This page quotes a published document. Everything below in quotation marks is copied word for word from https://capcvet.org/guidelines/american-canine-hepatozoonosis/, published by CAPC and retrieved on 2026-09-16. The quotations are excerpts; the document itself is linked and is the authority. Nothing has been reworded.
This page quotes the Companion Animal Parasite Council guideline for American Canine Hepatozoonosis, section by section: the opening sentences of 6 sections, copied without change and linked to the guideline, which was retrieved on 2026-09-16. The guideline itself is the authority and carries the full text.
The guideline
Companion Animal Parasite Council, American Canine Hepatozoonosis, at https://capcvet.org/guidelines/american-canine-hepatozoonosis/. Retrieved 2026-09-16. Each heading below is the guideline’s own, and the quotation under it is how that section begins. The full section, and the species tabs where the guideline gives them, are on the linked page.
Synopsis
CAPC Recommends Consider a diagnosis of hepatozoonosis in dogs with high neutrophil counts, myalgia, unexplained weight loss, and exposure to ticks or vertebrate prey, and confirm with PCR of whole blood or microscopic examination of muscle biopsy samples. Reduce risk of infection through year-round tick control, avoiding areas with ticks, and limiting opportunities for predation or scavenging.
Disease
Disease is debilitating and often fatal. Disease is characterized by periodic or persistent fever, weakness, muscle atrophy, generalized pain or hyperesthesia, reluctance to move, mucopurulent ocular discharge, and gradual deterioration of body condition.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is based on finding meronts in muscle biopsy samples or gamonts in peripheral blood smears. Muscle lesions consist of large cysts (“onion-skin” cysts) and pyogranulomas.
Treatment
No treatment is effective in eliminating H. americanum in infected dogs. Treatment can increase survival time, improve the quality of life, and decrease the number and severity of clinical relapses.
Control and Prevention
Routine application of effective acaricides is essential for preventing infection and disease due to H. americanum . Attached ticks found on pets should be removed promptly to prevent ingestion by the dog during grooming and to prevent transmission of any pathogens the ticks may harbor.
Public Health Considerations
American canine hepatozoonosis is not a zoonotic disease.
Continue reading public health considerations on capcvet.org
Sources
- capc-american-canine-hepatozoonosisCAPC · retrieved 2026-09-16
“CAPC Recommends Consider a diagnosis of hepatozoonosis in dogs with high neutrophil counts, myalgia, unexplained weight loss, and exposure to ticks or vertebrate prey, and” (Synopsis)
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