GALLERYIMG="no">LYMES DISEASE
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease transmitted only by tick bites. The bacterium is called Borrelia
burgdorferi. It takes 24 hours-or-so after attachment to your dog for an infested tick to transmit the
disease. The disease can damage many body systems but most often causes fever, loss of
appetite, arthritis, and lameness. Lyme disease is contagious to people only via the bite of an
infected tick.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, and it continues to
spread to new areas. It is present in most areas where there are ticks.
The signs of Lyme disease include a painless bull's eye rash at the site of the tick bite, flu-like
signs, fever, fatigue, joint and muscle aches, and lameness or stiffness in one or more joints.
Complications of chronic disease include heart and nervous system involvement. Treatment with
antibiotics is usually effective if begun early, but diagnosis of the disease is difficult at best, so
treatment is all too often started too late to be fully curative.
If an owner expects that his/her dog may get ticks in the future, and there is a chance that the
owner might not find and remove them within 24 hours of attachment, then the dog should receive
a Lyme disease vaccine. The vaccine is given annually, except for the first time when it is given as
two injections, two to four weeks apart.
The minimum age is 9 weeks. Vaccinated dogs should receive an annual booster vaccination for
life.
NOTE: Lyme disease is a bacterial disease transmitted by the bite of certain species of ticks.
(Note: it's "Lyme" disease, not "Lyme's" disease, as it is often called, even in veterinary circles.)
Vaccination guidelines must be tempered with how common indigenous Lyme disease is in
areas where the dog goes. Lyme disease is slowly spreading throughout the United States,
wherever there are the right species of ticks. So a really grey area in deciding on Lyme disease
vaccination is where there are the right ticks in an area but no Lyme disease yet reported in that
area. Fear of Lyme disease causes too many dogs to receive Lyme disease vaccination who do
not really need it. The final decision as to whether or not to vaccinate a dog against Lyme disease
depends upon (A) knowing the prevalence Lyme disease in an area and (B) the peace of mind of
the dog owner.
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