Lyme disease is something almost everyone has heard of because it’s so prevalent and it’s something that affects humans, but it’s a disease that can also affect your beloved family dog, Valerie. It is the number one tick-borne disease in the United States and Canada. Although the symptoms in humans (rash and flu-like symptoms) are very different from those in dogs, the cause is the same: the bite of a tick that carries the Lyme disease bacteria, known by the complicated name of Borrelia burgdorferi. The type of tick that carries the bacteria is usually called a deer tick, so named because it commonly infects deer (specifically white-tailed deer). Other types of ticks can also carry Lyme disease.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) tracks the prevalence of Lyme disease in humans, but not in dogs. However, the data can also be useful when considering dogs, as ticks do not discriminate between humans and dogs; they’re just looking for someone to bite. About 30,000 new cases are reported in the United States each year. The 2010 CDC report found that a whopping 94% of cases occurred in just 12 of the 50 states.
These were:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- new hampshire
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
These states are centers of the spread of Lyme disease. If you live in one of these areas, you should take some preventive measures, such as fencing off your property to prevent other animals from carrying ticks. If that’s not entirely possible, you can use insecticide to kill ticks in your garden.
Symptoms to watch out for
Although many dogs infected with Lyme disease do not show any symptoms, the most common symptom associated with canine Lyme disease is arthritis-like problems in the joints. If you notice that Valerie has a limp or prefers one side of her body or that her joints ache and cry a little when you touch them, she may have Lyme disease. Often the lameness will go away for a while and then reappear (possibly in a different location) a few days later. It often takes a few weeks for even these symptoms to appear after Valerie has been bitten, so if she can’t recall an immediate situation where she may have been exposed to ticks, it may have been a while ago. Also, she may notice that she seems more lethargic or depressed than usual and that she doesn’t want to eat. Ignoring these symptoms is not wise. If Lyme disease is not treated, Valerie’s condition could worsen to the point where her kidneys become damaged, which is the second most common symptom of the bacteria in dogs.
Especially in the 12 states listed above, most dogs are routinely screened for Lyme disease at the vet. If you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent, and particularly if Valerie spends a lot of time outdoors, it may be wise to get her vaccinated against Lyme disease as soon as possible. Once bitten, vaccination is not recommended, but done sooner could save Valerie a lot of pain. Tick season begins in late spring and continues through the summer, so Valerie is more likely to be bitten during these warmer months. Ticks cannot survive when the temperature drops below freezing.
If you suspect that Valerie has Lyme disease, take her to the vet to have her checked out right away. A month round of antibiotics is one of the most common treatment methods, perhaps combined with an anti-inflammatory to help with joint pain. With the antibiotics, Valerie’s body will begin to fight the Lyme bacteria and eliminate most of it from the body and should be back to normal and bustling pretty quickly.
