David95928
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3521
posted
Does anyone have any lowdown on this? The vet has recommended it for our two. We live up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and there are a lot of ticks lately. Thank you in advance for your comments.
-------------------- Dave Posts: 2034 | From CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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mbroderick
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5220
posted
I had my dog vaccinated about 3 years ago and got the booster shot last year. I have no idea if it really works or not, although the vet highly recommended it. We put TopSpot on him, also. The only thing that I do know is that all of us have Lyme except for the dog!!! We vacation with him, we live with him, he travels with us...we're sick and he's not. Go figure...
Posts: 2097 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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I would be extremely careful. My dog had the vaccination and two boosters. She is now having tons of autoimmune issues...
As well, my entire family is ill with tick borne illness...my husband and me...she got sick a month before I did.
Who knows maybe she would be worse off if she hadn't gotten it. She had all negative titers to all tick borne illness...but I am not convinced that it is not what she is dealing with.
My Mom had a standard poodle who was vaccinated and was never the same after it. She later found out there were hereditary liver problems in the dogs lines but she sincerely believes the lyme vaccine was what hurt him most.
I am a member of a lyme group for dogs online. I don't know if I am allowed to post the name of it here. There is a vet on it who says he would never use the lyme vaccination on any dog.
Take care and I hope you find more definitive answers but I don't really think there are any definitive ones.
-------------------- �Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.� - Ezre Taft Benson Posts: 655 | From NC, Exit 88 on the Deer SuperHighway | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
My dog got vacinnated and gets the booster every year. I got her after I got sick and before I knew it was chronic lyme caused by the human vaccine. Go figure!
I have no idea if its safe or effective but she has been getting it for 5 years now and is still a feisty terrible terrier.
I live close to Lyme Ct so deer ticks are big stuff here. I put Frontline on her 9 - 10 months of the year. Im an organic no pesticide kinda girl but my fear of ticks is so strong that I use the frontline.
I need the love of the dog and need to give love so ther is no parting with her. Im convinced that a greater power knew I was going to need a living being in my shrinking world as I became more and more disabled. That power was right cuz she's the only reason I move some days.
Posts: 561 | From connecticut | Registered: May 2004
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minoucat
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5175
posted
What's the basis for the vaccine? Is it the same as the human Lymerix vaccine that was recalled after causing major problems? Does anyone know for sure?
-------------------- ********************* RECIDITE, PLEBES! Gero rem imperialem! (Stand aside plebians! I am on imperial business.)
David95928
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3521
posted
Thanks folks, They have to wait a few more days to have Frontline put on them because they had Advantage at the first of the month. I'm going to continue researching.
-------------------- Dave Posts: 2034 | From CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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minoucat
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5175
posted
Just one more thing on the vaccine --
we were infected in northern CA, and Bb has been only one of our problems -- bartonella and babesia have been the most difficult of the coinfections (that we know of!) to eliminate and they have been almost as debilitating as Bb, but we also had erlichia and heavy viral loads (no longer a problem). Speaking strictly for myself, I'm hyper cautious about a vaccine that only protects against one thing and may induce immune system problems even if (big if) it does work against Bb.
In reading the human vaccine literature, it seems as though people who had latent cases of Bb were especially vulnerable to the vaccine. So if you think your dogs might have been exposed already....
It's really a tangle about what to do. I've opted for Frontline, but even that hasn't been infallible, so when I go down to visit family in northern California I spray the pooch daily with an herbal tick repellent made of eucalyptus oil, lavender, rose geranium, and some other stuff I can't remember.
I'd like to add some dietary repellants, but garlic causes anemia in some dogs and I don't know what other herbs can be safely taken by our canine buddies. I've ordered Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats in the hopes that it will give me some guidance.
In the meantime, I'm thinking along Cave's lines about using prophylactic doses of abx -- should work for bart and LD, but what to do about babs?
-------------------- ********************* RECIDITE, PLEBES! Gero rem imperialem! (Stand aside plebians! I am on imperial business.)
posted
I'm thinking of having my dog tested for Lyme. Have any of you had your dogs tested and have any experience with the reliability or necessity of having this done?
Anyone know what the symptoms in dogs are? The same as us? Posts: 460 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2005
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EtherealGirl
Unregistered
posted
My dog is like my second child, and I'll do everything to protect him. I had him tested for Lyme and all the coinfections. All negative. So I opted for the Lyme vaccine. I don't think they'll give it to a dog with an active infection.
I also use K-9 Advantix on him nearly year round. I don't want him getting sick, and I don't want him bringing any ticks into the house.
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mbroderick
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5220
posted
I think that I heard that once a dog has been given the Lyme vaccine that the tests are no longer accurate (as if they ever were!!). Something tells me that they will always test positive in the future.
Posts: 2097 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
The lyme testing for dogs is just like it is with humans. We have 3 dogs infected with lyme and one also has bartonella H.
Our bart girl is equivocal for lyme and our younger male has never tested positive for lyme only RMSF. However, he had all the symptoms of lyme and was clinically diagnosed last month by a lyme literate vet.
We finally found a vet who understands the disease and I highly recommend her. She is located in NC which was a hike for us but she is totally worth the trip. She understands tick borne diseases having lived it herself. She will work with a local vet once you make the initial visit to her.
She said our older dog has the worst case of neuro lyme she has ever seen. She swithed her meds and Tess is doing better but will never be right. She put all of our dogs on specific supplements and each dog has a specific protocal.
I thank god we finally found this vet. Our young male is happy again and full of energy. Seem to have the vasculatis under control too which all three of them had. Tess the older one is still dealing with it though but she has been ill for five years.
I myself would never give the lyme vaccine and you never want to give it to a dog that is already infected. That in itself worries me because all the test suck so how would you know the dog is infected.
Posts: 240 | From Southern Maryland | Registered: Jun 2003
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