Can Dogs Get Lyme Disease From Ticks

Treating Dog Lyme Disease

If the diagnosis is Lyme disease, your dog will be treated as an outpatient unless their condition is unstable . Doxycycline is the most common antibiotic that is prescribed for Lyme disease, but other antibiotics are also effective.

Treatment usually takes at least 4 weeks, and longer courses may be necessary in some cases. Your veterinarian may also prescribe an anti-inflammatory if your dog is especially uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, antibiotic treatment does not always completely eliminate the infection from Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Symptoms may resolve but then return at a later date, and the development of kidney disease in the future is always a concern.

Administering the antibiotics properly to your dog reduces the likelihood of chronic consequences.

Improvement in sudden inflammation of the joints caused by Borrelia should be seen after 3-5 days of antibiotic treatment. If there is no improvement within 3-5 days, your veterinarian will want to reevaluate your dog.

What Are The Symptoms In Dogs

Dogs, like humans, contract Lyme Disease through the bite of an infected tick. Thankfully, Lyme produces symptoms in dogs just 10 percent of the time. When symptoms do manifest in dogs, the most common are lethargy and inflamed joints, which can develop into arthritis if left untreated.

Ticks will embed themselves on a host and stay there for up to 48 hours

Other symptoms can include:

Lyme Disease In Dogs: 5 Things Pet Owners Should Know

Dogs may develop Lyme disease from the bite of a blacklegged tick, which may transmit bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi. Once ill, dogs can become feverish and lame in one or more joints. They also may exhibit sluggishness, and their lymph nodes may swell. A more serious form of the disease that affects the kidneys often is fatal.

The good news? The infection that can cause Lyme disease is preventable.

Here are five things for pet owners to know about helping protect dogs from Lyme disease.

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Lyme Disease From Tick Larvae

Ticks arent born with Lyme Disease. They too get it from another living organism.

In the spring, ticks lay their eggs. By late summer the larvae hatch and are ready to feed. They wait on the ground for a small mammal or bird to arrive and brush up against it.

The larva will attach itself to the small animal and begin feeding over the next few days. If this animal has Lyme disease, the larva will carry the bacterium in its stomach. Mice and ground-feeding birds often serve as spirochete hosts. When the tick attaches to its next host, the bacterium transfers into the blood of the new host.

Larvae are very hard to detect as they are no larger than a period in a print magazine.

How To Prevent Lyme Disease In Dogs

PetMD is one of the largest and most used veterinary sites in the world. It discusses how to prevent Lyme disease by using toxic sprays and chemicals, as well as vaccines. Most conventional vets also advocate this approach.

But if Lyme progresses into more than flu-like symptoms only when cofactors are present then isnt stressing the immune system backwards thinking? And dangerous for our dogs?

You know that Lyme disease only progresses to a harmful stage if dogs arent healthy, right? So how do vaccines and chemicals make dogs healthier?

Lets look at the list of cofactors again but this time lets consider the role of vaccines

• Chronic inflammation vaccines are well known to cause chronic inflammation and auto-immune disease
• Immune suppression we know vaccines to suppress the immune system after administration
• Coinfections of other viruses well, thats what they designed vaccines o do deliver a small amount of virus into the body
• Heavy metals and toxins vaccines contain aluminum, thimerosal, formaldehyde and other dangerous toxins

Not to mention the side effects of conventional solutions such as

So how do you prevent Lyme diease in your dog?

If there is one thing you should take away today its this

the more toxic your dog is, the more likely he is to suffer an exaggerated response to Lyme disease.

Here are some tips to help bolster your dogs immune system:

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Where Are Ticks In Toronto Located

Blacklegged ticks are found most often in forests and overgrown areas between wooded areas and open spaces. This makes for perfect breeding grounds in many parts of Toronto. Specifically,

• The Rouge Valley, east of Toronto
• Don Valley trail system

The Public Health Agency of Canada works with provincial authorities to identify where populations of infected blacklegged ticks have been established or are spreading.

This is the latest Ontario Lyme Disease Map from Public Health Ontario:

More information can be found here:

In other parts of Ontario, known endemic areas for Lyme disease are:

• Point Pelee National Park

Expansion areas of risk in Ontario include:

• Kingston and surrounding areas along Lake Ontario
• Along the St. Lawrence Valley to the border with Quebec and northeast towards Ottawa
• Northwestern Ontario in the Lake of the Woods region
• Pinery Provincial Park on the shores of Lake Huron

For the most up-to-date information, visit canada.ca/LymeDisease

Kidney Damage Caused By Lyme Disease

More serious complications, although uncommon, include:

• Damage to the kidneys
• Rarely, heart or nervous system disease 1,2

Lyme disease sometimes leads to glomerulonephritisthe inflammation and accompanying dysfunction of the kidney’s glomeruli .

Eventually, kidney failure may set in as the dog begins to exhibit signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, weight loss, increased urination and thirst, and abnormal fluid buildups that can appear as swollen limbs.

