This page quotes a published document. Everything below in quotation marks is copied word for word from https://capcvet.org/guidelines/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/, 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 Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, section by section: the opening sentences of 5 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, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, at https://capcvet.org/guidelines/rickettsia-rickettsii/. 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.
Disease
The organisms invade and replicate in endothelial cells of small vessels (arterioles and venules), causing vasculitis. Damage to vessel walls results in leakage of blood and subsequent macular skin rash.
Diagnosis
Clinical signs, geographic region, time of year, and/or a history of tick exposure or recovery of potential vector ticks should raise the index of suspicion for RMSF. Complete blood count may reveal anemia, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and/or leukocytosis.
Treatment
The antibiotic treatment of choice for RMSF is doxycycline (10-20 mg/kg orally or intravenously q 12-24 hours for 14 -21 days) or tetracycline (22 mg/kg orally q 8 hours for 14-21 days). Generally defervescence and improvement in energy and appetite occur within days after the first dose.
Control and Prevention
The key to prevention in both dogs and people is to limit exposure to potentially infected ticks. The CAPC recommends that all dogs be maintained year round on tick control products to prevent attachment and feeding of ticks.
Public Health Considerations
RMSF is a potentially fatal zoonosis acquired from ticks. The vector ticks, clinical signs of disease, and treatment and preventive strategies are similar for dogs and people.
Continue reading public health considerations on capcvet.org
Sources
- capc-rickettsia-rickettsiiCAPC · retrieved 2026-09-16
“The organisms invade and replicate in endothelial cells of small vessels (arterioles and venules), causing vasculitis. Damage to vessel walls results in leakage of blood” (Disease)
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