Dogs and Lyme Disease: A Potentially Deadly Combination

By now, most everyone in the United States has at least heard of Lyme Disease, a tick-borne disease that causes a telltale bull’s eye rash and flu-like symptoms in humans and can be severely debilitating if left untreated. First diagnosed in dogs in 1985, Lyme Disease is a preventable, treatable, and if left undetected fatal disease. Forewarned is forearmed.



Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs

Although not foolproof, most people know to look for a circular red rash (the "bull’s eye rash" referred to above) surrounding the tick bite: try that with a husky or a collie! As it turns out, dogs don’t develop this rash. In fact, the signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease in dogs can develop between two and five months following a tick bite!



Typically, if Brandy were to become ill with Lyme, she would develop:



• Disinterest in eating

• A temperature of between 103 and 105°

• Otherwise unexplained swelling in the joints

• Lameness

• Becoming lethargi

• Swollen lymph nodes



In more rare and more severe instances, kidney disease can develop. If this does happen, it is quite serious and in some cases fatal. Heart and nervous system complications can also occur.



Making the Diagnosis

So poor Raja is limping and listless. You bring him to the vet. What next? The presence of the classic Lyme Disease symptoms detectable from a physical exam (fever, lethargy, swelling of joints and/or lymph nodes and lameness), combined with any likelihood at all that your dog could have been exposed to a tick over the past 6 months would most likely lead to the suggestion that you allow Raja to have a blood test. The test, if positive will show antibodies to Lyme Disease present in Raja’s blood. Antibiotics would then be prescribed.



The four-part diagnostic criteria for Lyme Disease in dogs is:



• Typical signs and symptoms

• Exposure to ticks

• Positive blood test

• A rapid positive response to oral antibiotics



In other words, part of being sure that it was Lyme involves observing a quick response (usually within 48 hours) to treatment. If Raja still looks gimpy and ill, be sure to give your vet a call and discuss the situation further.



Treating Lyme

Generally speaking, the vet will prescribe a 14-day course of either a penicillin-based antibiotic, or if allergic, tetracycline. Although not common, relapse occurs and the vet will continue treatment for an additional 30 days. In some cases, veterinarians and researchers now theorize that the dogs may never completely rid themselves of the Lyme Disease "bug:" a spirochaete called B. burgdorferi despite aggressive treatment. Indeed some pets develop a chronic version of Lyme and never fully rid themselves of the disease. However, this is rare and most studies suggest that the vast majority of infected dogs respond well to treatment. In some cases where there has been severe joint swelling and the development of arthritis, pain relievers can be added to the existing medication regime – be sure to ask your vet which ones to use. Steroids, such as prednisone, are definitely not recommended.



Preventing Lyme is the Best Medicine

Keeping it simple: tick control and vaccinations. Not all vets heartily recommend the vaccines and there are a number of different brands available. They do vary in effectiveness and side effects.



Tick Control = Tick Patrol

The single most effective way to protect your sweet Susie from the inconvenient, expensive and potentially serious disease is to check her for ticks every day. A thorough tick check, from the bottoms of her feet to the tips of her ears, will catch and remove most if not all of the Lyme Disease threat. This is great if Susie happens to be a Boston terrier or maybe even a Doberman. Not so great if she is a Giant Schnauzer or a rough-coated collie!



Along with careful grooming, most vets recommend application of a once-a-month topical insecticide called permethrin. Lots of brands use permethrin as their active ingredient; read labels carefully or ask your vet about which brand to use. You put the liquid insecticide right on the dog and it is absorbed into her skin. When a tick bites the dog, the tick is killed within 12 hours – which is fast enough to prevent transmission of Lyme Disease.



An important word of caution here: if you also own cats, be very careful to read all instructions regarding use of these insecticides. Some of the tick preventatives can be fatal to cats. If your cats and dogs share beds, bedding, or snuggles, please be sure to read and follow all safety instructions and consult your vet for help in choosing the best and safest tick prevention for your whole tribe.



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