New yard? Could be as simple as a contact allergy.

You said that he "tests positive" every time, but you've vaccinated him? Well, THAT could be why he tests positive (and now may always test positive, Lyme or no).

Don't worry, let your dog be your guide. He's in all likelyhood, fine and just having a reaction to something in the new yard.

I think you should double check all of this.

My vet told me clients were asking for abx when their dogs had a rash and she said dogs don't get a rash with lyme. Personally, I took that with a grain of salt. Later I read the same thing on the web, don't remember where. But dogs get co-infections too.

Nevertheless, if it were my beloved dog and I found a tick and a rash I'd rather be safe than than sorry.

The doxy dose for dogs is 10 mg per pound per day. So a 20 lb dog gets 200 mg of doxy a day, 100 mg am and 100 mg pm. My point is that it's higher than human doses.

I have used amoxicillin in my dogs but I have no idea of dosing for TBD.

My lyme dog was not improving on doxy and the vet (at my urging) switched her to ketek. My dog weighs 80 lbs and I gave her 400mg the first month and then 800 mg the second month. Ketek didn't help much either so now she's on minocycline 100 mg BID.

zithro and ketek are both macrolides, so is biaxin.

But a dog vaccinated against Lyme is not protected from co-infection. I read lots at other sites about dogs and Ehrlichia and Babesia, different species than in humans, some of them.

I would also be VERY hesitant to treat an asymptomatic dog. Actually, I wouldn't do it at all.

when i was near my regular vet she agreed to treat whenever i pulled an engorged tick off---it didn't happen often and she saw me and the rest of my family and what lyme has done to us. i treat the kids and myself that way too. so if i could i would treat the dog. also, before i did this post i did a search and a lot of posts said by the time a dog shows symptoms it can be too late for effective treatment.

the rash is a circle with a white center. and very distinctive and it came on very quickly. i never saw a rash on me or any of the kids-my daughter-in-law got one tho. i never thought of a rash on a dog until i saw this one. that's why i was asking if anyone else knew.

Coming from someone who has lost an animal to lyme, I would treat. It won't hurt your dog if it isn't a lyme response, but could very well save his life.

I would ask your vet if she can call in an Rx for Doxy if the other meds won't work.

My best,
Melanie

The COMBINATION helps - abx. and benedryl.

Some vets even recommend epsom salt baths for dogs with arthritis. Ask about this.

I have done the above for my Bichon.

Rash not common: http://www.nriah.com/oldsite/Doctorsoffice/FAQ/Lyme_Disease_Latest.htm

"Erythema migrans is not common in dogs and I have seen only two cases displaying the red rash." http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/lyme.html or http://www.grizzlyrun.com/lyme.asp (Dr. Dunn, vet)

Here is one of the better articles- note the rash information.
_______________________________________ http://www.drschoen.com/articles_L2_10_.html
Lyme Disease: Fact from Fiction
Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.

Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-transmitted diseases in the world. There is much that is known about it, but also a tremendous amount that still is unknown. There are many varied opinions regarding symptoms, diagnosis, vaccination controversies and treatment options. Where I live, there are horse barns I visit where almost every person, horse and dog have contracted Lyme disease. It is epidemic.

Being in the middle of such a hotbed, I have seen many diagnostic and therapeutic approaches that have and have not worked. Today I will share my opinion on this debilitating disease. Lyme disease is caused by an organism known as a spirochete and named Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted by tick bites. It has been found worldwide and in ancient Chinese medical literature they actually describe a syndrome very similar to Lyme disease, thousands of years before Lyme, Connecticut was named!

In the United States, more than 90% of the cases occur in the Northeast, with California and Missippi second. It is fairly common in dogs, but rarely seen in cats, although I have seen some cats with it.

The main clinical signs include a sudden yet recurring lameness that may shift from leg to leg. Sometimes this lameness is associated with a fever and depression. Occasionally you will see swollen lymph nodes. Sometimes the joints may be swollen, warm and painful and they usually walk stiffly with a hunched back.

Animals with Lyme disease really look painful and stiff and commonly are very sensitive to touch and may cry out with even the slightest touch. I have seen dogs that were diagnosed with slipped discs in their neck and crying in pain and it was actually lyme disease causing muscle spasms in the neck and they only improved when they were administered the appropriate antibiotic.

Sometimes you will see the classic red round target lesion around a tick bite on your pet and within a few days they may show the signs of lameness, fever and sensitivity to touch. I saw this on my own golden retriever and within a few days he woke like a stiff 90 year old man that could hardly make it to his food bowl. I immediately treated him and he improved within twenty four hours.

If your pet is not diagnosed and treated immediately, the disease can spread to the heart, kidneys and the nervous system including the spinal cord and the brain, showing signs associated with these organs.

