Lyme disease in Dogs

Lyme disease in Dogs

Tick season is upon us and with it comes the return of Lyme disease risk. Lyme disease is carried by the deer tick (Ixodes). Your dog would most likely come into contact with ticks in areas with tall grasses. The tick climbs to the top of the grass and waits for a passerby such as your dog to hitch a ride with. The deer tick then bites into the skin and begins ingesting a blood meal. The bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, is carried within the deer tick. It takes approximately 48 hours for Borrelia within the tick to transmit into your dog’s body.

Once the Borrelia has entered your dog’s body, it can take weeks to months for your dog to develop clinical signs. Only 5-10% of infected dogs will develop signs. These signs can include fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, lymph node enlargement, joint swelling/pain, shifting leg lameness or in rare cases, kidney failure.

If you discover a tick on your dog, please bring them in to us to have it safely removed. We will send the tick for identification. If the tick is identified as the Ixodes deer tick, we will recommend follow up blood testing to screen your dog for Lyme disease exposure 1 month after they were bitten. If they are positive for Lyme and develop clinical signs, we will treat them with antibiotics – treatment is typically quite effective as long as their signs are caught early enough. We also recommend screening for protein in the urine in Lyme positive dogs to ensure there are no negative effects on their kidneys.

The best way for your dog to avoid Lyme disease is by preventing tick attachment and Borrelia transmission. We have several topical and oral products that are very effective at preventing the Ixodes deer tick from transmitting Lyme disease. They either repel the tick from attaching in the first place or cause it to unlatch shortly after it bites and before it can transmit Lyme. If your dog has had ticks in the past or you are concerned about their risk of exposure in the future, give us a call so we can boost their tick and Lyme disease defenses.

Dr John Booth