Black-legged Tick

Lyme disease was first recognized in Lyme, Connecticut in 1975 and is an infection caused by the bite of an infected female deer tick. It is transmitted by a group of closely related species of ticks known as Ixodes scapularis. Ticks in this group – deer ticks, western black-legged ticks, and black-legged ticks – are much smaller than common dog ticks. Lyme disease can infect both you and your dog. Lyme disease in dogs has been reported in every state but certain geographical areas are much more likely to harbor the bacteria-carrying ticks than others. 

Highest Risk Areas: East Coast from North Carolina to Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania

Moderate Risk Areas: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, California, Oregon, North Dakota

Symptoms of Lyme disease in humans are a circular rash at the site of the bite, fatigue, fever, and joint pain. Symptoms in canines can start as limping usually in a foreleg and usually fever. The limping can progress to lameness in a matter of 3-4 days. Once the dog starts to be affected by the bacteria, Lyme disease can progress from mild discomfort to a stage of joint and muscle pain that causes the dog to become unable to move. It is not uncommon for an owner to carry a sick dog into the vet’s office. In addition to joint damage, the bacteria can affect the dog’s heart muscle, nerve tissue, and kidneys. If the disease is diagnosed in time, treatment can cure the dog before permanent joint or nerve damage occurs.

Blood tests are available to diagnose Lyme disease in dogs. Your vet may have a new in-house test called SNAP 4Dx made by Idexx Labs that screens for four vector-borne diseases at once: heartworm, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. Certain antibiotics, such as doxycyclin, tetracycline, and amoxicillin, are all very helpful in treating the disease. Over 90% of the dogs treated the within the first week of obvious symptoms will respond rapidly to treatment with antibiotics which should be administered for at least three weeks. A few dogs will have some type of relapse of signs such as cardiac or neurological difficulties even after treatment. Some of these patients will experience chronic, lifelong joint pain from the damage caused by the bacteria and its direct and indirect stress to joint tissues. The earlier the antibiotic is started in the course of the disease, the better the patient’s chances of a complete recovery.

There are several methods of prevention for Lyme disease in dogs. First and foremost is to keep the tick population at a minimum by using safe and effective insecticides in the dog’s environment. Vaccines exist to prevent the disease and are becoming more effective and longer lasting. Topical solutions such as Frontline Plus and K9Advantix can be applied to your dog once a month to kill ticks that become attached. Preventic collars containing Amitraz work quite well. Please note: Most of these agents will kill the tick after it climbs aboard the dog. The longer the tick is attached and biting, the greater the chance of bacterial transmission. Any disease has the potential to mutate or adapt to new conditions so keeping ticks off your dog, vaccinations, and awareness of the signs of Lyme disease in your dog will all be helpful in preventing this disease from disabling your canine companion.

Stages of Black-legged Ticks

Tags: Lyme disease