Veterinarians Report More Pet Tick Illnesses as U.S. Tick Bites Hit 10-Year High

Q: Beyond the classic rash, what subtle symptoms of tick-borne diseases are most commonly misdiagnosed as the flu?

The symptoms most often mistaken for the flu are fever, chills, headache, fatigue, body aches, and muscle or joint pain — often without any obvious rash. Doctors and veterinarians say tick-borne illnesses frequently begin with vague, flu-like complaints rather than a visible tick bite or the classic bull’s-eye rash. In people, the most commonly missed signs are unusual tiredness, malaise, fever, chills, headaches, and aching muscles or joints. Some patients also develop nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or swollen lymph nodes, which can further blur the picture and make the illness look like a routine viral infection. That overlap is especially important because several tick-borne diseases — including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever — can present this way early on. Babesiosis, for example, often causes fever, chills, sweats, and extreme fatigue with no rash at all. Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are also well known for causing fever, headache, malaise, and body aches that are easily dismissed as influenza. The key warning sign is timing and exposure: if these symptoms appear in spring, summer, or fall after hiking, yard work, or pet contact, clinicians say tick-borne disease should be considered even if no tick was seen.

3 articles · Updated · WLOS · Jun 15

Asheville veterinarians say they are regularly treating more pets for tick-borne diseases as hot, humid weather boosts tick activity and owners often notice only vague behavior changes.
CDC data show emergency-room visits for tick bites are at their highest level in nearly a decade, with roughly 31 million Americans bitten by ticks each year.
Pets can pick up ticks outdoors and carry them into homes, making dogs and cats an early warning sign for human exposure as well as a transmission path.
Symptoms in pets can start with lethargy, poor appetite, fever and lameness, then progress to blood, kidney, liver or heart problems if ticks remain attached.
Veterinarians recommend preventatives such as collars and spot treatments, plus thorough checks after outdoor time around collars, under ears, between toes and beneath the tail.