As our readers may remember, Karma tested positive for Lyme Disease at 15 months old. The vet said he routinely tests for Lyme because so many dogs test positive but may not be showing symptoms.
For this reason, he believes that some symptoms (seizures was the example he used) are wrongly assigned to Lyme when it just so happens more comprehensive blood work was done when the dog presented with issues. In other words, you may only find out when something else is going on and then wrongly connect the two issues.
All that sounded logical and still does. So then I asked, “What do we do?” And this is where the opinions vary wildly.
He said that he doesn’t typically treat dogs that aren’t symptomatic. He also said that he doesn’t suggest the vaccine because he didn’t think it did enough (I don’t know which one was available at that time). We also discussed the fact that since Karma is so furry the odds of me finding a tick on him aren’t good so we switched him to separate products for heartworm prevention and flea and tick prevention. (After my own research, I chose K9 Advantix for flea and tick.)
Not being a vet myself I went along with it but continued to ask questions over the last two years. When you hang out at dog trials on weekends you soon amass quite the collection of Lyme and tick horror stories!
And that’s where my friend, Dr. Joellen Gregory, DVM, comes in. Joellen breeds Otterhounds (see photo!) and competes with her dogs in multiple activities including agility which is how we met. I took advantage of the waiting time at a trail to bend her ear about her opinions about Lyme.
Turns out she has a much different view and so Karma has an appointment with her at the Olney-Sandy Spring Veterinary Hosipital on Monday. Stay tuned! I intend to write about this journey in case it is helpful to anyone else out there.
I HATE ticks. They are sneaky, overly-resilient and in this geography you have to fear them all year long. There are big ones and tiny ones and they don’t seem to care if they latch onto deer, dogs or people. They are evil.
Katina regularly picks ticks off of Cannon – in her backyard, on the trail, on walks. During one two-hour hike, she picked 10 off of Cannon and I picked off – and brutally murdered – two off of me. UGH! What I didn’t say is that I picked ticks off of Karma, because I didn’t. I did check carefully but it’s hard to find them through all that hair! Truth is, I have only ever found one (big) tick on him and that’s because it was feasting above his eye [shudder!].
A percentage of ticks carry Lyme disease which can be dangerous for both humans and dogs which is why you have to be vigilant about checking constantly and thoroughly. Humans will usually notice a “bullseye” redness at the site of the bite. If this occurs, you should see a doctor immediately. Symptoms in people vary wildly and can be dangerous so it’s not something to fool with – take it seriously!
According to the great site http://www.dogsandticks.com, “Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by the deer tick (often referred to as the black-legged tick). Signs of Lyme disease in dogs are difficult to detect, and warning signs may not appear until several months after infection. Signs may come and go and can mimic other conditions. Cases vary from mild to severe. In severe cases of Lyme disease, kidney failure can occur.
“Most common signs of Lyme disease:
- Recurrent arthritis/lameness that lasts 3–4 days, sometimes accompanied by loss of appetite and depression
- Reluctance to move or a stiff, painful gait
- Swollen joints that are warm to the touch
- Pain in the legs or throughout the body
- Fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes”
This site also talks about other illnesses your dog can catch as a result of insects so check it out (at the risk of making you even more paranoid!).
So what are you supposed to do?
Check for ticks several times throughout your hike and camping adventure. According to experts, ticks need to be embedded for at least a day before they begin to spread disease so you have some time. If you find one, make sure you remove the entire creature and do so carefully so that you don’t break it apart. Pet stores sell tick removal devices (I bought one and I like it) or a pair of good tweezers work well too.
Topical products are available, as well as collars, sprays and even tags that are attached to the collar. Talk to your vet to determine which product is best for your dog. You may also want to discuss if the Lyme vaccine is an appropriate option.
As for my furry friend, I use K9 Advantix monthly which is touted to repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. I was using a combined heartworm and flea/tick monthly supplement but found that it wasn’t enough when Karma tested positive for Lyme disease.
When Karma went in for his annual check-up at 16 months of age, my vet tested him for Lyme as a normal part of his blood screening routine and the test came back positive. After a detailed discussion, we decided not to treat him since he wasn’t showing symptoms and to change his flea/tick protocol to something stronger. We agreed that because of Karma’s coloring and excessive amounts of hair (just ask my vacuum), it will always be a challenge to find ticks so prevention becomes even more important.
Every vet has their own opinion on how to address ticks and Lyme disease so it’s important to talk to your vet about your specific situation, habits and outdoor adventures!
