Moscow has been diagnosed with Ehrlichia (July 13, 2020)

Last July 13, Moscow was just sleeping when he suddenly had a seizure. We rushed him to the vet where he was later diagnosed with Ehrlichia. (They say Ehrlichia is like dengue for humans)

They checked his temperature, it was okay. But his tongue was too pale, he was anemic. The Vet gave him IV.

At night he was sent home

Days or even weeks before his seizure, we did not notice any change in Moscow’s behavior. He still plays and was very active. He sleeps in our room and there was no way he would have had ticks as well. We are still unsure how he got the infection. His poop was normal and he didn’t lose his appetite.

Moscow’s Results from the Lab (07/13/2020)

Hemoglobin - low

Hematocrit - low

RBC - low

WBC - high

Neutrophil - very low

Platelet count - high

The next day we started feeding him meat (chicken, pork, beef) and boiled egg whites (good thing is that he likes to eat and he doesn’t vomit). We feed him 1 cup every 2 hours. His poop at this time was normal though he didn’t really poo much until Thursday. His poop was black (has blood). So we just let him sleep most of the time. Not much physical activities.

These are some of the symptoms I found online for ehrlichia.

Fever
Lethargy
Poor appetite
Lymph node enlargement
Abnormal bruising and bleeding
Chronic eye inflammation
Neurologic abnormalities
Occasionally lameness

Moscow turned 5 months last July 17 and the vet said that the prescribed medicine (doxycycline) might hinder his growth. Sad but we didn’t have a choice.

He’s been taking medications for a week now. Hopefully he gets better.

Thanks for reading

Love,
Tyra