Anyone's dog had ehrlichiosis? I got a call that Lark tested (+) on her test drawn last week. I picked up some doxycycline for her and started it right away. I'm just wondering what anyone else's experience has been- symptoms, treatment, how was it picked up- did you see symptoms or was it just found on routine testing.
Lark has been limping some in just the last 2 weeks. We didn't witness an injury but she'd had a few longer walks a couple of days in a row and she started limping on a front leg. The onset seemed a bit sudden, but you know how these things can be. I had her at the vet for some routine vaccines on Friday and to get her leg checked out. The vet could elicit no pain response when manipulating her leg. We did a tick and heartworm test because it hadn't been done since last year, not necessarily thinking it was related to the limping. I don't think she's had any other obvious symptoms. When I went into the vet's office to pick up the medicine, someone else was there picking up meds for ehrlichiosis also. I haven't found any ticks on her but that obviously doesn't mean anything. She gets her Frontline plus every month without fail.
When she was 7 months old there was some question of whether she had elbow dysplasia. The clinical signs and x-ray evidence cleared up over the few months that we had to wait prior to surgery, so the ortho vet said she didn't need surgery. She's limping on the same elbow, however, so the general vet thinks it may just be arthritis showing up. Lameness can be one symptom of ehrlichiosis, though. I'm hoping once treated the lameness will go away. If it doesn't, I guess I'll be back to ask a bit more about arthritis strategies. :upset:
Thanks for any ideas or sharing of experiences.