Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Campfire Brain Trust,please help save my dog

Her name is Brandy. She is about 6 years old. She showed up at my house as a stray when she was about 12 weeks old, thin, pickled with ticks and feverish.

I got rid of the ticks and fed properly she recovered fast. A few months later I took her to the vet for the first time and got her shots etc. On their check in questionnaire it asked if I wanted her tested for tick born diseases and given her initial condition I decided to have her tested.

She tested positive for Erlichia but my vet said it wasn't something they treat, just monitor her. Long story short, here we are over 5 years later and Brandy stops jumping up in the truck or on anything and slowly starts eating less but was still maintaining her weight. Suddenly about 3 weeks ago she became lethargic and stopped participating in normal activities and stopped eating completely. Right away I thought it must be Erlichia so I took her to a different vet. My heart sank when I learned it was treatable all along.

Before she quit eating, she was drinking water excessively but that has slowed some. She still drinks more than normal.

The new vet ran a comprehensive battery of tests and said the only thing truly out of whack was her white blood cell count which was 33 or 36k and should have been 16. She had no fever.

He gave he an injection of antibiotics and another of a steroid. and sent her home with doxycycline and nutrical. She started eating again and ate for 2 days and stopped again so I brought her back in and he gave her another antibiotic injection and we stopped the doxy hoping she would start eating again. She didn't and was barely walking at this point so back again to the vet and he kept her for 4 days and fed her with a syringe and nutrical with no improvement.
The vet doesn't think it is the tick disease but doesn't know what it is. All along she has had no fever at all.

Last night I got to thinking maybe it was the Seresto collar I put on her the first week of Dec. So today the vet removed the collar and bathed her and sent her home with me.

She can barely walk and cannot support herself in a squat for toilet activities. Won't eat, I have to syringe feed her. I'm at a loss, she is my only companion. If anyone has any ideas I'd be glad to hear them.



She is the black dog. I lost the golden one, Emmy Roo last Sep 25th to coyotes.

Man I hate to hear things like this. My heart breaks when I see animals suffering.

Sounds very much like the Ehrlichiosis. She should have been treated for that. Our one dog was tested early for it and was on antibiotics for 3 weeks after it was detected.

The collar is also a possibility, some of that sheit can do weird stuff, but I'd think it would have shown shortly after.


Good luck

Sorry to hear that, you've probably already read this.

Says shepherds are hit hard by it and lists imidocarb dipropionate as something to give on top of the antibiotics, along with IVs and feeding assistance..

Best wishes to you and Brandy...

No idea here, but I sure do hope she can be saved. So sorry.

Is she spayed? Test for pyometra if not.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. You are probably right about it just being Erlichiosis. My understanding is the vet treated her with a series of shots instead of doxy.

Before she quit eating, she was drinking water excessively but that has slowed some. She still drinks more than normal.

WTM45, she is spayed.

A couple months ago I contracted for a Belgian Malinois female pup to be Brandys sidekick and help her with the yotes. Tomorrow is the day I pick up the 8 week old puppy.

All I can offer are my prayers for you and your dog. I think it's more difficult losing a dog than a human in many cases.

I can't offer you any advice but I sure do hope Brandy gets well.

Man, Im sorry to hear of this, Sawbuck. May God bless you and your friend.

Did you have her tested for kidney infection?

I'm not sure, is that the same as testing for kidney function?

I won't assume but her vet was aware she was drinking water excessively.

I hope for the best for your beloved pet.

Tick fever AKA tracker dog disease. It's a bacterial infection carried by the lone star tick. The medical name is canine ehrlichiosis.

My GSP was diagnosed in August of 2016. The only reason they caught it was because my vet knows he hunts in tick infested terrain so they screen for it annually. His basic symptoms at the time were a general lack of energy and paleness of the gums.

He was put on a very heavy dose of doxycycline - 300mg twice a day for a month. My wife (a nurse) said this is borderline toxic for a human.

In any case, it worked. But the problem is now that he's had it, he will always test positive.

Ours had tick fever but caught with early symptoms. Alert vet.

Thanks guys.

She seems no worse today, we picked up the pup and they are napping together on the doggy bed.

I'm still hoping she turns the corner.

I think I'd be a little concerned too if a few days of Dox hasn't improved her. Ask about a Lyme disease titer test. They can be found together here.

Sorry to hear this. I sure hope you get it figured out.