Parents dog - lymes

[michaeladkins]

My mom just called me and said their little dog has lymes disease. She lives in Carmel and doesn't go to parks or into the woods at all. So keep an eye on your pups. I plan on going home tonight and check mine. We live right next to eagle creek.

[Woody Williams]

Ouch!

What are the Lyme disease symptoms in a dog or cat?

[chubwub]

Sometimes, the animal will not show any outward symptoms at all, which can make it even more difficult to diagnose. Usually, they will show signs of joint pain and lameness. Here is a decent link regarding symptoms for Lyme disease.

www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_dg_lyme_disease

There is a vaccine available for it, but it is not recommended for all dogs. Usually if you keep up with a good flea/tick control program, your risk of Lyme disease is very small. Keep in mind that the tick has to attach for a period of about 48 hours before you have the risk of contracting the disease, which means that daily inspection and removal are you best defense for protecting yourself and your dog.

[michaeladkins]

She said the dog has been lethargic lately and hasn't been wanting to go for her daily walks. Mom thought it was the heat, but I guess it was this.

I know the dog gets her flea and tick treatment regularly, not sure how she she got it. It's one of foo foo dogs so it gets groomed monthly. I'll stick with my maintenance free GSP. ;-)

[featherduster]

My oldest female Lab was diagnosed with it 4 years ago and it was only detected during a routine checkup.
The dog was given a prescription for an antibiotic and at the end of that period they retested the dog to make sure the blood count had been changed however the dog will always test positive for Lymes but with an annual booster shot she should have no further problems.
Vets can do this blood test at anytime and the dog can be vaccinated at anytime, it's cheap protection for my hunting buddies.