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My Dog Tested Positive For Lyme Disease

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How Long After Treatment Should The Horse/dog Be Re

I Cured My Dog of Lyme’s Disease

Antibodies decrease slowly but gradually after the pathogen is cleared from the hosts circulation. Re-testing should not be performed too early. For horses/dogs with positive values for antibodies to OspF but negative values for antibodies to OspC , retesting should be done 3 months after the treatment was started. For horses with a positive OspC antibody value retesting can be done 6-8 weeks after the treatment started. At the time of retesting, a decrease of antibody levels can be expected in successfully treated animals. Serum antibodies may not have completely disappeared at this time. However, they should have dropped by about 40% of the original positive value.

What Is The Prognosis Of Lyme Disease In Dogs

Like other dog health issues, there are a few factors that determine your pets prognosis. The prognosis depends on the time of detection of the disease, Dr. Muller says. In the case of early treatment without manifest symptoms, the prognosis is good. However, if clinical symptoms are already present that have caused damage to the kidneys, heart, and nervous system, then the prognosis is poor.

What Are Symptoms Of Lyme Disease In Dogs

When it comes to Lyme disease, dogs are often asymptomatic . However, here are some common signs of Lyme disease in dogs:

  • Fever
  • Lack of appetite and depression
  • General discomfort or malaise
  • Lameness due to inflamed joints
  • Sensitivity to touch
  • Difficulty breathing

If your dog is displaying symptoms of Lyme disease, contact your vet to schedule an examination. Left untreated, signs of Lyme disease in dogs can progress to kidney failure and even be fatal in severe cases. Serious neurological impacts and cardiac effects may also take place due to untreated Lyme disease.

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Dogs With Lyme Disease Are Not Protected Against Future Lyme Disease

This is sometimes a hard concept for clients to understand because its unlike diseases which play by traditional rulesonce youve had it, you are immune. Think chickenpox.On the contrary, infection with Lyme does not create protective immunity, so a dog can contract Lyme disease more than once. This is called superinfection.

Therefore, if your dog has tested positive for Lyme disease in the past, you are not off the hook. Talk with your vet about protecting your dog against another Lyme infection.

How Is Lyme Disease In Dogs Diagnosed

My dog tested positive for Lyme disease

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.

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What To Expect At The Vets Office

If your pet has been diagnosed with uncomplicated Lyme disease, this is what you can expect to happen at your veterinarians office.

  • Depending on the type of test used to screen for Lyme disease, a confirmatory test may be necessary.
  • Urine protein screening — In general, only dogs who have symptoms of Lyme disease or protein in their urine should be treated with antibiotics.
  • Dogs with protein in their urine should have regularly scheduled rechecks to monitor their condition.

What Does Lyme Disease Actually Do To A Dog

The main ailment seen with Lyme disease in dogs is arthritis due to bacterial migration through the joints. Borrelia, the culprit behind Lyme disease, loves body tissues that are high in collagentherefore the body systems that have high amounts of collagenlike skin, joints, tendons, the heart, muscles and lymph nodestend to be most affected.

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Does Lyme Disease Treatment With Antibiotics Affect Antibody Levels

Antibiotic treatment affects the pathogen . It does not directly influence antibody titers. However, if the treatment is successful and bacteria are removed from the host, the B-cells are not further triggered to produce new antibodies. As a consequence antibodies levels decrease after treatment. Thus, antibody levels are indicators of treatment success .

The Lyme Vaccine Can Cause Lyme Disease Symptoms

My Beagle is positive for Lyme Disease

Holistic vet Dr Patricia Jordan urges pet owners to avoid the Lyme vaccine for their dogs. She claims the Lyme vaccine is more dangerous than Lyme disease:

There is no justification for taking this serious vaccination risk with our dogs. The Lyme vaccine is all risk and no benefit. There is a high chance of severe adverse events like a lifetime of non-treatable arthritis pain just for getting the jab in the first place.

And Dr Michael Garvey of the Animal Medical Center agrees. He says dogs can develop Lyme-like symptoms. And it can happen days or even weeks after vaccination.

Dr Jordan also explains that cells in the immune system can react with the antigens in the Lyme vaccine. This causes Lyme nephritis which is ironic, because Lyme nephritis is the reason your vet wants to give your dog the vaccine!

This is why none of the US veterinary schools list the Lyme vaccine as one of their recommended vaccines.

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Common Misconceptions About Lyme Disease:

1. If a dog tests positive for Lyme disease, it means she has it.

2. Dogs are much more likely than people to become ill from Lyme disease.

3. A dog infected with Lyme disease will tend to start showing symptoms within a month, and sometimes within the first 18 hours.