The organism has been found in connective tissue, in joints, muscles and lymph nodes. It is one nasty bug! Besides these classic symptoms, how can your veterinarian diagnose it?

If suspicious, it is very important to run a special blood test called a Lyme titer. Now, there are two types known as the Elisa test and the western blot test. My particular preference is to run the western blot test. It may take a bit longer to run, but I find it much more accurate. It is not uncommon that the Elisa test is negative and your dog still has Lyme disease.

If your dog or cat or horse has many of the symptoms of Lyme disease and the test is negative, do not be fooled. I still recommend treating the animal aggressively with antibiotics. Often, I will not even wait for the test to comeback to treat my patient if enough of the symptoms are present to suggest Lyme disease.

Believe me, I like to be as natural as possible and use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, but this is one time when they are needed fast! Often times the response to appropriate antibiotics is quite rapid. In horses, I have developed an acupuncture diagnostic exam that I have found to be as diagnostic if not better than the standard laboratory tests and I will be publishing on that shortly.

Lyme disease has often been nicknamed the great imitator. This is because many of the symptoms can mimic symptoms of many other diseases because it can affect so many different organ systems.

I remember one gordon setter puppy I saw and the first symptom of Lyme disease that showed up was lack of appetite and an arrhythmia in the heart that I picked up on my exam. It only got stiff and lame three days later. Fortunately I knew the heart problem wasn't there a few weeks prior on a normal exam and was suspicious of Lyme and we treated it successfully and the heart problem resolved.

When considering Lyme disease as a possibility, one must also think about other tick-transmitted diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever or canine Ehrlichiosis. Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, other joint diseases as well as kidney failure or heart problems from other causes need to be considered as well.

What is the best treatment? As I mentioned previously, this is one place where I feel strongly that immediate antibiotic therapy is imperative. It appears that doxycycline and amoxicillin seem to be the best antibiotics against Lyme disease.

I suggest staying on antibiotics for a minimum of a month, sometimes even longer. I have seen dogs that were only on antibiotics for two weeks and then it comes back with a vengeance and does not respond as well afterwards.

A holistic approach would also include using probiotics such as acidophilus to keep the healthy bacteria alive in your pets gastrointestinal tract. In addition, it has been found that the organism can actually further suppress the immune system. So I usually recommend nutritional and herbal support to boost the immune system as well.

This would include echinacea and garlic as I have mentioned in previous columns of the Healing Arts. Sometimes I see chronic Lyme disease in a dog or cat and I will also use acupuncture to boost the immune system and relieve the pain and inflammation.

Homeopathic remedies have also appeared to be helpful. The most successful of these [email protected] ude homeopathic Ledum and a Lyme nosode. Lyme nosode is a homeopathic remedy that is made from the killed organism, diluted, successed and potentized to the point that nothing of the original organism remains. For appropriate dosages of these remedies, you should contact a homeopathic veterinarian.

As far as prevention goes, this is a sticky wicket. There is a great deal of controversy concerning the dog Lyme vaccine. There is a great debate about how well they actually work as well as potential side effects. There are publications concerning its safety, but the researchers only look 24 hours after the vaccine reaction.

Research at Cornell University veterinary school brings up some suspicion that there may be potential long term side effects of the vaccine, though nothing is certain. These side effects may vary from rheumatoid arthritis and all the major symptoms of lyme disease to acute kidney failure.

Though nothing is definitively documented, I personally am very cautious and do not recommend vaccinating for Lyme disease even though it is so epidemic here. Many veterinary schools and major veterinary centers do not recommend the vaccine for the same concern regarding potential side effects.

I have seen all the symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs four to eight weeks after the vaccine and when I sent the western blot test to Cornell, it shows no evidence of the disease, only evidence of the dog having been vaccinated, yet the dog shows all the classic symptoms of the disease.

There is a new dog vaccine out that claims that it does not have any of the side effects, however, I still remain cautious and will wait for a year or two to see. I personally would rather treat my dog for Lyme disease rather than risking the potential side effects of the vaccine.

In addition, there is a question of actually how well it works. Until more safety and decreased risk of side effects and efficacy are demonstrated, I recommend holding off.

The best prevention still is checking your dog carefully and removing any ticks at least once a day. Collars do not seem to work that well, although some of the topical insecticides do seem to work well, but then one has to weigh the potential toxic effects of these insecticide from the beneficial effects of preventing ticks.

Again, I tend to compromise and only use the topicals during the greatest incidence of tick usually in the spring and fall. It is all a balance! Keep your pets away from tick infested areas, check them daily and stay healthy and happy and tick free!!

From experance Glucosimine Sulfate--
will help dogs with joint pain--
If dog cant walk--give him some--
it works--Has been used in horses
for years---Jay--