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How To Treat Lyme Disease In Cats

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Clinical Signs Of Lyme Borreliosis In Cats

Lyme disease in dogs and cats, the essentials

The disease is more widespread in dogs than cats. Lyme disease goes unnoticed in most cases in cats. The prominent clinical signs are inflammation of joints and lameness of one leg. The lameness is also called shifting lameness. The lameness may remain for a few days, and in acute cases, the lameness may reduce within 2-3 days. The other clinical signs are:

  • Kidney problems may lead to glomerulonephritis.
  • Stiffness in walking.
  • Swollen lymph nodes close to tick bites.
  • Cardiac problems.
  • Radiographic examination of joints of cats.
  • Ultrasonography of abdomen to see the condition of kidney.

Lyme Disease In Dogs: How To Treat It

After being outside in the grass or woods, do a tick check on yourself and your pet before you go back inside.

Treatment of Lyme disease in dogs is usually done with tetracycline or a penicillin type antibiotic for at least 14 days and often longer. Most dogs respond quickly, though in a few cases, dogs will continue to have chronic symptoms and may develop arthritis.

Sometimes the blood test may show a positive result when your dog does not have Lyme disease. In this case, your dog has probably been exposed to the bacteria, but doesnt actually have the disease.

Always remember the best treatment for Lyme disease is prevention.

What To Do If A Tick Head Is Stuck In Your Pet

If you do spot a tick, dont be tempted to use tweezers ticks latch on tightly, and you can remove the ticks body but leave part of the mouth, causing irritation and infection. Instead, your vet can supply you with a specialist tick remover. If a tick is removed within 24 hours, infection can be prevented.

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Testing For Kidney Disease

Tests to diagnose kidney disease include complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis. These blood tests will determine if your pet is anemic, determine white blood cell counts, measure blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and electrolytes. A urinalysis is essential for the proper interpretation of the urea and creatinine values in the serum biochemistry profile and may also provide important clues to the possible underlying cause of kidney disease. A urinalysis will also determine the specific gravity, pH, presence of blood in the urine, and the amount of protein in the urine. An evaluation of the urine sediment will determine the presence of red blood cells, white blood cells, bacteria, crystalline material, and cellular casts all of which provide information to determine the underlying cause of kidney disease in your pet. Further diagnostic tests may be recommended based on the results of these initial screening tests.

Lyme Disease In Cats: Symptoms Treatment And Prevention

Lyme Disease in Cats

Lyme disease is an illness that is mainly transmitted by deer ticks in the United States. It can affect domestic and wild animals, as well as humans. Its one of the most common tick-transmitted diseases in the world, so its important to know the signs of an infection and how its spread.

Fortunately for cat owners, this disease is uncommon in cats. However, its still a serious and potentially fatal disease. Even though Lyme disease is rarely seen in cats, they can still be infected. Since transmission to cats is possible, knowing what to do to prevent it from happening is the most effective way to keep your cat safe.

Lets take a look at the symptoms of Lyme disease, the treatment for this illness, and what you can do to prevent it from infecting your cat.

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When Is Tick Season

Tick season is generally considered to last from April to September, although ticks can be active any time of the year when the temperature is above freezing. In most parts of the U.S., lyme disease is transmitted by the black-legged tick, otherwise known as the deer tick. On the West Coast, the infection is carried by a similar parasite, the Western black-legged tick.

Causes Of Feline Leukemia

Feline leukemia is caused by the feline leukemia virus. This virus is shed in infected cats through their saliva, urine, feces, and if they are lactating, their milk, too. This means that if an infected cat bites or even grooms another cat, it can spread this virus. Sometimes it can even be spread through shared litterboxes and food and water dishes but it does not survive very long in the environment once it leaves the infected cat. Additionally, infected cats that are pregnant or nursing will pass the virus on to their offspring.

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Lyme Disease Test For Dogs And Cats

To diagnose Lyme disease in dogs and cats, your veterinarian will take a detailed history of your pet and perform a thorough physical examination. There are now specific blood tests, called SNAP 4Dx tests, that are available to test for Lyme disease in cats and dogs using just a small drop of your pets blood.

