Print

Treatment

Most patients can be treated on an outpatient basis, but severely ill patients, especially those requiring fluid therapy or blood transfusions, should be hospitalized.

Living and Management

Your veterinarian will want to monitor your dog's progress, and will schedule regular follow-up appointments to repeat blood chemical profiles, complete blood counts, urinalyses and electrolyte panels. Two to three consecutive negative PCR tests beginning two months post-treatment should be performed to rule out treatment failure and persistent parasitemia.

In addition, when one dog housed in a multi-dog kennel is diagnosed with babesiosis, all of the dogs in that kennel will need to be screened since there is a high percentage of carrier animals in kennel situations.

If your dog is spending time in an area that is a known tick habitat, prevention is the best course of action. Check your dog daily for the presence of ticks and remove them promptly. The longer a tick stays on the body, the more likely the transmission of the parasite is to occur.