Lyme disease is well known in this area. Most people know that it is a bacteria which is spread by the deer tick; that it can cause symptoms of fever, lethargy (tiredness), anorexia, arthritis, lameness, and swollen lymph nodes; that many dogs will show no clinical symptoms for months or years even when the disease is present; that there is an antibiotic that is used to treat it (successfully in many cases, not so successfully in others); and that some dogs will develop severe, life-threatening disease when infected with the Lyme disease bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi.
Many people also realize that there is a combination heartworm test that tests for heartworm and Lyme disease and it is best to do this test on an annual basis to screen for Lyme disease and to catch it early; that all dogs should be treated year-round with an effective tick control product (but that because of large tick populations, dogs can become infected even with proper tick control); that more in depth testing may be necessary to monitor a dog who tests positive for Lyme on the screening test; and that dogs in high-risk areas should be vaccinated with the Lyme vaccine annually as a second layer of protection-and we live in a high-risk area.
What most people do not realize is that you can take those two paragraphs, get rid of the “most people know” comments, substitute the bacteria, Anaplasmosis phagocytophilum every time Lyme disease or Borrelia is mentioned-except for the comment about the vaccine-and you have a whole new disease discussion-and a whole new concern for your dog.
Anaplasmosis phagocytophilum, previously known as Ehrlichia Equi, is very prevalent in this area. It is spread by the same ticks as Lyme disease and it can be a co-infection (both infections occurring at the same time) with Lyme disease. Experts at IDEXX Laboratories, the manufacturers of the IDEXX SNAP 4DX test, maintain that when a dog contracts Lyme disease or anaplasmosis alone, its immune system is more likely to suppress disease. However, a dog with both infections at once is more likely to become sick. IDEXX created the 4DX test to test for heartworm, Lyme, anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichia canis (another tick-borne disease that is not as prevalent in this area.)
If your dog shows any of the previously listed symptoms, he or she should be tested. If your dog is positive, he or she should be treated early to prevent chronic problems. If your dog lives in this area, he or she should be on tick control year-round, screened with the 4DX test annually and vaccinated for Lyme disease. And if you have dogs from other areas visiting your dog, those dogs need tick control and screening as well. You cannot catch these diseases from your dog, but you are exposed to the same ticks in the environment, so be sure to use tick repellent and check for ticks regularly on yourself as well as on your dog.
Paula Harvatine is a veterinarian at the West Salem Veterinary Clinic
[ 11. January 2007, 01:00 PM: Message edited by: Areneli ]
Posts: 1538 | From Planet Earth | Registered: Jan 2005
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
Must be my Lyme brain, but I still can't comprehend why it's so easy and accurate to test dogs for Lyme, but we can't do it for people.
I was also shocked to learn that using regular tick protection does not necessarily protect dogs completely. Our dog is much too old to undergo Lyme tx.
Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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mlkeen
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1260
posted
Maybe it is because dogs don't have to deal with insurance lobbies, I mean companies.
A single dose daily of tetra or doxy keeps our old dalmation close to symptom free without upsetting him. He relapses after being given higher doses for months, so when we discovered that he is just as well on a low dose forever( he has bladder issues too and the abx keeps that healthy) we just dose every morning in his food. In any case it's working for him.
tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
Areneli, Thanks for posting the article. Since a high percentage of us have dogs, it's definitely appreciated.
Klutzo, I know exactly what you mean about wondering how they do these quick tests in the office to test for lyme. Also, the dogs don't seem to have bad effects from the lyme vaccine, so vets are definitely ahead of where our human research seems to be.
MKKEEN, While your dog is on treatment, does it seem to go through herxing as we do?
Cathy
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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I would love for someone to splain how dogs can be diagnosed and treated more quickly than humans.
-------------------- Stella Marie Posts: 694 | From US | Registered: Apr 2005
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
Thats a fact!!
Thanks Areneli
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
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