Lyme Disease in Dogs and Cats
Unfortunately, Lyme disease is becoming more and more prevalent in the United States in both humans and pets. Veterinarians are seeing increased numbers of dogs and cats with the telltale signs, from limping to near paralysis. If not treated within a week of contraction, curing Lyme disease can be a difficult and frightening battle.
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is carried by ticks in the Ixodes family. It was first documented in Lyme, Connecticut, but is now seen in every state in America. In grass and wooded areas, small rodents such as mice and voles carry the corkscrew shaped spirochete bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi. Tick larvae attach themselves to the rodents to feed on their blood. The Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria is transmitted to the tick larvae, multiplying rapidly inside the tick. The tick larvae becomes dormant in the winter while infected with the bacteria. In the spring, this young tick will attach itself to larger animals – easily targeting your dog or cat as it walks by.
Young deer ticks, part of the Ixodes family, are so tiny you will not even see them on your pet. Your dog or cat can be contracting the disease through the tick without you ever knowing it. As the tick is attached to your pet (the host), the bacteria will transmit from the tick to your animal. Normally, the bacteria will not be transferred until the tick has been feeding for about ten hours. But again, this tiny tick can be on your dog or cat for days without you ever having seen it.
This is a picture of an adult deer tick. Remember, nymph deer ticks are smaller than the head of a pin and can be completely undetectable on a dog or cat.
Symptoms of Lyme Disease in your Dog or Cat
Although more dogs contract Lyme Disease than cats, both are susceptible to this illness. Symptoms may include:
* Loss of neuromuscular function. This usually begins in the back and moves forward. The first signs may be a limp in the back leg, progressing to all the legs in as little as three days.
* Loss of Appetite
* Paralysis
* Pain in muscles and joints.
* Fever
Serious cases of Lyme Disease can cause paralysis as well as muscle and heart tissue damage, possibly resulting in death. If your dog or cat forms a limp, have it seen immediately to rule out Lyme Disease. Treatment should begin in the first week of the disease for the greatest chance of success in curing the animal.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease in Dogs and Cats
Treatment of Lyme Disease in your pet must begin in the first week for the best possible outcome in curing your animal! It is unfortunate that many animals with Lyme Disease will not even be diagnosed within that short timeframe. Early diagnosis is critical, but is easily missed. Dogs and cats can be tested for Lyme Disease, but unfortunately, animals who have this illness can have negative test results. Also, there are dogs and cats that show no symptoms whatsoever that will correctly test positive for Lyme Disease. If you suspect your dog or cat has Lyme Disease, seek out a veterinarian that is knowledgeable in this disease. Your vet will test the animal – but remember, the test may turn out negative when your pet actually has the disease. A good veterinarian will look for classic Lyme Disease symptoms while ruling out other problems – despite a negative test result. If there is any chance your dog or cat could have Lyme Disease, it should be treated immediately.
Treatment for Lyme Disease normally involves a long round of antibiotics. Amoxicillin, Tetracycline or Doxycycline are the most commonly used drugs to treat Lyme Disease in dogs and cats. Animals used to be treated for three weeks – but studies now show the dog or cat MUST be treated for at least three weeks AFTER ALL SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE HAVE SUBSIDED. It was found that animals only treated for three weeks were not cured and shortly presented the same symptoms of Lyme Disease. If your pet has any symptoms of Lyme Disease, the bacteria is still present in the animal.
Lyme Disease Prevention
First and foremost, obtain a flea and tick medication from your veterinarian such as Frontline Plus and K9 Advantix. If you live in a wooded or grassy area, you should ask about keeping your animal on this year round. There are currently three vaccinations for dogs to help prevent Lyme Disease. Unfortunately, there are currently no Lyme Disease vaccinations available for cats. If you have a dog that is exposed to grass, woods or sand, please consider vaccinating him or her against Lyme Disease – an illness known for it’s great destruction and difficulty in treating and curing.
Non-toxic yard sprays are available commercially. If your dog or cat runs in any grassy or wooded areas, consider spraying with one of these non-toxic products. Brush your pet’s fur before you let the animal indoors. Inspect your animal every evening for ticks – looking extremely closely for tiny dots no bigger than the head of a pin. Remove ticks immediately.
