Ashley was not given proper preventative care, before her owners dumped her, infected with heartworm and ehrlichia at the shelter. (arcticrescue.com)
All dogs and puppies over age 5 months are tested for heartworm, lyme and ehrlichia and started on heartworm preventative. (carolinehumane.org)
However, in certain older pets, degenerative joint disease, autoimmune arthritis, and infectious arthritis such as those carried by ticks (i.e lyme, ehrlichia, rocky mountain spotted fever) may play a role. (1800petmeds.com)