Anaplasmosis

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Over the last couple of weeks every once in awhile Shayna would limp slightly.  The first time we gave her aspirins and it seemed to help.  The vet said if it returned to bring her in.  Sharon brought Shayna in today and the diagnosis is Anaplasmosis.  Treatment doxacyline for 30 days.  It is a tick borne disease.  Prognosis is excellent. If anyone has dealt with this please let me know.

BTW - Shayna does not like to take pills.  No matter how they are disguised, she will eat around the pill and spit it out.  Any suggestions?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I am glad the prognosis is good. Keep us posted.

Taquito will only take a pill (even a heartworm flavor tab!) if it is lightly wrapped in cheese. It cannot be put in a larger piece, it has to be somewhat smeared on - do you know what I mean?? If it is to big of a chunk, he will search for the pill, spit it out and eat the cheese only. It has to be like it is dipped in cheese whiz. Yuck. Know what I mean? That is the only thing that works for us. Or I have to force it down and I hate doing that.

[Lynne B]

My Australian Shepherd won't eat pills no matter how disguised they are, I hold her mouth open with her head back, drop the pill down her throat and massage her throat until I hear her swallow

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

That is how I end up doing it if the cheese fails. I hate it though!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's the pills down the throat for JD, too. He can detect a pill hidden in cream cheese, liverwurst, peanut butter...we've tried them all.
He was fooled for several weeks by Pill Pockets (made by Greenies, sold in pet supply stores). He would actually come running, and sit & drool while waiting for his "treat". But the doxycycline, like most antibiotics, can be big capsules with an odor, and probably the most difficult kind of pill to hide.
Andy, I'm sorry Shayna is ill; I hope she gets better quickly!
Info on Canine Anaplasmosis:
http://www.lakelandveterinaryhospital.com/Anaplasmosis.htm

[Amanda and Quinn]

The trick for us is to keep Quinn anticipating another bite of something delicious after the pill. Does she like peanut butter? If Quinn thinks more peanut butter is coming, he'll take the pill with peanut butter on it. Then he gets another bite of straight peanut butter--this also helps to know that he swallowed it. Soft dog food also worked for us--mushing them into a chunk of it. Again, he'll suck it right down if he sees that another (pill-free) bite is coming. He gets pills twice a day, so we've had a lot of pill-taking practice. Many of my methods were unsuccessful. :)

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

To make matters worse Shayna is a very picky eater. Tonight will be the first attempt with the pills. I will keep you posted.

[Amanda and Quinn]

Good luck!

[Debbie, Brianna and Duncan]

My Chuck is on Doxycycline 100mg forever more...(for a short while he has been switched to the honker Clavamox) but I know the Dox. are a very hard little tablet...but they can be crushed. Chuckie is very, very old (we think 20 on St Patties day) and very talented at pill extractions from food, so I usually take the back of a spoon and in a round dish (because otherwise the pieces fly)....smash the little bugger in to a powder and sprinkle or take up the med onto a pancake in the morning or something yummie from dinner.....Chuck is a lover of people food so it helps. Good luck, glad to hear the prognisis is excellent!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I had never heard of this. I looked it up and supposedly David Letterman had this at one point!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just found out today that there is another related tick-borne disease that affects dogs called ehrlichiosis. Some strains of anaplasmosis have been reclassified as ehrlichiosis.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1556&aid=430

[F, Calla & Luca]

Ehrlichiosis affects humans too. Those rickettsial diseases and tick bites are nasty.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Shayna has surprised us. She is taking the pills. She gets a little piece of cheese and then the pill wrapped in a little cheese and then another little piece.