enzy me-linked immunosorbent assay), and the Western blot. Antibody testing may not lead directly to a definitive diagnosis and sometimes detective work is required by the veterinarian to accurately diagnose the problem. Dr. T.J. Dunn, DVM, (director of ThePetCenter.com) writes, “Many veterinarians do not wait for blood tests to confirm the tentative diagnosis because in dogs the information obtained may be confusing and require too much time to hear back from the lab.”5 If caught early enough, treatment of tick-borne diseases generally involves administration of a tetracycline-class antibiotic for 2-4 weeks or longer. Because the tick-borne diseases are caused by similar organisms, antibiotics may work well for several different diseases. Most dogs will improve dramatically within a couple of days of beginning antibiotics, but treatment does not mean that the dog will not suffer a recurrence or a new infection later in life. When Polley got the results of Ivy’s first round of tests for tick-borne diseases, all the results were negative. Still the physical signs and some abnormal values in the blood panel caused her veterinarian to refer her to a specialist at Cornell University Veterinary Hospital. A series of in-depth tests showed that Ivy was indeed suffering from Lyme disease, and she was treated with a threeweek course of antibiotic. Ivy bounced back quickly, and has since returned to competition. the result of an acute injury (often caused by a sudden event such as a collision or fall that is quickly followed by pain, swelling, and sometimes bruising) or a chronic injury (often caused by repetitive stress on the tissue or overuse.) Acute injuries are usually more obvious than chronic injuries, and, if the injury is incompletely healed when the dog returns to regular activity, acute injuries can easily progress to chronic injuries. Dr. Carol Helfer, DVM, of Canine Peak Performance Sports Medicine and Physical Rehabilitation writes, “Other possibilities include the continuous creation of microtears in ligament or tendon fibers that outstrip the bodies’ ability to heal; reduced circulation to the involved structure; age and weight factors.”6 © SKIPPER PRODUCTIONS Soft-tissue Injury Joint conditions are commonly found in dogs. Hips, elbows, and knees are often affected to varying degrees. Some dogs can compete beautifully for an entire career with a mild problem, while others are retired early due to lameness. The causes of these problems can be rooted in the dog’s genetics or in environmental or nutritional factors. These problems are relatively easy to diagnose with x-rays and have a variety of treatment options. Injuries to the dog’s soft tissues, however, are much more challenging to find. Muscles, ligaments, and tendons can be damaged as Muscles and tendons can be easily strained or torn, and ligaments are subject to sprains or tears. While chronic injuries may not present as actual limping, many agility dogs may slow down or avoid obstacles to “protect” the affected area. The vet, massage therapists, and chiropractors who had examined Rebound felt that he was suffering from some sort of chronic softtissue injury, based on his behavior history as well as the lameness that turned up as time wore on. Diagnosis and Treatment As the sport of agility grows, competitors are benefiting from increased access to veterinary specialists in the field of canine sports medicine. These specialists, along with canine physical therapists and chiropractors, are helping to diagnose the hard-to-find soft-tissue injuries affecting our agility dogs. A diagnosis can be made by taking a complete history, and palpation, gait analysis, testing range of motion, and even MRI. While some dogs will show pain when examined, many are stoic and 45 Diagnosis and Treatment Signs of tick-borne diseases can be as subtle as weight loss and as obvious as seizures and hemorrhaging. These signs can indicate a August 07 | Clean Run

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Clean Run Magazine - August 2007

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