Overview of Bartonellosis in Dogs

Bartonellosis is an emerging infectious, intracellular bacterial disease of domestic and wild mammals, including people. The infectious organisms are highly adapted to their preferred reservoir hosts.Bartonellosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Bartonella. Domestic dogs reportedly can become infected by up to 5 currently recognized Bartonella species: B. vinsonii subspecies berkhoffi, B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, B. elizabethae and B. washoensis. The primary vectors of the bacteria that infect dogs are fleas and several species

Symptoms of Bartonellosis in Dogs

Dogs of any age or gender can become infected by Bartonella species of bacterial microorganisms.Dogs infected with one of the Bartonella bacterial subspecies may develop one or more of the following symptoms:Many dogs infected with Bartonella show few or even no clinical signs.Herding and hunting breeds reportedly have an increased risk of developing bartonellosis. Small and toy breeds have a reduced chance of developing clinical disease from this infection. These correlations are thought to be

Diagnosing Bartonellosis in Dogs

Because so many clinically healthy dogs test positive for Bartonella, it can be quite difficult to diagnose disease caused by these microorganisms.Dogs suffering from bartonellosis may have abnormally low levels of circulating red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets (referred to as “anemia” and “thrombocytopenia”). They also may have abnormally high levels of various white blood cells in their blood streams (referred to as “leukocytosis”). Routine blood work may reflect elevated liver enzymes and low levels

Treating Bartonella in Dogs

There is no current consensus among veterinary professionals regarding the best or most appropriate treatment protocol for dogs that are diagnosed with bartonellosis and are showing clinical signs of disease. The goals of treatment are to resolve any observable symptoms, relieve discomfort associated with the infection and, hopefully, eliminate the infective organisms from the dog’s system.Dogs that test positive for Bartonella - and that have compatible symptoms of clinical illness for which other possible causes