Ehrlichiosis, Canine - contd.

ClinicalSigns
The acute stage of the disease, occurring most often in the spring and summer, begins one to three weeks after infection and lasts for two to four weeks. Clinical signs include a fever, petechiae, bleeding disorders, and vasculitis. There are no outward signs of the subclinical phase, which can last for up to five years. Clinical signs of the chronic phase include pale gums due to anemia, thrombocytopenia, vasculitis, lymphadenopathy, respiratory dyspnea, coughing, polyuria, polydipsia, lameness, ophthalmic diseases such as retinal hemorrhage and anterior uveitis, and neurological disease.

Symptoms
Symptoms of the acute stage of disease include a fever, lesions within the mucous membrane, bleeding disorders, and inflammation of the blood vessels. The subclinical phase has no outward signs of disease. Signs of the chronic stage of the disease can include pale gums due to anemia, inflammation of the blood vessels, swollen lymph nodes, difficulty breathing, coughing, kidney symptoms such as increased urination and increased drinking, lameness, eye disorders, and neurological disease.