Odin the German Shepherd and the Tick Fever Week We Do Not Talk About

Odin is a black-and-tan German shepherd who takes guarding our house near Kata extremely seriously. He patrols the fence every morning, barks at the postman, and drops flat in the shade afterwards, panting like a steam engine, to be admired. Our Thai neighbours call him Mr. Odin and bring him chicken skin. He is very, very spoiled.

Last rainy season I noticed that he was not himself. He turned away from his bowl, which is not a thing that happens in our house, and he slept in the corner, away from his spot by the gate. His gums looked a little pale and he had a mild fever. I have lived here long enough to know what that might mean in Phuket. I called our vet in the morning and we drove straight in.

The vet took a blood sample and found low platelets, which pointed to a tick-borne infection, one of the common ones in tropical places. She started treatment right away and kept him in the clinic for a night with a drip. I was told the earlier we came in, the better the chance of a full recovery, and she stressed that tick problems in dogs can look like nothing at first: just tiredness and a sad face. I will always remember that. He came home two days later, thinner, tired and unimpressed, and ate his first meal like a king.

The recovery took a few weeks of rest, regular check-ups and the full course of medicine, which I never skipped. Our vet repeated the blood test later, and the numbers were good. I will not pretend I was calm through any of it. I slept on the floor next to his bed for four nights.

So here is what we do now. A monthly tick preventive, which our vet recommended for his weight, a full check of his coat after every walk, especially ears, armpits and between the toes, and a yard cleaned regularly. We keep the grass short and treat the house too. And if he ever refuses food again, I call the clinic that morning, not the next day.

Mr. Odin is back on duty. He patrols, he barks, he collects his chicken skin at the neighbours' gate. The other day, a small boy walked by and Odin lay down in front of him, exactly like a gentle old teddy bear. That is my boy.