Lyme Disease
Where does Lyme disease come from?
Certain tick species carry and transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The culprits in North America are the black-legged or deer tick and the western black-legged tick. Both are smaller than the other ticks found on pets in the United States.
To get a blood meal, a tick climbs onto low-growing vegetation and uses its forelegs to sense a host animal and grab onto it. If it is an infected host, such as a white-footed mouse, the tick ingests the bacteria in a blood meal and becomes an infective carrier without getting sick itself.
The tick can retain the infection throughout its life cycle and give it to subsequent hosts, such as you or your dog. Usually, an infective tick must be attached 48 hours before transmission occurs.
Clinical signs, diagnosis and treatment
Lyme disease affects animals differently, and many display no clinical signs at all. In dogs, many cases start with limping, lymph node swelling and fever. Other signs include loss of appetite, painful joints and lethargy. Dogs don't show signs for two or five months post-infection. Antibiotics help but don't stop the disease.
The threat to humans
According to the CDC, about 20,000 new human cases of Lyme disease are reported in the United States annually. Typically, the first symptom is an expanding circular rash at the site of the a tick bite 3-30 days after the bite. Patients also experience fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle aches, joint aches and swollen lymph nodes. Most cases of human Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, if started early.
There is no evidence that dogs can spread the disease directly to their owners. However, they can bring infected ticks into the home or yard.
Know your risk factors
All dogs are at risk of contracting Lyme disease. If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, your dog is at an increased risk. Ask our professionals on staff about vaccination, tick control and testing.
- Does your dog spend time in wooded or grassy areas?
- Is your dog outdoors during peak tick season?
- Does your dog live in or visit Lyme-endemic areas of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic or upper Midwest?
How to help prevent Lyme disease
To help protect your dog:
- Recombitek Lyme vaccine works by helping to block the transmission - from tick to dog - of the spirochete that causes Lyme disease.
- Apply a topical tick control product monthly. Frontline Plus kills ticks that may transmit Lyme disease
- Brush dogs frequently during tick season and conduct thorough tick checks.
- If you find a tick attached, remove it promptly with tweezers and without crushing the tick. Contact our office at 713.468.1676 if you are concerned.
To help protect yourself:
- Avoid heavily wooded areas during tick season.
- Wear light-colored clothing to help you see and remove ticks before they attach.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts tucked into long pants tucked into socks.
- Conduct frequent, full-body tick checks.