4. Dogs can transmit Lyme disease to people.

5. Lyme disease strikes only in warm weather.

A lot of times, a dog will test positive for Lyme disease, and her owners get nervous that their pet is sick and needs treatment, but the dog is fine. How can that be?

Its because testing positive for Lyme simply means that antibodies to the illness have been detected in the dogs blood. It does not mean that the animals body is actually being affected by the disease. How can that be?

The fact that a dog can test positive for Lyme disease yet not actually have it in a way that matters has led to a lot of nervous owners, and sometimes, even veterinarians who have over-treated. To clear up the misconceptions, heres what you need to know.

How Can I Prevent My Dog From Getting Lyme Disease Or Other Tick

Recommendations on preventing ticks include these from AKCs Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Jerry Klein:

  • Inspect your dogs and yourself daily for ticks after walks through the woods or grassy settings. On dogs, look especially on the feet , on lips, around eyes, ears , near the anus, and under the tail.
  • Remove ticks stat. The quicker you find them the less likely your dog will contract a secondary illness related to tick bites. Learn the proper method of tick removal. Invest in a pair of fine tweezers used for this purpose. If you are unable to do so, consult with a veterinarian.
  • Ask your veterinarian to conduct a tick check at each exam. Theyll be able to find any you may have missed.
  • Prevent ticks from jumping on your dog with one of the many veterinary-approved flea and tick preparations available on the market. Speak to your veterinarian to find the best and most appropriate product for your dog.
  • Keep grass mowed as short as possible. Refrain from walking into grassy patches in endemic tick areas if you can.
  • Get your dog vaccinated. Vaccination could prevent your dog from getting Lyme disease. They may not be appropriate for some dogs, so discuss with your vet.

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If My Animal Is Positive On The Assay Should He/she Be Treated For Lyme Disease

If your animal is displaying clinical signs of Lyme disease and is positive on the Lyme Multiplex assay, it is advisable to discuss treatment options with your veterinarian. If your animal appears healthy, discuss the risks and benefits of treatment and develop a monitoring plan with your veterinarian.

Lyme Disease Dogs Ears

Dog Tested Positive For Lyme Disease

Most dogs who get Lyme disease never show symptoms, and therefore are never diagnosed or need treatment. However, if your dog has had tick bites or frequents areas where Lyme disease is common, contact your vet if you observe one or more of the following: X Trustworthy Source American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club is a purebred .

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Your Vet Is Your Best Ally For Preventing Lyme Disease In Your Dog

One thing all vets agree upon is this: the best protection against tick-borne disease is not vaccination but diligent tick control. As we discussed in Part I of this blog series, ticks often carry more than one disease, and vaccines do not exist against most of them.I encourage you to talk to your veterinarian about your dogs Lyme risk. I would never want recommend something different than what he or she believes to be best for your dog. But if hasnt already been resolved, this question needs to be addressed at your dogs next wellness visit:

Does my dog need a Lyme vaccine?

Lyme vaccine is considered a non-core vaccination. This means that its not recommended for all dogs, unlike the core vaccines which protect against common diseases like parvo, distemper, and rabies.

If you live in an apartment in New York City, and your dog goes out to the curb to the bathroom and back in, Im not going to recommend a Lyme vaccine for your dog. Even a dog that lives in suburban America, but spends time exclusively on a well-manicured lawn, may not need the vaccine.

Related podcast: Dog Vaccinations: Everything You Want to Know.

Dog Testing Positive For Lyme Disease

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The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.< 3

Jeru said:I have lyme, and I know that you want to eradicate it before symptoms do start showing! I actually know three dogs who have had lyme, and all of them were showing symptoms. It reduces normally energetic creatures to almost lifeless forms. I highly encourage you to give your dog those antibiotics. Lyme disease is fatal. There are some natural forms of treatment, which you could research or ask your vet. Please treat it before it gets out of hand.Your are very fortunate to have caught it before symptoms begin to show.

amThe difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.< 3

srelizabeth said:I am giving my dog the antibiotics. I don’t need any encouragement to treat my dog. I was asking about the titers and the vaccination. It doesn’t sound to me like you know much about this. Lyme in humans is completely different than in dogs, and 95% of dogs with lyme lead a normal life without ever showing symptoms. Thanks anyway.

The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.< 3

“My legs aren’t doing what I want them to do. I’m confused.”

The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.< 3horrible

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Dogs All Over The World Contract Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is not just a U.S. problem. According to Dr. Marconi, there are three variants of Lyme that are rapidly spreading into Canada and Europepossibly due to migratory birds carrying the infected ticks to far-off places and across the ocean.

Lyme is named for Lyme, Connecticut, and while we typically think of the northeast as being a hotbed for Lyme cases, every state in the country has reported documented cases.

