Lyme disease

[Hillscreek]

I took Angus for his annual check for heart worm and Lyme disease yesterday. Heartworm check fine but Lyme disease check revealing antibodies showed he'd been exposed. I was very surprised as living in this area for thirty years have not needed to use protection in the winter months and never had a problem with any dog before. 

Well since then I've been doing some research and found that temps below freezing in themselves may not prevent tick activity but snow cover does. Of course in this area we do usually have snow cover over the winter months but this last winter virtually no snow. I wore my snow boots once. I shoveled about three inches of snow once and that was it. This has been the warmest winter (Dec thru March) ever recorded in this area. So no doubt a tick had the chance to bite Angus while he was unprotected from November till now. Bummer.

However he is not symptomatic and very few dogs bitten actually go on to have problems. I'm hoping and expecting the antibodies he has developed will keep him safe. Vet recommended two weeks of doxycycline so that's what I'm doing. Not totally convinced he needs this. It is a broad spectrum commonly used antibiotic and I don't think there'll be side effects. Vet says he may show positive for the next couple of years when we test him.

I write this for those of you who live where the deer tick lives and whose climate may be changing. Also because there is a lot of anxiety regarding Lyme disease. Very thankful I have always got the annual blood check. 

I'll update you if Angus has problems. He will receive protection all year from now on so I am not expecting him to become symptomatic. There are cases when unprotected dogs show symptoms months or even years after they were bitten.

 

[hheldorfer]

Thanks very much for sharing that information.  I know there have been cases of Lyme disease in our area but it is by no means prevalent.  Still, with the mild winter we have had it may be worth mentioning to the vet at our next visit.  

Very glad to know that Angus isn't symptomatic and should be A-OK.  The antibiotics may give him some diarrhea which might be helped by yogurt on his food.  (And for humans, a probiotic supplement like Align works well.  I recently finished a 1.5-month course of antibiotics so I am acutely aware of their effects on the digestive tract.)

[bradl]

I expect the doxy will do the trick if his antibodies are not fully up to the task. 

[Dempsy's Mom]

We have no snow and it has been on my mind as we bounce through the weeds.  Soon the nasty little ticks will be out - if not already. 

[Dempsy's Mom]

Guess who got a tick on them and it burrowed in ..... you guessed it .... Jim.  So they are here!

[Hillscreek]

Thanks for the hint hheldorfer. So far Angus doesn't seem to have any problems. Good to know though just in case. He sits and takes his med like it was a treat - chicken flavored the vet's tech told me!

[_whits_]

Sorry to hear about the antibodies but so relieved to hear Angus isn't symptomatic. Please keep us updated and give him lots of cuddles from me, and kissed from Addie. Oh, who am I kidding, Addie is a tomboy so she'd show her love by running into him like a battering ram. 

[pkcrossley]

climate change. we have had dogs and horses this winter showing up with ticks and some have been symptomatic for lyme. never had a winter like this. creeping disease is almost worse for us than a crashed winter economy. very sad.

[LindaMC]

I have been doing the same, not using protection on Maisie through the winter months, November through early March this year due to the mild winter and now I am very nervous.  Maisie has her test every year and is due in May for this years.  Due to the mild weather, I did always make sure to check her for ticks when she came in from the yard and also used a flea comb on her.  I don't like using flea and tick medication on her and try to use it as little as possible but if the winter months keep getting milder, then it looks like I may have to use it 12 months out of the year, argh.

[lamar1]

Ticks love Fred.  We use Advantix year around.  I pulled an engorged tick off of him last November (which was admittedly warm here in western PA).  They love him.

He contracted Lymes a couple of summers ago.  For about 18 months he went through phases where he'd get a little lame for an evening or so, but we'd not let more than 2 days go by without antibiotics if he remained lame for long.

I've heard there's a vaccine, then I hear there isn't one.  I think people are confusing vaccine with acute treatment, but I'm honestly not sure.

My vet treats with doxycycline (spelling?) and amoxicillin (I believe).  We've been able to manage it with little problem, so far.  *knocks desk*

Lymes seems to be becoming common.  Untreated it can be devastating (lethal I believe), but there are plenty of warnings.  Get them tested and treated, and keep an eye out for acute lethargy and get attention for it if it happens, and I'm under the impression that it's not something to worry about as much as monitor.

Edited June 17, 2016 by lamar1

[Hillscreek]

Update on Angus.

He went for his annual heart worm/lyme disease check up last week. Happy to report that both results were negative. He is on Bravecto year round now and it seems to be doing the job with no side effects. Have not seen any limping or anything similar, so am supposing his own antibodies plus the doxy did the trick. Greatly relieved as the deer and their ticks are all around us all year nowadays. No longer is there the snow cover we use to have that made it possible to skip treatment in the winter months.

[josie&holly]

Glad Angus doing well.

[LindaMC]

So glad to hear that Angus' tests came back negative.  Maisie just had her tests a week ago and her's came back negative, big sigh of relief. She will be getting year round meds from now on, I just can't take the chance.  

Some of you may remember Tess, our German Shepherd, who is now living with her trainer due to fights between her and Maisie, had developed Anaplasmosis from a tick bite and she was on medication year round.  She went out on adventures all the time with her trainer and hiked through woods and trails where ticks are abundant.  She went through a course of antibiotics and turned out fine.  It's scary, these little suckers are everywhere! 

Edited May 4, 2017 by LindaMC

[Sam I Am]

I gleam from some horse friends in our area that deer and moose ticks are attaching themselves to horses that live in the bush. I gather they much prefer deer and moose but will attach themselves to  horses if they have the opportunity. Must have not been enough cold weeks to kill everything up here!

[sanford]

On 3/26/2016 at 8:34 PM, Dempsy's Mom said:

Guess who got a tick on them and it burrowed in ..... you guessed it .... Jim.  So they are here!

Me too! Oh the irony... For the first time in a year, Ruffy and I left the big, bad, dangerous city for the peaceful woodlands upstate and I came back with a tick firmly attached to my belly! We had all sprayed our trouser legs and shoes with repellant before setting out for 2 hours on the hiking trail, but the little  found me anyway! My doc skillfully removed it and said it wasn't attached long enough to warrant undergoing the standard round of antibiotics, and gave me a single dose in the office.

(Ruffy survived unscathed, thanks to his monthly application of Frontline, I guess).