Lyme Disease-Peak Tick Season is Coming!

[Kaberle]

Now is the peak season for tick-borne diseases.
 
Lyme Disease (LD) The primary vector of LD in the western United States
is Ixodes pacificus, a hard tick that lives in humid environments such
as heavily-forested or dense brushy areas. Infected ticks transmit
Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative bacterium.
Although immature ticks preferentially bite birds and small mammals,
humans and dogs may serve as substitute hosts. Adult ticks bite
livestock, dogs and humans.

Signs of Lyme Disease in Dogs
   Of the hundreds of cases of canine Lyme Disease, over 90 percent of
canine patients were admitted with signs of limping (usually one
foreleg), lymph node swelling in the affected limb, and a temperature of
103 degrees (101 to 102.5 degrees is normal). 
The (http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/lyme_IxodesNymph2.jpg )
limping usually progresses over three to four days from mild and barely
noticeable to complete disuse of the painful leg.  Once the dog starts
to be affected by the bacteria, Lyme Disease can progress from a mild
discomfort to the stage where a dog will be in such joint and muscle
pain it will refuse to move.  Over the span of two or three days a dog
can progress from normal to completely unable to walk due to generalized
joint pain.  In addition to joint damage, the bacteria can affect the
dog's heart muscle and nerve tissue.  If the disease is diagnosed in
time, treatment can cure the dog before permanent joint or nerve damage
occurs.  Certain antibiotics, such as the Tetracyclines, are very
helpful in eliminating the disease.

    Generally, the diagnosis of Lyme Disease is based upon clinical
signs and history. Dogs present with no signs of trauma or previous
arthritic discomfort, displays tenderness upon palpation of the affected
limb and has a mild fever and swollen lymph nodes.

      Fortunately, over ninety percent of dogs treated within the first
week of obvious signs of Lyme Disease will respond rapidly to treatment
with a tetracycline antibiotic. 

Can a dog contract Lyme Disease a second time?  YES
 And, since dogs can harbor the bacteria in their tissues a long time
before the disease is evident, Lyme Disease cases are showing up all
year long.
 
Signs of Lyme Disease in Humans
In humans the first sign of LD is a rash called erythema migrans (EM),
which begins 3-32 days after a tick bite and is usually first noted at
the site of the bite. EM expands over several days with central
clearing, resulting in a bull*s-eye, or target shaped, appearance.
Patients often have fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint
aches, and swollen lymph nodes.

In a few cases, neurological, cardiac, or
musculoskeletal complications may develop weeks or months later. LD can
be cured with antibiotics, especially with early treatment.However, a
small percentage of patients with LD have symptoms months to years after
antibiotic treatment. The cause of these symptoms, which can include
arthritis, cognitive defects, sleep disturbance, or fatigue, is not
known. Some evidence suggests they result from an autoimmune response
rather than chronic infection.

Serologic testing is insensitive in the first few weeks. Antibiotic
treatment may blunt antibody development.

If you live in an area that has Lyme's you need to get your dog vaccinated.
Preventic collars work very well keeping the ticks off or from biting.
Some spot on treatments work also, but not as well as the Preventic collar in some cases.
Use what works for you but use something.
Always check yourself and your dog for ticks crawling on your pants and their fur after walks in the woods. In the fall after the
first rains I find them all over my dog and throw them into the fire or kill them and put them in the trash.
Always wash your hands after hunting for ticks on your pets. Don't forget the cat too!