To safely remove a tick, use tweezers and place them on the head of the tick, as close to the animal’s skin as possible. Gently pull, making sure the head is intact with the body once it is removed. If the head or a portion of it remains in the animal, take it to a veterinarian right away. Keep the tick in a labeled bag for at least two weeks before disposing of it, as the tick can be tested for Lyme Disease if your animal’s test is negative. While waiting for test results on the tick, your animal should already be placed on antibiotics.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
If your dog is diagnosed with lyme disease, be sure he gets at LEAST a month of antibiotics! My dog got two weeks and remained sick. After researching I demaned two months of antibiotics. After one month my dog seemed better, but it took two to be sure in my mind he was OK. If your dog acts sick, he is still sick in my opinion.
My dog was diagnosed today with Lyme Disease. About 2 mos ago she was so lame…I thought she ran too hard that weekend and after about 3-4 days she seemed fine and has been fine until about 2 weeks ago. she pants hard after walking a short time. and is very tired. I am so scared. She is on meds now and my fear is that it went too long and she now has other issues. What should I do? My vet said just to have her take the meds but…I fear she went to long.
NEVER give up Debra. The important thing you need to know is that if she still has symptoms, you should insist on more/better antibiotics. If she is great then has a relapse, again, talk to your vet about giving her meds again. The lyme is NOT gone if the symptoms return.
Also Debra, be absolutely sure that when you go out yourself, you tuck your socks in your pants and use a tick repellant. If you find a tick on you, keep it in a plastic bag (for testing later if needed) and watch for flu-like signs. Note that not everyone gets a bullseye rash – and many people with lyme do not test postive for even years. If you feel sick or achy and suspect a tick bite, talk to your physician about your own treatment. (Be sure your doctor knows about your dog.)
I’m sure you are fine – just be careful when you are outside since you live in an area with Lyme disease. You are a great dog mom – you are doing everything you can to help your pup! Sounds like your vet is good too since he/she tested your dog for Lyme.
I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Dogs seem to be more treatable than people so keep a positive attitude and fight for your dog if symptoms return. Again, make sure your dog is treated for more than two weeks with antibiotics.
Good luck!
my dog has lyme disease for about 4 weeks and his kidney level down
can he recover?
Absolutely, with a knowledgeable vet and plenty of antibiotics! How is your dog now? Is he on meds? I will cross my fingers and paws for you!
I just found out today that my husky tested positive for Lyme disease. I immediately had another test done to see what her levels are. She has no symptoms, I just took her in for her wellness visit. She told me that even with antibiotics she will always have the disease………I am so sad!
I just pulled a deer tick off of my cat today. Before I noticed the tick (I’m not sure if he got the tick before or after this) I noticed that he was curled into a tight ball. He never acts like this. When i went to pick him up he was really tense, I thought that maybe the little boy that I babysat scared him or something. Now that I’ve taken the tick off of him he’s still stiff. I don’t know when he got the tick or how long he’s had it for. Do you think he could have Lyme disease?
Hi Alicia… how is your cat? I am guessing if he had lyme disease, you would have known by now… I think my cat may have… spending a fortune at the vet. I won’t know anything for three days. Apparently the blood must have to go off to a bigger lab somewhere outside of my state. Just curious about if anything else went on with your kitty.
My dog 9 year old Lab Chow lost his bark in Nov. The vet sent me home with no answers. Mt dog started gagging and foam would come out. It seemed he was having trouble swallowingand coughed when he drank water in Jan. He started limping and Back to the vet we went. He tested positive for Lyme. He put him on doxycycline for 3days and my dog barked and was eating again. The vet called me and decided to change his meds. He took him off doxacyclie putting him on clindamycin and a steroid called
Dexamethasone. I did what he told me to do, i thought he knew what he was doing. I then went to an internal specialist i told her it seemed my dogs throat seemed to be paralyzed she did not believe me. My dog lost 25 lbs and could not breate right or eat and started gagging so bad he could not drink water. Noone could help me. I went to a third vet he told me to take him off of the steroids immediatly that they were blocking his ammune system and to bring him in to his office. I had to put my dog to sleep. I spent 3500.00 dollars and no one really could tell me for sure what happened. Do you have an opinion.
