What are the chances of my dog getting lyme disease?

Question

My dog is 5 year old cocker spaniel. I found 2 deer ticks biting him 1 was in his ear and the other on top of his head. They were both there for a while because they were fat and white. I also want to know if there is any cures for lyme disease for a dog. thank you

Answer 1

Definition
Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease characterized by a skin rash, joint inflammation, and flu-like symptoms, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by the bite of a deer tick. See also tick removal.


Alternative Names
Borreliosis


Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Lyme disease was first described in the United States in the town of Old Lyme, Connecticut in 1975, but has now been reported in most parts of the United States.

Most cases occur in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and along the Pacific coast. Mice and deer are the most commonly infected animals that serve as host to the tick. Most infections occur in the late spring, summer, and early fall.

The disease can sometimes be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms may mimic other diseases. A characteristic red rash usually occurs at the site of the bite. However, the bite may go unnoticed. A few months to years after the bite, joint inflammation, neurological symptoms, and sometimes heart symptoms may occur.

The initial infection is called primary Lyme disease. From there, secondary Lyme disease and tertiary Lyme disease may develop.

There are more than 16,000 cases of Lyme disease per year in the United States.

Risk factors for Lyme disease include walking in high grasses, other activities that increase tick exposure, and having a pet that may carry ticks home.


Symptoms
Deer ticks can be so small that they are almost impossible to see. Therefore, many people with Lyme disease never even saw a tick. These people are more likely to develop symptoms because the tick remained on their body longer.

The symptoms of Lyme disease include:

A flat or slightly raised red lesion at the site of the tick bite (can be larger than 1 to 3 inches in diameter, often with a clear area in the center)
Fever
Headache
Lethargy
Muscle pains
Stiff neck
Joint inflammation in the knees and other large joints
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

Itching, overall
unusual or strange behavior

Signs and tests
Physical examination in advanced Lyme disease may show evidence of joint, heart, or brain abnormalities
Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi by immunofluorescence (IFA) or ELISA. ELISA tests are confirmed with a Western blot test.

Treatment
Antibiotics are prescribed based on disease stages and manifestations. Doxycycline, tetracycline, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, and penicillin are some of the choices.

Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, are sometimes prescribed to relieve joint stiffness.

Note: Doxycycline is usually not prescribed for children until after all the permanent teeth have erupted. It can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming.


Expectations (prognosis)
If diagnosed in the early stages, the disease can be cured with antibiotics. If left untreated, complications involving joints, the heart, and the nervous system can occur.


Complications
Secondary Lyme disease
Tertiary Lyme disease

Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if symptoms of Lyme disease develop.


Prevention
When walking or hiking in wooded or grassy areas, tuck long pants into socks to protect the legs, and wear shoes and long-sleeved shirts. Ticks will show up on white or light colors better than dark colors, making them easier to remove from your clothing. Spray your clothes with insect repellant.

Check yourself and your pets frequently. If you find ticks, remove them immediately by using tweezers, pulling carefully and steadily.

Ticks can be fairly large -- about the size of a pencil eraser -- or so small that they are almost impossible to see. After returning home, remove your clothes and thoroughly inspect all skin surface areas, including your scalp. Ticks can quickly climb up the length of your body. Some ticks are large and easy to locate. Other ticks can be quite small, so carefully evaluate all spots on the skin.

Answer 2

Your friend's chances of getting lyme disease are not any higher than yours. Clearly you live in an area where some ticks carry this disease, so there is always a risk if your friend does not do a tick check after walks. But owning a dog that has been diagnosed with lyme disease does not in any way increase your friend's chances of contracting the disease. Generally ticks will gorge themselves before falling off and it will be a while before they need to take another meal. Furthermore, it takes 24-48 hours before the tick can transmit lyme and most other tick-borne diseases (which means the tick has to be embedded for at least 24 hours before lyme disease is a concern). So if your friend is nervous, then all he needs to do is a thorough tick check every 24 hours and remove any ticks he finds whether they are embedded or not.

Answer 3

A dog's chance of getting Lyme's disease are pretty good. Are you sure you removed deer ticks? They are the size of a pinhead. Are you in a state that has a high prevalence of Lyne's such as Wisconsin and Maine. Check the prevalence in your state. The dog can be tested and will be given a long course of antibiotics just like a human. It will be about 4 pills a day for almost a month. Just went through this with my dog. The dog, unlike the human, can also vaccinated against Lynes.

Answer 4

There is no cure for Lyme Disease. If the person or animal bitten by tick begins a 30 day course of antibiotics IMMEDIATELY, there is a small chance for you to catch it before it becomes a life long hassle.

Also, Lyme Disease is EVERYWHERE! People who don't know will tell you "We don't have Lyme Disease here." Don't believe them. I was told the same by several doctors, before I found one that finally tested me for it, and I tested positive for it.

The maps of "Where Lyme Disease is" are bull sh**. Plain and simple. Lyme Disease is a much bigger epidemic than aids.

Also, you can catch it YEAR ROUND! 365 days a year. Not just certain seasons. ALL seasons! You want to get a monthly product for your pets (we use Vectra) to keep them from catching any infectious diseases by fleas or ticks.

Best of luck to you and your dog. Lyme Disease is NO JOKE! It has turned my life upside down.

Answer 5

I would get your dog to the vet ASAP to make absolutely sure you got all of the ticks.

Not to scare you, but I was once told that ticks that make it into a dog's ear can cause some very nasty damage if they keep traveling. ( I haven't researched that bit of info myself, so I don't know for certain that it's true. )

Here are some very informative Lyme Disease sites:


http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/lyme.html

http://www.uspcak9.com/medical/lymedisease.shtml

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=256


Best of luck to your dog !

Answer 6

Your vet can run tests to see if its likely he got it. Doxicyclene is the antibiotic of choice to treat Lyme.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

call a vet or petstore fast the will know what to do!!!