posted
He has a big red spot (like a bullseye?) all around the bite. Vet says not to worry cause there isn't much lyme in Oregon. I then proceeded to tell them that I am paralysed because of lyme & would like to put him on antibiotics.
She of course said no. Anyhow- I have some minocycline from last year and want to know if that would be ok to use on my dog and what the dose would be & for how long.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Posts: 85 | From Eugene | Registered: Jun 2005
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AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
My advice find a new vet.
The vets around these parts (NJ) are much more open to and knowledable about lyme than the people drs.
Of course you are on the other coast so things could be different.
If you have any friends or family members with pets I would get a reference for another vet.
animals cant take all the medicines we take.... it is really dangerous to try to medicate them without a vets knowledge... and I dont think there are any vets on the board.
TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Not that it matters because you can get lyme even when not in a risk area obviously but your county looks to me like it is in a CDC risk area for lyme. Does your vet know that? http://www.aldf.com/RiskMap/oregon/oregon.shtml
Also, according to the Oregon Vet Medical Association, there have been hundreds of dogs in Oregon in a year that have been diagnosed with lyme disease and that is probably the tip of the iceburg because of vets like her and the vet who told me the same thing. http://www.oregonvma.org/petowners/lyme.asp
You could ask the Oregon lyme group if they know of anyone in your area or if you can't find anyone I have the name of a vet in the Portland area. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OLDN/
My dog was exposed in Eastern Oregon, I took the tick and all into the vet and was told that we don't have lyme in Oregon so not to worry. My dog's symptoms progressed over a few years, consistent with lyme and she died. The vet sent her body to be autopsied because her condition was so puzzling and they said her condition was highly unusual but they couldn't figure out what had happened. She was exposed in the same area that I got lyme. DUH!! If, only I'd known then what I know now.
So sorry for you and your pet. There are vets in Oregon that get it. Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Cobweb
Unregistered
posted
My vet offered to test my dogs for Lyme as part of their yearly check-up. These are city house dogs-and they both tested positive for Lyme-and immediately put on Doxy 100 mg daily.They were negative for heartworm and Erhliciosis(sp)
You'll find other threads on this topic-or at least one that I started about a week ago . Seems it is easier to have a dog tested and treated for Lyme than it is a person-but not in your case I guess-sorry to hear that-get another vet who doesn't "know it all" Carol B
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
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 spirochaete 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. Occassionally 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 neededfast! 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 effect 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 arrythmia 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 erlichiosis. 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 include 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!!
Posts: 1563 | From MA | Registered: Jan 2003
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