Your veterinarian may also perform the following diagnostics to help provide an accurate diagnosis:

  • Chemistry blood panel to evaluate kidney, liver and pancreatic function, as well as sugar levels
  • Blood parasite screening
  • Fecal tests to rule out intestinal parasites
  • CBC
  • Urine tests to screen for urinary tract infections or other diseases, to look for protein, and to evaluate the kidneys ability to concentrate urine
  • An ECG to screen for an abnormal heart rhythm

Make Your Cat Stay Indoors

Cats_Claw_as_a_Treatment_for_Lyme_Disease

Outdoor cats, even those who split their time indoors and outdoors, are much more likely to get Lyme disease than strictly indoor cats. Because ticks transmit this condition, felines usually acquire it from roaming around outside.

With this in mind, you should know that indoor felines are not immune to the disease. Other pets may bring ticks into your yard or home. You and your family can also inadvertently track these arachnids indoors via your clothing.

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Concluding Remarks On Topics

Lyme borreliosis in cats is a rare but effective disease. The disease is commonly manifested by joint pains, arthritis, and kidney problems. The disease is more common in dogs, cattle, horses, and humans. The disease is transmitted by the bite of juvenile ticks and female ticks. I think this article will help you recognize and prevent the disease in your lovely cats.

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Lyme Borreliosis In Cats: Causes Signs Diagnosis Treatment Prevention

Lime borreliosis in cats or Lyme disease is an uncommon bacterial disease of all domestic animals and humans. The owner of the cats needs not to concern about the disease, but it may transfer from cats to humans. The causative bacteria of Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes ticks called black-legged ticks or deer ticks. The disease causes inflammation of joints, lameness, loss of appetite, and cat death due to weakness.

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Can Lyme Disease Be Transmitted From Pet To Pet

Lyme disease is seen in dogs, cats, and humans but thankfully, no, Lyme disease is not contagious, as it can only be transmitted via a tick bite. However, if one of your dogs or cats develops it, youll want to get all of your pets checked for the illness, as they may all be at risk of exposure to the ticks that infected your sick fur baby. You may even want to get yourself checked as well, as people are usually in the same places as their pets.

Cats Claw: New Tool To Fight Lyme Disease

When life gives your cat Lyme Disease

According to the Environmental Protection Agency , Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the US. The incidence of Lyme disease has approximately doubled since 1991: 3.74 to 7.95 reported cases per 100,000 people between 1991 and 2014. This may seem small, but the increase is staggering in regions where Lyme is most common, such as New England and the mid-Atlantic: New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Delaware now report 50 to 100 more cases per 100,000 people than in 1991.

Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses come with a host of debilitating symptoms which, over the long term, can progress to affecting neurological and cognitive function. These illnesses are notoriously difficult to treat and can greatly diminish quality of life. Anything that can make a dent in these otherwise intractable conditions would be most welcome among doctors and their Lyme-affected patients. Uncaria tomentosa, better known as cats claw, appears to fit the bill.

Cats claw preparations are made from the plants roots and the vine bark, which are crushed and made into tea or into standardized extracts. These extracts contain a host of compounds shown to be immunomodulating, and to have antimutagenic, cytoprotective, antioxidant and antihypertensive properties.

Recommended Reading: How To Prevent Lyme Disease After Tick Bite

Use Tick Repellent Collars

If you cant stand the thought of your feline being inside all day, you can make him an outdoor cat and still prevent ticks from biting him.

Invest in a tick repellent collar. This accessory will kill and repel fleas for up to 8 months. The collar doesnt have an odor and isnt greasy, so your cat wont be bothered by it.

Cost To Treat Lyme Disease In Cats

Diagnosing and treating Lyme disease has varied costs. It may cost several hundred dollars to complete the diagnostic testing for the disease, especially if the tick is submitted for testing at a veterinary diagnostic laboratory.

The cost of medications varies, but doxycycline and common pain medications are usually not very expensive. Treatment costs can jump significantly for cats that require hospitalization because of severe Lyme disease.

Your veterinarian will determine the exact costs of treating your cat.