There is a misnomer that because I live in X state, my dog cant have Lyme disease. People make the same mistake, assuming they are safe based on geography. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth for both dogs and their human owners.

Ive heard horror stories of humans having a tough time getting a diagnosishaving to go for a second, and third, and even fourth opinionbecause a doctor may think, We dont see tick-borne disease in this area, so its pointless to test for it. The reality is that Lyme is rapidly becoming a serious problem throughout the United States and worldwide.

Lyme disease in dogs: the statistics

The Companion Animal Parasite Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the number of parasites in dogs and cats and reducing the risk of transmitting these parasites and diseases to humans.

Based on research from the CAPC, Dr. Marconi shared there are around 915,000 antibody-positive Lyme disease tests in dogs annually. Let that sink in. There are almost a million positive Lyme tests in dogs every year!

So My Dog Is Positive Now What

Police dog battling Lyme disease

The big question to ask yourself is whether or not your dog is showing symptoms for Lyme. Do they have a fever? Are they eating? Are they limping? Hows their energy level? If the answers to all of these are good and normal then your dog is what we call an asymptomatic positive. And now the can of worms opens. Im going to lay out what Ive found in my research for this article. BUT this is where that disclaimer at the top bears repeating. This is my opinion and, as with any disease, you need to consult with your veterinarian before deciding on any treatment course.

Onward. Lets hit the easy one first, your animal is positive for Lyme and has symptoms. They should, and will, be treated by your veterinarian. First choice antibiotics are doxycycline or amoxicillin. Typically dogs are treated for a month, though no one knows how long it takes to truly clear a dog of the carrier state . There is a second C6 test that tests for the same antibodies as the SNAP test but it quantifies the level of antibody present. There is some use in using this test in dogs receiving treatment as you can test before and after to see if antibody levels falling which may give you an idea of if the treatment is working .

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For Animals That Have Not Been Vaccinated Can Osp A Values Be Positive How Should This Be Interpreted

Antibodies to OspA have previously been interpreted as markers for vaccination. Non-vaccinated animals usually have low values for antibodies to OspA, while vaccinated animals develop these antibodies. OspA antibodies have been shown to protect from infection with B. burgdorferi.

However, there is accumulating evidence that antibodies to OspA can occur without vaccination. First, residual OspA is present on the bacterial surface at the time of transmission to an animal. This causes a low and transient OspA antibody response early after infection. Second, antibodies to OspA have also been associated with treatment-resistant Lyme arthritis and with development of autoimmunity in human patients. Similarly, OspA antibodies in non-vaccinated dogs or horses can be considered as markers of chronicity and disease severity.

What Are The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

Dogs can display several forms of Lyme disease, but the most common symptoms are lameness, swollen lymph nodes, joint swelling, fatigue, and loss of appetite. In addition, serious kidney complications have been associated with Lyme disease in dogs.

Clinical signs of Lyme disease in horses include shifting-leg lameness, generalized stiffness, hypersensitivity to touch, weight loss, and poor performance. Sometimes, the bacteria can infect the central nervous system, leading to neurologic symptoms.

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The Cause Of Lyme Disease In Dogs

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by bacteria transmitted through tick bites. This disease can be caused by four main types of bacteria. These are the types of bacteria that cause Lyme disease:

  • Borrelia burgdorferi
  • Borrelia afzelii
  • Borrelia garinii

Lyme disease is the most common tick-transmitted disease that affects both dogs and humans. Ticks transmit this disease to people and dogs when they bite them to suck their blood, allowing the infection to enter the persons bloodstream as they do so.

Symptoms Of Lyme Disease Can Be Very Serious

[Help] Dog tested positive for Lyme and anaplasmosis

A dog may also test positive for Lyme, but have no symptoms at all. In fact, this is most commonly the case! Clinical signs only develop in 5-10% of infected dogs, but they can be very serious.

Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs include:

  • Fever
  • Joint inflammation and pain
  • Lethargy or ADR
  • Shifting leg lameness
  • Swollen lymph nodes

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Lyme Disease In Dogs: Diagnosis To Treatment

Ticks are most active when warm weather hits, but in many parts of the country they can be a year-round nuisance. These tiny parasites are known for carrying diseases, including ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and other afflictions that can cause fevers and other symptoms, some of which can be life-threatening. One of the most well-known and common of these is Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a risk for any dog who lives in areas where there are ticks in the environment, but exposure can be particularly concerning for pups that spend time doing outdoor activities like hiking, camping or playing with toys in the yard. Keep in mind, however, that even dogs who spend most of their time indoors can contract this disease. Every pet parent should know the signs of Lyme disease in dogs and how to prevent and treat it.

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