Lyme disease is not only able to transmit to humans, but also can attack your pets, like your dog! The disease is caused by bacteria what we call as ‘Borrelia burgdorferi’ (it is a kind of spirochete bacteria which can spread to human and pets through a bite of deer tick). If you love your dog and you live in areas with high population of deer tick, you need to clearly understand about Lymes disease symptoms in dogs!
You may also like to read about dog arthritis treatment and congestive heart failure in dogs, before continuing!
You may also like to read about dog arthritis treatment and congestive heart failure in dogs, before continuing!
Old Lyme is a town in the U.S where the disease discovered for the first time in 1975. And today, there are more states in the U.S that are suggested as the high population of deer tick -- for more in-depth information, ask to a local health department!
How is Lyme disease transmitted to dogs?
The period from ‘spring’ to ‘autumn’ is the most active period of ticks -- grass and tall brush are some of common places where they live in this period. As written before, Lyme disease in dogs is spread by deer tick or also familiar called as ‘Ixodes scapularis’.
We all agree that summer is great time to enjoy outdoor with your dog, but it also can be major factor to put you and your dog at higher risk of getting a tick bite. And like Lyme disease in humans, the disease can be spread to dog through a tick bite (especially by an infected tick).
Once your dog get an attached tick & tick bite (in many cases it attaches around ear, neck, feet, and head area), your dog has a higher risk of having Lyme disease. Dogs with high exposure of ticks might be more prone to have Lyme disease.
Additionally, there are also other types of tick that also can affect the health of your dog. Some of them are ‘Dermacentor variabilis’ (the American tick) and ‘Rhipicephalus sanguineus’ (brown dog tick).
How to notice any tick in your dog?
You need to extra precautions during the active season of ticks. Fortunately, we can see an attached tick with our naked eyes. Check your dog regularly during warmer months!
If you notice any attached tick in your dog, be careful in removing it. If you in doubt on how to do it properly, call a pet healthcare or veterinarian if necessary to remove the attached ticks completely and prevent/eliminate future infection! Any contact with the blood of tick can spread the infection to you and your dog. Make sure the attached tick is completely removed as soon as possible, because the transmission of Lyme disease ‘from an infected tick to your dog’ usually only takes a few hours.
Dog Lyme disease symptoms
Once your dog has had Lyme disease, there is chance for your dog to experience the same condition for the second time -- particularly for the recurrent lameness of the limbs which usually caused by the joint inflammation.
Dogs with Lyme disease may experience acute lameness in the legs. It usually lasts for 2-4 days, but will come back /recur days or weeks later in the same of area (the infected leg of dog) or may also infect other legs if left untreated.
Untreated Lyme disease in dog may also generate problems associated with the kidney, which then may cause dysfunction & inflammation in the glomeruli of the kidney! This condition finally will lead to the kidney failure and then will generate some symptoms, such as; fluid buildup in some areas of the body (under the skin, legs, and abdomen), weight loss (poor appetite), vomiting, thirst /increased urination, and diarrhea.
Other signs of dogs with Lyme disease may include:
- In rare cases, dog may also experience complications associated with nervous system.
- Swollen in the site of getting a bite tick.
- Shortness of breath /difficult to breath. And in rare cases, problems that indicate heart abnormalities may occur.
- Your dog is getting more sensitive if you touch!
- And fever.
Furthermore, a tick bite is not only associated with Lyme disease. There are also other complications that can be caused by a tick bite in your dog. Some of them are skin irritation, anemia or blood loss, tick paralysis, and ehrlichiosis!
How about with the prevention and treatment?
The best idea in preventing Lyme disease is by protecting your dog to keep far away from a tick bite. There are available some products that not only effective to kill ticks but also can treat fleas. These products are usually also purposed to protect your dog from the future infection. Dogs with the environment of high tick population are usually recommended to use these topical treatments.
Talk more with a vet to find the right advices about a specific product that you should choose for your pets! Ask also to her/him for more tips to eliminate the distribution of ticks in your local environment! Don’t forget also to ask about the use of vaccine for your dog, it may help your pet in preventing Lyme disease.
How about with the treatment? Below are helpful checklists:
- Like the treatment of Lyme disease in humans, the treatment of the disease in dogs also involves antibiotics. And antibiotics are the primer component of the treatment in any stage of Lyme disease. There are some types of antibiotics to choose from. The right one that will be given by your vet is closely dependent to the stage of the disease and the symptoms that occur.
- Infected dog with mild symptoms (the early stage of Lyme disease) are usually considered with outpatient treatment, unless if its condition is severe!
- Your vet usually gives advice to keep your pet in warm & dry place. Furthermore, you need to keep monitoring the activities of your pet and the progress of its symptoms!
- You may want to use some pain medications, but much better to avoid them until your vet recommends them!
- How about with the dietary changes? It is usually not required, but sometimes may be recommended by your vet.
In addition, read also the previous post about Lyme disease in children!
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Reference: WebMD and PetMD
Image credit to ‘shutterstock’ for illustration
Reference: WebMD and PetMD
Image credit to ‘shutterstock’ for illustration