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Preventing Lyme Disease In Cats

Despite its rarity, its important to take preventative measures to protect your cat from becoming infected with Lyme disease, as well as other diseases spread by ticks.

Cats are excellent groomers on their own, but its still important to brush your cat carefully and check their coat for ticks, especially if theyve been outside. To protect yourself when removing a tick, always wear gloves. They can be difficult to kill, so dispose of them in rubbing alcohol to ensure they dont attach themselves to anyone else in the home.

Tick control medications and products are available . Talk to your vet to see if they are appropriate for your cat.

Treatment For Lyme Disease In Cats

Cat’s Claw & Otoba Bark are My Favorite Lyme Herbal Antibiotics

Animals that display signs of Lyme disease must be treated with antibiotics. In some cases, antibiotics may not work the first time around, so a second round of treatment is needed.

Limb and joint conditions caused by Lyme disease respond rapidly to treatment in most cases, although these symptoms may not disappear completely in some Lyme-infected animals even after treatment. If left untreated, the infection can result in irreversible tissue damage.

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How Is Lyme Disease Treated

Because the Lyme spirochete is a bacterium, it can be treated with antibiotics. The antibiotic of choice is doxycycline, followed by amoxicillin, then azithromycin. Treatment lasts for 4 weeks. Occasionally, the initial infection will recur, or the pet will become re-infected by being bitten by another infected tick.

What Treatment For Borreliosis In Cats

In the event of a positive diagnosis of feline borreliosis in your cat, the management will be based mainly on the prescription and administration of antibiotics. They can ideally be combined with anti-inflammatory drugs to help effectively relieve muscle and joint pain in your cat.

Note, however, that the symptoms can be particularly slow to subside, which explains why the treatment is relatively long and expensive given the price of antibiotics specifically developed to fight against Lyme borreliosis.

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Topic 1b: Geographic Distribution And Epidemiology Of Bb Infection

Prevalence estimates of LB in dogs are hindered by a lack of demonstrative clinical signs and no national surveillance system for companion animal diseases. However, screening tests for Bb antibodies are widely used, and estimated canine Bb seroprevalence data at the US state and county and Canadian province and territory levels are available based on input from commercial diagnostic laboratories through the Companion Animal Parasite Council . Lyme disease in humans has been a notifiable disease in the US for many years although not every case is reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and surveillance summaries lag behind disease reporting. Underreporting of cases in humans is more likely in highly endemic areas, whereas misclassification is more likely in nonendemic areas. The same may be true for dogs. Travel history of sick or seropositive dogs is an important historical question because cases in nonendemic areas may occur after travel to or importation from endemic disease areas.

State
SK 1/36 2.78
  • Highlighted statesâ2017 areas of interest. Also check maps of adjacent states for high seropositivity in contiguous counties.
  • aTwelve states reported in 2003 to account for 95% of cases.1

I. ricinus

How Do Dogs Get Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease in Cats: Causes, Signs, Diagnosis, Treatment and Control

Like humans, dogs can contract Lyme disease from ticks, specifically the deer tick, which carry the bacteria that causes the disease. The American Kennel Club notes that the ticks most likely to carry Lyme disease are typically found in forests and woods , marshes, tall grass, and areas with thick brush. In terms of geographical locations, ticks carrying Lyme have been expanding their reach across the United States in recent years, but are most prevalent in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and Pacific Northwest regions.

Dr. Sarah Wooten, veterinarian and American Society of Veterinary Journalists member, tells Pumpkin, When your dog spends time in the woods, marshes, grass, or bushy areas without adequate tick protection on board, these monstrous little bugs can latch on and bite. Those bites can transmit bacteria into your dogs bloodstream that cause Lyme disease, and thats when we have a real problem.

Also Check: How Can You Get Lyme Disease Without Tick Bite

Treatment Of Lyme Disease In Cats

Due to the rarity of Lyme disease in domestic cats, treatment methods are not as fully understood or clearly outlined as they are for dogs.

