blood parasites
 

My five pound yorkie has parasites in her blood according to our vet, she's on an antibiotic. Has anyone else had this? I'm wondering how much to worry. :aimeeyork

Did your vet tell you the name of the parasites ?

no I didn't think about asking.

What is the antibiotic ?

You can get parasites anywhere in the body its not common but it can happen. I watched a show on tv about humans that had parasites in places like their brain. It was freaky and scary

Most blood parasites in canines come from fleas & ticks. Does or has your baby had either ? if yes then you need to treat your yard & house. Ask your vet about treating your dog as he/she may not want other chemicals in or on your dog while in a weakened state.
If you do have fleas or ticks in your yard & home you will need to get rid of them ASAP or your dog will become infected over & over.

we did have and "episode" with fleas over a month ago, we discovered they were in her favorite chair so she would keep getting them, but when we figured it out we did the thorough kill and clean of all things she sits or sleeps on and she has been flea free several weeks now, but it could have happened during that time, she was only at the vet for her flying paperwork for travel and she discovered it then. The medicine is DOXYCYCLINE...
Thanks for the help, is it possible it could come from a mosquito bite, living here in the islands we have them year round.

Yes, you are correct in that mosquitos can also be a culprit. It's nice to see that you have educated yourself on the critters as so many do not know the dangers of them.
The specific type of parasite your baby has should tell who or what the host was.

Call your vet and ask what she is being treated for! You should be aware of this...and ask him how she got them and how to prevent them.
He did not say she is heartworm positive, did he? Because they use Doxycycline before they start heartworm treatment. Of course it is also used for other things.

I know of two potenially fatal parasites a dog could get. One is tapeworm, which is from a flea, the other is heartworm carried by a mosquito. I agree that you really need to find out which parasite your dog is suffering from. The heartworm is extremely dangerous, and even worse if having to be treated for. It is costly and can endager you pets life. Tapeworm can make a dog suffer from anorexia, because all the nutrients are lost by this parasite. The younger and smaller the animal is the worse it can be for your dog. I think it is best to always use a preventative medicine ordered by your vet each month to save your dog's life. Since Summertime is fast approaching this is a inportant reminder. Although parasites can happen any time of year , Summer time is the worst, mainly because the dog is outside more. Once infected though, it is so hard to get rid of. Even the simple flea can be a headache. I have only had cats with a flea problem, never a dog. I am sure a cat is just as hard to treat too. even if your dogs are kept inside they still can be infected. I once had to deal with a black widow inside the home, hiding behind book shelves... I also have to worry a whole lot about snakes too, their is a large field behind my apt . And yes, some are poisioness. I will not step foot on the grass we have here in the summer. We also have problems with mice too.

:eek:

Doxy and parasites found in the blood does sound quite a bit like herartworm disease. Call the vet and ask the diagnosis. You need to know what is going on and where you need to go from here.

Is your pup on a heartworm preventative?