That’s ridiculous. I’d be looking for a reputable vet if you get another pet. Most any vet will tell you that dogs or cats should be on Doxycylcine for lyme for at LEAST a month. THREE DAYS?? Where did they get their medical training!
By the way, I am so sorry for your loss; how heartbreaking. My Shih tzu has lyme and a second tick borne infection as well. He has been on Doxy for 2 1/2 wks as well as an anti inflammatory for the pain. He is doing well. Every vet I have spoken with has said at LEAST a month for the doxy. Some even say 6 wks.
Oh Jan I am SO SORRY. I am not an expert on dogs with Lyme, but I am very familiar with Lyme and Lyme treatment in humans. It is unfortunate that your dog was not kept on doxycycline for at least one to two months. No, not unfortunate… absolutely heartbreaking. I am SO SORRY for your loss. Steroids are actually a very common medication to give those with Lyme. Of course there is always a possibility that your Lab Chow was reacting to them – but I tend to think your puppy should have been kept on doxycycline.
I have a question about a dog who already has lyme disease. My dog was diagnosed a few weeks ago and is on doxycycline. They say she will
have it for ever. Is it still necessary for her to take k9 advantics? That stuff is so toxic I hate to give it to her if she can’t get reinfected…
thanks
My dog is lame in her front leg & acts as if he feels bad. He has not run a fever. I took him to the vet. He did x-rays and a blood test for lyme. Everything is normal. My dog seems to be getting worse. Does anyone know what could be wrong?
My 4 year old lab was diagnosed with lymes 3 wks ago. She’s been on Doxy. ever since. Kidneys and everything else tested normal. She has lameness in a back leg – nothing wrong in front as is commonly reported. After these 3 weeks she is still holding that foot up. When do the lameness symptoms commonly stop?
Lisa, I am SO SORRY! I truly don’t have the answer, but I can tell you that if your lab continues to limp, I would be sure your vet keeps her on antibiotics. I am crossing my fingers for you!
I have been away, I am so sorry I didn’t respond! How is your dog now??
The advantics keeps fleas away, so I would keep your dog on that during the summer months. I hope your puppy is better!
My cats have recently been out in the woods untreated for ticks (got out and they are indoor cats), when they came back they had little greyish and little black ticks on them, and some fleas. We bought Gold Tick and Flea spray to try and rid them before the bit them. But the got out this morning and got some (ticks not fleas). There is a small black tick currently biting the ones ear now. Please help! respond to me @ anthonynestico@yahoo.com
my 18 yr old cat recently lost her sight. They checked for all the related causes. her blood pressure was fine, her retina was attached and her eye pressures were ok. All they saw was what appeared to be a deceased number of blood vessels in the retina.
is there any way lyme disease might be the cause? Prior to the sudden loss of her sight, she had been having a lot of discharge from her eyes – now none. The ques about Lyme disease comes up because I have what I thought might be a spider bite on my leg, that now looks like the pictures off Lyme disease.
If you question lyme disease in yourself, you should go get tested immediately for lyme. If it comes out negative, please get tested in another three months if you do not feel healthy or “right.” Your cat would probably have had joint or walking issues before any eye problems started if it was lyme, so I tend to think lyme did not cause your cat’s blindess. With your can’t age, you must be a wonderful and loving owner!
Hi, my beloved dog tested positive for Lymes disease. She started out by having epiliptic seizures. She was put on Doxycyclene and prednisone (for the lyme’s diease) phenobarbital (for seizures) and Diazepam (Vicoden) if she has one seizure after another. She can barely walk. She drinks water compulsively and is bloated. My husband thinks we should cut back on the drugs she’s being given exept for the Doxycyclene. She’s in really BAD shape. She started the Doxy three days ago. Is there a time limit when it becomes apparent that she’s on the mend?