Just like with people, also in dogs, Lyme disease is a very grave illness. There are an estimated 20% of ticks infected in the Czech Republic. And because despite the use of antiparasitic agents, your dog might get a tick from time to time, it’s good to know, how this disease manifests itself in dogs.
Dogs get a tick in no time. They often move about nature, to which they are somewhat closer with their stature than us and the fur is an ideal boarding bridge for ticks. They sweep out all kinds of high grass or bushes, so they are perfect collectors of these parasites. Little wonder that despite the use of antiparasitic agents, we have to pull out one tick from time to time.
Besides, a possible transmission of Lyme disease by other bloodsucking parasites such as fleas or mosquitoes is being researched now.
However, the main carrier still remains the castor bean tick. The incidence of ticks with Lyme disease ranges between 2% to about 40%. It depends mainly on local incidence of Lyme disease. Since it is the bacteria Borrelia that is responsible for the disease, which gets into the digestive tract of the tick only while it sucks blood of an infected animal. The infection rate of ticks in our republic is estimated at 20%.
For the dog to get infected with Lyme disease, the tick must be attached for more than 24 hours. That’s why a timely discovery and removal of the tick plays an important role. Therefore, check your dog after every walk, or at least every evening.
For the disease not to break out clinically depends not only on the amount of the transmitted Borrelia bacteria, but also on the health of the dog and the strength of its immune system. Correct removal of the tick is also important, but I’ll tell you about that next time. Lyme disease may break out in a dog even after several months from the infection, for example, when its immunity is weakened by another disease.
You surely know that a warning sign of an infection in humans is reddening of the place of attachment of the tick with a distinctive rim that appears after several days from the infection. In animals, however, this symptom doesn’t appear. So a timely detection of the infection is more difficult in dogs.
How do you detect Lyme disease in a dog then? According to veterinarians, among the most frequent symptoms belong:
In later stages of the disease, more severe and much more dangerous symptoms set in, such as damage to the heart, brain or kidneys. However, these symptoms can set in even in the absence of the ones mentioned above. The heart and the nervous form are rare, but all the more dangerous. In the nervous form, even a total paralysis might occur, along with seizures or painful spasms. Kidney damage will limit their function and it is often accompanied by swellings of the limbs.
The main diagnostics of Lyme disease lies in a serological blood examination for antibodies or a direct find of bacteria in the joint or other bodily fluids.
Lyme disease can be diagnosed even by examining the attached tick. After you remove it, you can send it for examination where they will find out, whether it was infected. This way, you will detect the disease in time, however, the standard examination that detects tick encephalitis, Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis will cost you 1,990 crowns, just for Lyme disease it's 740 crowns. That’s why it pays off to have it done only in case you suspect the disease: for instance, if the tick is full and therefore it was attached for longer than a day and if you move around a place where the infection rate of ticks is high.
The treatment is usually lengthy and difficult. Not only are antibiotics administered for a minimum of two weeks, they also have to be accompanied by a symptomatic treatment of the symptoms as well. In addition, the lengthy treatment will also heavily burden the dog’s organism and your wallet.
Therefore, as with everything, proper prevention is essential. In case of Lyme disease that lies mainly in the mentioned use of antiparasitic products and a regular check of the fur. It also pays off to treat the dog bed regularly with a suitable repellent, along with other places where the dog often stays.
And if you want to be even more confident that your fluffy friend won’t get infected, you can have it vaccinated against Lyme disease. The best time for vaccination is the period before the tick season, that is in January – March.
Even so, it may get infected. Since the vaccination is only about 50% effective. However, in connection with other prevention, it still significantly decreases the possibility of an infection.
It's no secret that dogs like to visit the vet about as much as we like to visit the dentist. For most dogs, it causes stress that lasts for several hours. Thanks to their instincts, they sense it before you even leave for the vet's clinic. How can you...
When we let nature work and we don't interfere with it, it can do wonders. Letting the wolves into Yellowstone National Park and leaving them to their our own fate shows us what a complex system nature is and how dozens of wild beasts can transform...
58-year-old Chris found a new life purpose in rescuing and caring for cats after his son died. It helps him cope with his grief, and it gives him something to do.
Many of us love essential oils, whether it's because of their smell or their curative effects. Every other home has an aroma lamp or diffuser. But did you know what effects these fragrances have on your cats, and that they can seriously harm them?...
You've surely seen the viral videos where cats jump away in fright and are in complete shock because of a cucumber. Would you like to know the reason for this? Are cats afraid of this harmless vegetable, or is there another reason?
This little dog is very dependent on its owner. It is boundlessly dedicated to its owner and will do anything to cheer him up. It's not surprising that it's also referred to as an antidepressant dog. After all, just looking at this dog will put...
Although their appearance and nature is somewhat similar to that of the Norwegian Forest cat and Maine Coon cats, Siberian cats are not as popular. Outside of Russia and the former Eastern Bloc, they are not well known and are not seen very often. In...
Dogs are an inseparable part of our lives. But how to do it when your dream is to travel around the world on a sailboat or any other adventure? Take your furry friend with you. What shouldn’t you forget when preparing for a long journey wherever it...
The second day of Hindi festival called Tihar is devoted to dogs. Their loyalty and devotion is celebrated, they are honoured as companions, guardians and friends. A holiday which is full of lights and colours doesn’t forget about stray dogs and it is...
Brown rats are very cleanly animals. You can see them licking themselves several times a day and thus keeping their fur in a perfect condition. They suffer if their environment is not suitable, even though they can survive it. Many people think they...
For us, devoted dog parents, changes in our lives often include our dog companions. Moreover, the stuff we do to keep our furry friends happy and healthy also commonly influence us as well. We owe them for better life and they deserve to get the same...
It is sometimes fine to disrupt dogs’ routine by an interesting activity and what might be better than to teach your dog some tricks. Dogs hate boredom, even the greatest lazybones welcome some distraction. Here you have a couple of tips for tricks you...
