Untreated Lyme Disease in Dogs

Untreated Lyme disease can lead to serious health conditions in dogs.

Lyme disease, or borreliosis, has become the most prevalent tick-borne disease in North America since being discovered in human beings in 1975, reports PetTalk.com. The tick wasn't found in dogs until almost 10 years later. But your canine companion is, indeed, quite susceptible to Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks wherever he runs, walks and plays. You should take special note of any tick you find boring into you or your dog. Untreated Lyme disease is a serious matter in both human beings and canines.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

During the summer months, exercise extreme caution in wild and forested areas. These ecosystems are potentially rife with ticks and the Lyme disease bacteria. The symptoms of Lyme disease are similar between dogs and humans. Dogs experience very sudden pain or lameness, arthritis, fever, loss of appetite and energy, infrequent urination and sometimes depression. To diagnose the disease, blood tests may be performed to look for antibodies to the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria after the symptoms of Lyme disease have been noticed.

Difficulty of Diagnosis

Getting an absolute diagnosis of Lyme disease in canines can take multiple blood tests. This is because it takes a period of time for the bacteria to accrue in the animal's blood to a level at which it can be detected, even after the early symptoms start to appear. Hence, your dog could test negative even with the symptoms of Lyme disease persisting and increasing. Therefore, further testing is required to get a solid diagnosis.

Treatment and Advanced Disease

Antibiotics such as penicillin, tetracycline and erythromycin are the standard treatments of choice for Lyme disease and prove to be highly effective during the early stages of the disease; symptom relief tends to be swift. According to PetEducation.com, the longer the disease goes unnoticed before treatment, the greater the harm to the dog's health. Even though the dog might ultimately survive the disease, it's likely it will suffer with health conditions the remainder of its life.

Consequences of Untreated Disease

Untreated Lyme disease in canines can potentially lead to heart and kidney disease in addition to neurological problems that look a lot like the symptomology of dementia, according to the website Lyme disease in Dogs. Lyme disease affects the whole body. Lameness can appear and then disappear even if left untreated, but chances are it will return a year or so later, reports the Borrelia Infections website. The bottom line: Be forever vigilant. Don't let your animal get Lyme disease to begin with. And if it does contract the disease, seek treatment right away.

Prevention

With a bit of perseverance and fortitude, you can keep ticks off of your pet and avoid disease. Stay away from wooded areas, especially places notorious for plentiful tick populations. You can have your dog vaccinated against Lyme disease. Don't forget to check your dog for ticks on a regular basis. If you find any, remove them as swiftly as you can. Consider administering to your pet a topical flea and tick preventive treatment.

References

• PetTalk: Lyme Borreliosis
• PetEducation: Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) in Dogs
• Lyme Disease in Dogs
• Borrelia Infections: Lyme in Dogs