Protect Your Pets From Lyme Disease

For lively pups, the outdoors serves as a playground -- but it can also serve as a breeding ground for deadly disease.

According to the American Lyme Disease Foundation, the deer tick is responsible for infecting dogs with Lyme disease every year, irrespective of season.

“Although the deer tick is number one for Lyme in animals, the brown dog tick can also transmit Lyme to dogs,” Philip E. Block, a veterinarian at the Redding Veterinary Hospital explained.

Regardless of the type of tick that infects dogs, they can all cause symptoms that will be noticeable to pet owners. If a canine is infected with Lyme, there are signs that will be more recognizable than others. Swollen joints, loss of appetite and lameness are a few that the ALDA wants pet owners to look out for.

“Believe it or not, dogs don’t get the bullseye like people do,” Block said. “Sometimes you will see a swelling or a limp.”

If you’re wondering how Lyme will affect your dog’s energy level, you can expect that they won’t be playing fetch too enthusiastically.

“Most dogs with Lyme don’t want to do a lot,” Block said. “They just seem off – lethargic and tired."

When pets are brought into the Redding Veterinary Hospital, Block has their antibodies tested. He performs a test known as the 4DX snap test. This test detects heartworm, Lyme disease, anaplasma and Ehrlichia.

“If it comes back positive for a dog who has never had it before, we will treat the dog and then we will focus on prevention.”

Lyme disease is more common in canines than in people, according to Block. But they are also more treatable than humans, he said.

“I have a lot of [human] clients that have Lyme and can’t seem to get rid of it,” Block said.

"It ends up being the gift that never stops giving,” he said.

When treating a dog, Block gives them a 28-day treatment. After two days, he often sees a significant difference in the behavior of the animals. One of the most effective Lyme treatments that Block uses is the new Next Generation Lyme vaccine. The official name of the vaccine is Intervet Lyme vaccine. Block also recommends the use of Advantix.

“We use the Advantix to paralyze the jaw of the tick so it doesn’t transmit to people,” Block said.

Although dogs cannot directly transmit Lyme disease to humans, Jennifer Reid and Karen Gaudian of the Ridgefield Lyme Disease Task Force recommend that people do not sleep with their pets.

“Don’t sleep with your pets,” Gaudian warns.

“They can bring the ticks in from outside and into your home,” Reid added. “We recommend that people have their yards sprayed so that it reduces the risk of pets bringing ticks into the home, as well as the amount of ticks on the property” she said.

Although Lyme is easily treatable in dogs, once they bring an infected tick home to their owners, they may no longer be able to count on an active family that can play with them.

“Lyme is a lot easier to treat in dogs rather than people,” Block warned.

Having a yard sprayed is a preventative measure that is usually only taken in the summer months, according to the LDTF, but Block warns that just like people, pets can contract Lyme disease during all seasons, so preventative measures should never take a back seat.

“We see Lyme year round,” he said. “The only time we don’t is when there is standing snow on the ground. Snow can actually act as a good insulator for ticks.”

Block recommends that dog owners use topical treatments like Advantix that contain Permethrin, as well as performing daily tick checks on both dogs and family members. The topical treatments repel ticks as well as treat the infection of a tick attachment, according to Block.