As the weather warms and we venture out of our winter hiding places, so too do insects and animals.
Protecting our animals from dangerous insects, such as Lyme-carrying ticks, is an important part of preparing for the coming months of increased tick activity.
Lyme disease is a prevalent and commonly misdiagnosed disease that is an important issue for those living in this area, including dogs.
Anecdotal reports suggest that as many as 40 to 50 percent of dogs living in the northern states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, eastern Pennsylvania and northern Virginia are infected with Lyme disease, although not all will have clinical signs, according to literature from Merial Ltd.
“It’s really bad,” said Richard K. Esherick, D.V.M. of Burlington Veterinary Center. “But of those 40 to 50 percent of dogs that test positive, only five in 100 get sick. In many, [the manifestation] is transient and resolves itself in four to five days if left untreated.”
Signs that your dog may have Lyme are similar to the symptoms that occur in humans.
Fever, malaise, lethargy, joint pain/swelling, decreased appetite, swollen lymph nodes and/or single or multiple limb lameness can all be signs that your pet may be suffering from borrelia burgdorferi, or canine Lyme disease.
“There are a multitude of forms, the most commonly experienced is the arthritis-like form. Less common is myocarditis (heart problems) and even less common is the neurologic form, with seizures or other nerve impairments,” Esherick said.
“A much less common but clinically significant is the kidney form of Lyme, glomerulonephritis, which causes a rapid, almost uniformly fatal form of protein losing,” Esherick said. “The kidney leaks protein into the blood. [The animal may have] precipitous weight loss but otherwise appear fine, until they later go off food. It’s a very difficult form to treat.”
The course of the kidney disease is very fast, days, and is resistant to antibiotics. So any dog that tests positive for the Lyme bacteria should also have a urinalysis done.
Since Lyme is commonly confused with other diseases, tests for simultaneous infections, such as anaplasma, should be performed as well. Many co-infections may have symptoms similar to Lyme, and therefore can be overlooked, lumped into the Lyme diagnosis and left untreated.
“Lyme in dogs typically doesn’t come back to haunt, like with people,” Esherick said. “But anaplasma does.”
One unsettling aspect of this disease is that frequently vaccinations do not effectively protect the animal from contracting the bacteria.
“Thirty percent of dogs with the kidney form have been vaccinated,” Esherick said.
The effectiveness of vaccination in general is controversial. A human vaccine was pulled from the market in 2002 because it was too expensive, sales were poor and physicians were concerned about its safety and usefulness, according to an article in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Similar problems appear to exist with the canine version. The vaccine is believed to only be effective in previously unexposed dogs, according to a council report in Vet Med Today. “Experts disagree whether the vaccine is clinically effective. There is considerable speculation about the potential of these vaccines to be involved in adverse events.”
Arguments against vaccination include the low incidence of disease even in those dogs that are infected (95 percent show no symptoms,) the fact that most dogs respond to treatment quickly and the unwanted side effects.
But that doesn’t mean the vaccine never works.
“There is a lower incidence [of Lyme] in vaccinated dogs than non-vaccinated,” said Esherick.
Arguments for vaccination are valid, as it also helps prevent cases of other tick-borne illnesses, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichia and babesiosis, Esherick explained.
“However, even when dogs are treated, there is low incidence of cure. Even after 30 days of appropriate anti-microbial (such as Doxycycline), when you retest a year later most are still positive.”
Chronic Lyme disease may occur in 15 to 20 percent of treated dogs, according to Merial Ltd.
A tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours for transmission of the disease, according to the Center for Disease Control. Once the tick is removed, treatment with doxycycline within 72 hours of pulling of the tick can prevent the disease from developing.
Preventative topical products such as Frontline or Advantix “don’t see effectiveness in killing ticks in the period of time close to the [bacteria’s] transmission,” Esherick said. But they may reduce the incidence of attachment.
“‘Preventic’ tick collars paralyze the tick’s mouth parts, and deter tick attachment better than topical spot-on products. That prevents transmission,” Esherick said. “A combination of a collar with topical treatments [can help].”
Tick control in the area the dog plays in, by spraying vegetation with acaricides in early May can reduce tick populations by 68 to 100 percent, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. Removing brush and leaves will also decrease the number of ticks in the area. Laying down wood chips where lawns meet forests can also help reduce their number by creating a dry barrier between the woods and lawn.
If a tick does attach itself, remove it immediately by grasping the tick close to the skin using tweezers. The CDC does not recommend using a hot match, nail polish or petroleum jelly. If the tick’s mouth parts remain in the skin, it is not a cause for alarm. Once they are removed from the rest of the tick, it can no longer transmit the disease.
Be careful not to crush the tick after removal as the disease rests in the gut of the tick and can be transferred to humans through mucous membranes.
Protecting your dog from this disease is an important part of its care. Preventative measures, regular checks and yearly testing, prompt tick removal and swift treatment after removal can help keep your pet safe and healthy.
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