by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: May 16, 2008

Many times dogs are presented at veterinary hospitals with a history of limping. The owners concerned, are often puzzled because they cannot find the source of the limping. When asked, they cannot recall the dog hurting himself or over-exerting. The vet therefore, examines the leg and finds no signs of sprains or fractures. The next step is sending out some blood-work for the lab. Successively, the owner gets the call that his dog has tested positive for Lyme disease.

Lyme disease may sound intimidating, however, most dogs do just fine after the treatment proptocol takes place. If your dog was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease be aware that healing in some cases may take some time but in most cases occurs uneventfully.

CAUSE

Ticks are the culprit of this annoying disease. The tick carries the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi which is passed to the dog once the tick attaches and feeds on the dog.
In order for the bacteria to become active, the tick must have stayed attached to the dog for about 24 hours. So if possible, owners must always remove ticks from their dogs as soon as possible. Wearing gloves is fundamental in the removal process and the tick must be removed by using tweezers and carefully using slight rotation followed by an upward pulling motion. Owners must ensure that the head of the tick is removed as well, otherwise it will remain embedded in the dog's skin.

SYMPTOMS

While humans exhibit the common bull's eye skin mark dogs do not commonly show such symptom.
Common symptoms exhibited are:

Limping
Lethargy
Reluctance to move
Fever

Dogs affected by Lyme disease will usually develop an unexplainable limp months after the tick exposure. Commonly, the limp will be barely noticeable at first and then will progress consistently up to the dog being unable to walk. Mnay dogs affected by Lyme disease are literally carried by the owner into the vet's office.

If you are wondering if humans may get Lyme disease directly from their dogs the answer is no, however, keep an eye on preventing ticks from biting you. Always wear gloves when removing a tick from your dog. It is also rare, but not impossible that the infected tick may leave the dog and decide to look for some human flesh.

TREATMENT

Most cases of Lyme disease seem to subside as treatment takes place. The most common protocol is giving oral antibiotics over the course of fourteen days to twenty-one days
The most common antibiotics prescribed are Doxycycline and Cephalexin. Many dogs show signs of remission fairly quickly after antibiotics are administred, even within 48-72 hours.

However, some cases may be pretty reluctant to treatment and may require a second round of antibiotics. Many times follow ups are required to monitor the dog's progress and blood tests post-medication may be helpful to verify if the disease is in total remission.

If you live in a tick prone area and your dog comes from a walk limping inexplainably, have him/her tested for Lyme disease. Tick control is often the key in preventing Lyme disease. Invest in a good monthly topical tick repellent such as Frontline Plus or Advantix (do not use Advantix if you have cats in your household). Consider as well, vaccinating your dog against this debilitating disease at your pet's annual check up. While no Lyme vaccine can be proven really 100% effective it is certainly still worth it.

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