we'll get sammy, our new lab next week. she's a rescue so we don't know what her history is.
i've scheduled an appt with my vet. should i ask him to check her for lyme. she's already been treated for stage 1 heartworms....
i think randi got them later in life and i don't want to go through that again.
so can he doe a blood test or does he have to use igenex> would she take the same meds as a human? can he tell us how long she's had it.
i just want to make sure she gets the best care possible.
Posted by ForestNymph (Member # 15109) on :
I don't want to bring up any bad feelings but did you're previous lab pass away due to Lyme? I was just curious. My toy poodle is lethargic and acting strange and I'm scared to death that he has Lyme.
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
Hi. Bet you are excited about the new "baby".
I actually am pretty sure at least one of my dogs if not two or more,
Have Lyme disease. Test they use for dogs is the C6 Peptide test.
It is more accurate than an Elisa for sure!
Standard treatment is either doxy or amoxil for 30 days.
I googled it and this is what I read.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by Lyra (Member # 16706) on :
As far as I know (I'm a vet tech), many places use Idexx 3DX heartworm tests which also are elisas for lyme and e.canis. We get positives daily here in Minnesota. Most places test for lyme yearly with the heartworm test (at least that is the case with Banfield). Some places use strictly heartworm tests, but most should be using the 3DX tests. If positive, then we usually treat for 30 days or longer if symptomatic with Doxycycline and as needed. Western Blots and C6s are also available and very expensive. Veterinarians I know usually just treat without all the testing. Once a dog is positive for lyme on the 3DX test (elisa) it is always positive for life and considered chronic no matter what (I mean they will always test positive). So different than in human medicine. Basically, you should just have to ask for the annual heartworm test to get an answer about lyme in a dog- as long as it is the 3DX brand.
Also, dogs tend to handle lyme MUCH better than people. We very rarely ever see tick-borne paralysis and other "late stage" issues (such as neurological issues)- even in dogs that test positive but are never treated their whole lives for whatever reason- usually because owners decline doxy since they see nothing wrong despite our plea that dogs are just stoic and instinctually hide weakness . They usually have lethargy and seem to always have shifting lameness- front limb lame one day, other front the next, then the rear limb the next week, etc. - usually limping. That is, if they are symptomatic at all. We rarely see symptomatic dogs even with all the positives every day. I have no idea why. We like to treat anyway.
Posted by treepatrol (Member # 4117) on :
Yes
Posted by Barby (Member # 18348) on :
I asked my vet about if they test for lyme recently. They told me they test for it when they test for heartworms. Always! So I am sure they can test her. They say it's pretty accurate but who knows.
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
Absolutely
Posted by lymednva (Member # 9098) on :
My vet tests annually for Lyme. My older dog had it several years ago and was treated with doxy.
She's fine now at almost nine years old. Her only problem is that she steals my other dog's food, so eats too much!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
thanks so much. sammy has been treated for stage 1 heartworm with the lab rescue vet.
i'm going to take her to our vet, right down the street, and get him to check her out.
not that i don't trust their vet, but i'll get her records and i have such a great vet, i want to make sure.
yep, i firmly believe randi had lyme. i know large dogs don't live all that long but she died at 12 1/2. vet said it was congestive heart failure but it came on so suddenly, and she was unable to stand, just fall over.
we had taken her to several parks around here and she got out in the weeds and all. so i'm pretty sure she had it, although he tested every year and she was on heartguard.
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