Dog Diseases - Babesia

Dog Diseases - Babesia

Babesia is also known as canine piroplasmosis.
The Infection occurs when a Babesia infected tick bites a dog and releases Babesia sporozoites into the dog’s bloodstream. A tick must feed for 2-3 days to infect a dog with Babesia. The young Babesia organisms attach to red blood cells, eventually penetrating and making a new home for themselves within.

Symptoms
Parasite inside red blood cells does not go undetected by the immune system. Infected red blood cells are identified and destroyed which kills the Babesia organism but, unfortunately, if many red blood cells are infected this leaves the host with anemia, a lack of red blood cells. Often the host’s immune system will begin destroying the uninfected red cells as well.

Other symptoms include - weakness, jaundice, fever, red or orange coloured urine.
Sometimes skin lesions can be present. Rarely, the infected cells may clog some of the small blood vessels and cause nervous system abnormalities and muscle weakness.

Treatment
Special drugs are used to treat this and they include diminazene aceturate, imidocarb diproprionate, and pentamidine isethionate. These drugs may successfully treat the disease, but not totally eliminate the organism since relapses often occur. In severe cases, blood transfusions and extensive supportive care are often needed.

Links
http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/Cleveland/
http://www.2ndchance.info/babesia.htm