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How To Protect Your Pet

Making sure your pet is on a year-round effective tick control medication is the absolute best way to protect her from Lyme disease. If you need a refill or to start a preventive medication, please call us to we can get your pet protected right away.

Other methods of tick prevention can also help prevent your pet from contracting a tick borne illness, including Lyme disease. Some tips:

• Wear light colored clothing when hiking, and check for ticks frequently on yourself and your dog while outdoors
• Keep out of tick-y areas, such as brush, tall grass, and heavily wooded areas
• Control ticks in your yard by keeping brush and leaf debris cleared and prevent wildlife from entering your yard with fencing
• Inspect your pet thoroughly before you come inside from a hike or time outdoors. Pay special attention to the armpits, groin, ears, toes, and base of the tail
• Talk to your veterinarian to determine if the Lyme disease vaccine is a good option for your dog

Does My Dog Have Lyme Disease

An infected dog will normally have a rash develop around the site where they were originally bitten by the tick, which resulted in the bacteria from an infected animals blood being pushed through the skin on the parasites jaws. The dog may then start to lose some degree of coordination and may have difficulty moving around due to stiffness in its muscles and joints. Muscular pain is also not unusual, accompanied by a noticeable level of lethargy and general loss of interest in food. Fever-like symptoms may also be exhibited, though these will be sporadic and hard to predict. In some cases, the dog may even experience kidney failure, which can lead to organ damage and death. To diagnose the problem, the vet will usually perform a blood test, which will reveal the presence of the Lyme disease bacteria within the dogs body.

For more information on the condition and its characteristics, please consult our condition guide, Lyme Disease in Dogs .

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Make Your Own Tick Removal First Aid Kit

Making your own kit is easy and you probably have everything you need right at home. By putting together the kit, you wont have to waste time finding everything if there is a tick bite.

All you need is fine tipped tweezers, alcohol swabs, bandaids and a zip up baggie to keep it all in. You can even print out the New York State Department of Healths How to Safely Remove a Tick Opens a New Window. card and put in the baggie with the rest of your kit! Once you have your kit together, you can put it in a place where you will know where to find it.

Signs That Show Your Dog Is Sick

Unfortunately, Lyme disease is common in canine animals. Here are some dog infection symptoms related to Lyme disease that indicates your pet is sick. These include:

• Loss of Appetite
• Stiffness, pain, or discomfort

In the case of Lyme disease, you might get a bulls eye rash between 3 to 30 days after a tick bite. So, such a condition can be diagnosed in no time. However, such signs do not develop in cats or dogs. Its best to take the affected dog to a vet because of the lack of appetite and pain he is suffering from. In this condition, they just feel like they are walking on eggshells. Dogs suffer from high fevers and also start limping.In some cases, it takes a year for symptoms to appear. By that time, this disease affects their entire bodies. If prolonged, it might result in chronic kidney disease in dogs that can be fatal. Some common signs of kidney disease in dogs are lethargy, vomiting, and anorexia.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease In Dogs

When we hear about Lyme disease cases in humans, we are often warned about a bullseye shaped rash that appears around the tick bite.

This often leads to an urgent trip to a doctor, and ultimately a Lyme disease diagnosis if it fits.

Unfortunately, it is not as simple for our canine friends.

Lyme disease in dogs does not manifest in the form of a rash or other outward symptoms that can be seen on a physical exam.

Lyme disease symptoms can be subtle and often generalized, making it a bit more challenging to detect.

Some of the most common signs of Lyme disease in dogs include:

As you can see, the standard symptoms of Lyme disease can be vague.

Discussing these symptoms with your veterinarian can help them put Lyme disease on their radar, as well as analyzing the risk of exposure in your region.

What Happens If Lyme Disease Goes Untreated

Treating Lyme disease in a timely manner is absolutely crucial to your dogs health, otherwise its complications can cause even more severe problems. Dr Muller further warns, Lyme disease can lead to serious damage of the heart, nervous system, and kidneys.

Dogs who are not treated for Lyme disease may find themselves with any of the following conditions:

• Inflammation of the kidneys, and in severe cases, kidney failure. Symptoms of this kidney failure include increased thirst and urination, vomiting, diarrhea, swelling of extremities, and lack of appetite. This can be fatal.
• Chronic pain from arthritis
• Seizure disorders or facial paralysis as a result of damage to the nervous system

Many of these issues, if left untreated, can be potentially fatal, so the answer is clear. If your dog is diagnosed with Lyme disease, take care of it as soon as you possibly can.

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Can My Dog Recover From Lyme Disease

If you are able to detect the disease early, symptoms should disappear within the first 3 days of your pup’s treatment.

However, while treatment is usually very effective at eliminating signs of Lyme disease, dogs with Lyme disease can remain positive for the rest of their lives. If your dog tests positive for Lyme disease but is not showing any symptoms, your vet may not recommend treatment.

Most dogs infected with Lyme disease will eventually develop arthritis.

