We were notified today by a local Veterinarian friend of ours, letting us know that they have had their first case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in our county. With this information today, we thought it would be best for us to explain a little about this potential deadly disease.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a serious tickborne disease that can not only affect our fur kids but us as well. This disease is of course carried and transmitted by ticks but in our neck of the woods, it is the American Dog Tick. We all know how we get ticks and the importance of spraying and checking for them. Some of the important signs to watch for if you have been bitten by a tick, are:

• Fever
• Headache
• Rash
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Muscle pain
• Lack of appetite

According to the CDC the “rash is a common sign in people who are sick with RMSF.  Rash usually develops 2-4 days after fever begins. The look of the rash can vary widely over the course of illness. Some rashes can look like red splotches and some look like pinpoint dots. While almost all patients with RMSF will develop a rash, it often does not appear early in illness, which can make RMSF difficult to diagnose.” Doxycycline is used to treat it but it must be used during the early stages of RMSF in order for it to be truly affective. Many cases who are severe, may be left with permeant damage, including amputation of arms, legs, fingers, or toes (from damage to blood vessels in these areas); hearing loss; paralysis; or mental disability. Any permanent damage is caused by the acute illness and does not result from a chronic infection.

Being prepared when going out in tall grassy areas is the best thing we can do to help keep these tiny critters off of us. Spraying our clothes, staying in low grass areas, checking our whole body when we return, and checking our clothes as well. Making sure our furry friends are also well cared for will also help them not carry these critters into our home, where they then could be transmitted to us.

We hope this information, though brief, will help you be more tick aware this time of year. If you have any questions about these, please ask your doctor or Veterinarian (if for your fur babies). Stay safe everyone!