How Lyme Disease Develops in Dogs

Dogs develop a certain condition called lyme disease that is caused by bites of deer ticks transmitting such kind of bacteria. This disease can also occur in humans as it can to animals. Lyme disease is acquired when the tick stays attached to the dog’s body for 48 hours.

At the early stage of the tick’s life, that is when it starts to spread the bacteria in the dog’s body by embedding itself for several days. These ticks are so tiny they are about the size of a pinhead so a dog owner can barely recognize these parasites even if they regularly remove ticks from their pet.

Because of this, the onset of lyme disease is not easily detectable. The dog infected with such illness does not develop rashes that can occur to humans affected by the same condition. Moreover, once you take your pet to the vet for a diagnosis, lyme disease is not one of the initial findings that your animal doctor will consider since there are other possible conditions of similar symptoms.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease attacks the dogs in different ways just as it does to humans. One of the indications of this illness is that dogs develop high fever. Also, they incur swollen lymph nodes and inflamed joints that cause throbbing pain. They may possibly lose appetite in eating. Once your dog becomes lame which is also another symptom, it weakens the animal’s entire body.

They easily become exhausted and appear lethargic. The sad fact is that the condition of lameness is recurring or chronic. The worse thing is these indications may not manifest at the onset of the disease. Your dog may be carrying this illness with no warning signs until a year after the animal gets infected.

Treatment of Lyme Disease

If any of the symptoms above are noticeable on your pet, consider taking your dog to a trusted vet for initial diagnosis. The animal will undergo some tests and physical exam or even ask you questions about the dog’s activities to associate any findings with the disease. Usually, a blood test is conducted to determine any presence of bacteria from deer ticks.

Once diagnosed with lyme disease, the vet will prescribe antibiotics or will suggest an antimicrobial therapy. However, the illness is chronic, so even with antibiotic treatment, it can possibly recur. Just make sure to keep your pet well-groomed especially after getting the dog exposed outdoors where ticks generally thrive.