Most cases of Lyme disease are treated with a course of antibiotics. In some cases, though, antibiotics may not be entirely curative. Cats that are treated as soon as possible have a very good chance of making a full recovery. Limb and joint conditions caused by Lyme disease also respond rapidly to treatment. However, limb and joint symptoms may not clear up completely in many animals infected with the disease, even after treatment.

If Lyme disease remains untreated for several weeks, treatment and recovery may become prolonged. Untreated Lyme disease will cause irreversible damage to the tissues, particularly in the joints and limbs.

What Is The Treatment For Lyme Disease In Cats

If youve noticed and/or removed a tick from your pet, or if your pet is showing symptoms, you should bring them to a veterinarian for diagnosis. They will likely perform a blood test on your cat to see if there is a spike in antibodies for the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi.

Your vet may prescribe an antibiotic for your cat. Research shows that cats treated immediately for tick-borne diseases have a greater chance of full recovery than cats receiving delayed treatment. An untreated infection could result in lasting tissue damage.

Continued

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Topic : Should Treatments Be Offered For Nonclinical Nonproteinuric Seropositive Dogs

This topic is still controversial 4/6 panelists do not routinely recommend treatment for such dogs ,, stating that: this practice potentially promotes overuse of antibiotics no data exists proving treatment of healthy dogs is associated with decreased risk of illness Bb may not be cleared from all tissues with treatment and, reinfection may commonly occur in dogs in endemic areas. Seropositivity indicates tick and wildlife exposure and possible coinfection. Tick control and possible vaccination should be readdressed . Panelists in North America recommend reevaluation for proteinuria at least 2â3 times per year, even if the dog is treated with antibiotics, because clearance may not occur, and because the pathogenesis of Lyme nephritis is unknown.

Pros
Overuse of antibiotics may cause microbial resistance in the environment at large
Possible adverse effects of treatment
Possible laxity in checking for proteinuria in carriers, even though they may not all be cleared with treatment
Theoretically, a subclinically infected dog may be in a premunitive state that could be protective, at least for that particular strain

Statement: Most panelists do not routinely recommend antimicrobial treatment for nonclinical nonproteinuric Bb-seropositive dogs .

Defending Against Lyme Disease

Cat’s Claw Bark for Lyme Disease

The first line of defense against Lyme disease and any other tick-borne disease is a rigorous tick control program.

  • Consider one of the new tick preventives for pets, such as one of the chewables for dogs or topicals for cats .
  • Keep pets away from potentially tick-infested areas if possible.
  • Conduct a daily tick inspection of yourself and your pet after traversing these areas.
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    How Lyme Disease In Cats Is Diagnosed

    While you can watch for signs and symptoms, the only way to know if your cats may has this condition is through laboratory tests.

    The CatWatch Newsletter reports that Lyme disease can be diagnosed by examining blood samples. You will have to get a SNAP-4DxPlus test for your cat. If your feline has Lyme disease, laboratory tests will show the presence of a certain antibody.

    Ticks On Cats: What To Do

    Check your cats skin regularly for ticks, especially if your cat spends any amount of time outside. Promptly remove any tick you see to minimize the chances of disease transmission. Here are the steps to safely remove a tick from a cat:

    Step 1: Gather tick-removing supplies: rubbing alcohol, a glass jar, a pair of disposable gloves, a pair of tweezers, and triple-antibiotic ointment.

    Step 2: Pour rubbing alcohol into the jar and clean the tweezers with some rubbing alcohol.

    Step 3: Put on a pair of gloves.

    Step 4: Pull back your cats fur as much as possible to get a good view of the tick.

    Step 5: Use the tweezers to grasp the ticks head. Do not squeeze or twist!

    Step 6: Firmly pull up and remove the tick from your cats skin.

    Step 7: Place the tick in the jar of rubbing alcohol to kill it.

    Step 8: Throw away your gloves and wash your hands.

    Step 9: Apply some triple-antibiotic ointment to the bite site.

    Contact your veterinarian after you have removed the tick. Your veterinarian may advise you to submit the tick to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory for additional testing to determine the diseases the tick carries.

    Although signs of Lyme disease take weeks to appear after a tick bite, continue monitoring your cat after removing the tick. Contact your veterinarian if your cat shows any signs of Lyme disease.

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