Ehrlichia Canis RT-PCR
Ehrlichia Canis RT-PCR is a blood test that finds the genetic material (DNA) of Ehrlichia canis, a tick-fever germ, in a dog. It can help show a current infection, even before antibody tests turn positive.
- Sample
- Whole blood
- Quantity
- 3 mL
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- DNA of Ehrlichia canis in whole blood
- Whether the germ is present in the blood now
- A positive or negative result for this one germ
- It does not cover Babesia or Anaplasma, which need their own tests
Benefits of this test
- Can help detect infection early, before antibody tests turn positive.
- Shows whether the germ is in the blood now, not just that the dog met it in the past.
- Helps your vet confirm tick fever when signs and blood counts point towards it.
- Needs only one blood sample and no fasting.
- Gives your vet a clear starting point to plan treatment and follow-up tests.
When your vet may advise it
- Your dog has fever, tiredness and poor appetite and has had ticks.
- Your dog has nosebleeds, bruises or tiny red spots on the gums or skin.
- A blood count shows low platelets (cells that help blood clot) or anaemia (low red cells).
- A rapid kit or antibody test was negative, but your vet still suspects tick fever.
- Your dog has pale gums, swollen lymph glands or weight loss and a history of heavy ticks.
- Your vet wants to follow up a dog that has already been treated for tick fever.
About this test
Ehrlichia canis is a germ carried by the brown dog tick. When an infected tick bites, the germ enters the dog's blood and settles inside white blood cells. The illness it causes is often called tick fever, or canine ehrlichiosis.
This test uses PCR, a method that makes many copies of a tiny piece of the germ's DNA so that it can be detected. The lab checks your dog's whole blood sample for Ehrlichia canis DNA. Because it looks for the germ itself and not the body's reaction to it, it can help show a current infection.
This page is about the PCR form of the test. It is not a rapid kit, and it is not an antibody test, which looks for proteins the body makes after meeting a germ. Vets commonly use it when a dog has fever, tiredness or bleeding signs after tick exposure, or when other tests give an unclear answer.
How to prepare
No fasting is needed, but follow your vet's advice and tell the vet if your dog has already had any tick-fever medicine, as this can affect the result. Free sample collection is available anywhere in Bhopal. From other places, your vet can send the blood to the Bhopal lab by courier or bus parcel, and the lab will guide you by phone or WhatsApp.
Reading the result
A positive result may indicate a current Ehrlichia canis infection, while a negative result makes it less likely but does not fully rule it out. Your registered veterinarian reads the result together with your dog's signs, history and blood counts and decides on treatment or further tests.
Questions about Ehrlichia Canis RT-PCR
How is Ehrlichia Canis PCR different from a rapid tick-fever kit?
Can the test be negative even if my dog has tick fever?
Does this test also check for Babesia or Anaplasma?
How long does the Ehrlichia Canis PCR report take?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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Ehrlichia Canis RT-PCR: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
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