However, potentially serious kidney issues can result from a dog carrying Lyme disease. It is easy for these problems to go unnoticed until it is too late. If your vet identified that your dogs kidneys have been affected by Lyme disease, they will be able to monitor and treat the condition before more serious problems arise.

Lyme Disease In Dogs: What Your Vet Isnt Telling You

Lyme disease the mere thought of it is terrifying to pet owners everywhere. Rashes, lameness, swollen joints these are all symptoms that you never want your dog to experience.

The good news is, the situation isnt as scary as you may have thought.

Before we look at why, lets take a look at how dogs get Lyme disease in the first place.

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How To Make Tick Tubes

In the video below from Now You Know, learn how ticks work and how to help eliminate ticks and Lyme disease from around your house with permethrin, cotton balls and toilet paper tubes.

Mice and rodents are common ways that ticks pick up lyme disease. The mice will used the permethrin treated cotton balls as nesting material and in doing so will kill the ticks that come in contact with them.

Can Dogs Get Lyme Disease If They Have Been Vaccinated

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One of the more insidious illnesses that people can get from parasites is the condition known as Lyme disease. The condition takes the form of a blood-borne bacterial infection that produces symptoms that gradually increase in their severity, causing the infected person a great deal of discomfort and annoyance. Lyme disease is almost always found in areas that have a large deer population combined with plenty of forest with substantial brush that the parasites can hide in. Whilst the condition is not usually lethal, the symptoms can be incredibly debilitating if the condition is left untreated.

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Can Lyme Disease Affect People

Yes, but Lyme disease is not included in those diseases you can get from dogs. Humans get this infection due to a tick bite that also infects dogs. Thats why making yourself and your pet less vulnerable to these ticks is essential.

Are you still here, curious to get more knowledge on this topic? If yes, then keep reading to get some more interesting facts.

Symptoms Of Lyme Disease In Dogs

On the off chance that your dog does develop an actual case of Lyme, Dr. Sharpe said there are some common signs.

The most common clinical signs that are associated with Lyme disease infection include:

• Mild lymph node enlargement
• Joint swelling and discomfort

Rarely, dogs can develop a serious form of kidney disease that results in increased drinking, urinating and decreased appetite, Dr. Sharpe said.

Keep in mind, though, that a dog usually wont show signs of having Lyme disease until several months after exposure to the infected tick, if at all, Dr. Sharpe said.

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How Is Lyme Disease In Dogs Diagnosed

Your veterinarian will assess your dogs symptoms, give them a physical, and typically also do bloodwork to determine their diagnosis. Bloodwork is necessary to confirm a Lyme diagnosis because many symptoms of Lyme disease can be mistaken for any number of other conditions.

Lyme disease in dogs is diagnosed through a blood test, Dr. Margit Muller, veterinarian and , tells Pumpkin. She further explains, This test detects the presence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria strain that causes Lyme disease.

A combination of two blood tests is typically done: the C6 Test and the Quant C6 Test. The C6 Test detects antibodies, and is a preliminary blood test that can be run in most veterinary hospitals. If that test is positive, then a secondary test, the Quant C6 test, can be run to confirm infection and if treatment is needed. It takes a while for antibodies to show up in the blood after a dog is infected, so it is not recommended to test dogs earlier than four weeks after a tick bite.

How To Check Pets For Ticks

Your pets risk of tick exposure depends somewhat on their lifestyles. For example, dogs that accompany their owners on lots of hikes or walks in nature will be at higher risk. However, since ticks can be found in backyards and close to homes, its essential to check your pets for ticks any time they might have been exposed.

• Around and inside the ears

However, know that ticks can attach anywhere on your pets body.

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Lyme Disease In Dogs: What You Need To Know

Youve probably heard of Lyme disease. You or someone you know may have even tested positive for it, but did you know that your furry friend is just as at-risk for exposure to this dangerous disease as you are, maybe even more so? Fortunately, cats are not at risk for acquiring Lyme disease, but as we now know, their canine counterparts certainly are.

Research indicates that in 2016 and 2017, 1 in 8 dogs in Roanoke County tested positive for Lyme disease. In 2018, 1 in 9 dogs in Roanoke County tested positive, an improvement from previous years. It may seem hopeful that perhaps the tick population in our area is now less than what it was in previous years, however we strongly believe fewer dogs have tested positive for Lyme disease because of increased efforts to prevent disease transmission, like vaccination and year-round flea/tick prevention. So what exactly is Lyme disease and how can you protect your dog? Well answer these questions and more in this blog post!

What is Lyme disease and how is it transmitted?

How does Lyme disease differ in humans and in dogs?

Over 90% of infected humans show signs of Lyme disease and the initial signs of the disease in humans are typically the classic bulls eye lesion and flu-like symptoms. In dogs, on the other hand, clinical signs of Lyme disease are observed in only about 5-15% of infected cases. When early signs do occur, they typically occur about two months after infection.

What are signs of Lyme disease in dogs?