BABESIOSIS INFECTS US ALL

[S_B]

Since first dealing with this infection in one of my own dogs in roughly 2002 I've educated myself on the signs, symptoms and treatments so that I am prepared should I have a dog become sick.

While I don't have the same knee-jerk reaction now as I did then, some do and even more have no clue what it is. Folks it is here to stay and your dogs aren't the only ones that can be infected. That's right you yourself can be or can become infected. There are as many as 300,000 humans infected with Babesia each year, usually as a co-infection second to Lyme disease. That being said I find it frustrating the mindset of so many dog folks who haven't armed themselves with rock solid information on how to treat Babesia in their dogs. Jack has written an excellent article on this database and if you haven't read it yet you are certainly in the dark!

For those of you who think all dogs who are Babesia positive should be put down really need to reexamine your thoughts on the matter. Should your husband, wife, child or parents be put down if you find they have become infected? No! Just like with the dogs we ourselves can be infected and never show a sign one, or we can become quite ill. Research had been done to support every single red blooded species on this planet actually has babesial parasites. That puts a whole new perspective on the subject doesn't it? I believe a lot is to be said of an individual's immune system when it comes to getting sick. With our breed selection and breeding practices the immune system can be compromised greatly. And while I don't think there are any proven ways to strengthen an individual's immune system it is important that you maintain the healthy-ist animals you possibly can so that the risks can be reduced.

S_B

[Nut]

Iv seen sick dogs treated with imizol or berenil going back to normal healthy life. I did always wonder if it took something out of the dog, or how big is the risk it will return in situations of stress.

[FrostyPaws]

Nut, I've had dogs treated before that never experienced any other issues with babesia. Some never passed it on to other dogs while a few others did unfortunately. I treated a dog for babesia during a keep as it was surely stress related, and the dog came in healthy and obliterated his opponent. He won two more afterwards, becoming a champion and never having any issues. He's living his life as a main stud on a breeder's yard now.

I would say that I've only had a few that relapsed, and thinking about how many dogs I've treated FOR that sickness, I'd say those are numbers I can support.

[Officially Retired]

IMO, as someone who has owned a yard of 10-80 dogs for over 20 years ... and as someone whose first "live" experience with babesia came in 1992 (a brother to Rockside's Charlie Boy (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_dogs_profile.php?dog_id=51718)--didn't know what it was) with my second experience coming in 1996 (Stormbringer's brother (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_dogs_profile.php?dog_id=8397), which was the first time I had Berenil shipped to me) ... my well-traveled experience has been babesia is simply part of owning sporting dogs.

The first dog I encountered that, looking back, had babesia (Lineman's Son (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_dogs_profile.php?dog_id=51718)), never got the benefit of treatment and thus remained a sickly dog for the remainder of his short life. Son was rolled multiple times, and he tried hard in rolls, but he would fall apart quickly due to his condition, and so he was put down. The second dog I distinctly recall having the disease (Vise-Grip's Tecate (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_dogs_profile.php?dog_id=8397)) did get the benefit of Berenil, only because I remembered reading Jim Volland's groundbreaking article in the APBT community on the subject in 1994, and I wrote to/called Jim in 1996 when Tecate first became ill, and Jim sent me my first bottle of Berenil with his hand-written instructions on how to use it. (Tecate was treated and went back to a 100% normal life.)

After my first scare with the acute case of Tecate (Son's case was only chronic), I immediately resurrected Volland's article in 1996, went through and expanded upon it greatly, which much-improved version contained all known remedies ... I then immediately put it up on my website in the mid-1990s ... and it still remains the main babesia article here (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/content.php?157) to this day. After using Volland's original article, but more than doubling the information, and after posting it up online for nearly 20 years, I have personally helped at least a hundred people across the country over the years (and treated at least 40 of my own dogs). I have also debated this subject, ad nauseum, with probably several hundred people, as well as conferred with Dr. Birkenheuer on multiple occasions.

With that said, the only people who "worry" about babesia (i.e., treat it like "the cooties" ... and who stress about keeping their yards "babesia-free") are are either greenhorns ... or people with tiny yards (and thus comparatively little "dog experience" themselves).

Truly experienced dogmen, who have owned multiple dogs, and who have IQs over 100, simply prepare themselves for the inevitability of 1-4 dogs a year coming down with the malady. Again, babesia is simply part of owning sporting dogs.

This whole idea of a dog being "100% free of babesia" is nothing but OCD insanity.
There are MANY dog diseases, which we all treat, but which only "knock the bug into remission," and don't completely rid the problem either.
So "why" this should be such a big deal with babesia (when it's only $0.20 to treat) is nothing but the insanity of the ignorant.

That said, I have had many dogs get babesia that became 100% normal after treatment and NEVER relapsed.

Of the dogs which did relapse, this only happened either 1) to bitches when they came in heat and/or 2) to dogs that I had negligently allowed to get "wormy" ... which means dogs that were simultaneously afflicted with some other malady that compromised their general health.

In ALL instances of "relapse" (which were few and far between), a simple shot of Minazine (which I prefer to Berenil), while concurrently treating the worms (or whatever) brought the dog right back to an optimal state of health in 1-3 weeks.

And, again, MOST of the dogs I have treated for babesia remained 100% normal, for the rest of their lives, after the FIRST treatment.

Jack

PS: I have a second Blog Post (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/entry.php?9) on the subject of "culling dogs" over babesia, showing it to be Proof of Stupidity in the owner.

[Doc Ellis]

Could a proper diet help keep the disease from showing?

[Officially Retired]

Could a proper diet help keep the disease from showing?

Sure. The stronger a dog's constitution/immune system, the better its chances are of fighting-off the effects of any parasite.

If "we are what we eat," then it holds that the healthier any dog's diet, the healthier the dog, and the greater its likelihood of fighting-off any infection on its own.
(Especially if the other parasites which dogs routinely face are held to a minimum by the regular administration of medicines.)

By contrast, the shittier the diet, and the less parasite control the dog routinely gets in other respects, the weaker/less healthy the dog is going to be "in general" ... and so the greater the likelihood that it will succumb to babesia, if that challenge gets added on to the lack of vigilant care the dog receives in every other respect.

Jack