Mary Allen
Canine Lyme disease can have serious health consequences if not diagnosed and treated early. This disease, also known as Lyme disease, is transmitted and carried away by ticks. Although there is a nationwide obligation to report each TBE so that there is a good picture of the spread, Lyme diseases are only reported by nine federal states. Ticks can transmit the pathogen anywhere in Germany. The risk of noisy triggering is highest in the eastern part of the country with the most blows over the past five years in Dresden and Saxon Switzerland and high values in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg.
HOW EXACTLY DOES LYME GET IN DOGS?
Canine borreliosis is one of the vector-transmitted diseases. This means that it is an infectious disease transmitted by another living organism, in this case, the tiny deer tick. Deer ticks (aka black-legged ticks) are primarily deer, but these little critters aren’t fussy and are happy to jump on board when your dog runs through long grass or wooded areas.
Lyme disease isn’t “contagious” and you can’t catch it from your pup, but you can get infected in exactly the same way if you’re bitten by an infected deer tick. This disease can occur in almost any part of the United States. Current studies show that ticks carrying Lyme disease are endemic to 16 states and that the number of cases of Lyme disease in humans has tripled in the last twenty years.
Although ticks are generally associated with rural areas, long grass, and wooded land, they are more common in suburbs, city parks, and even cities because they are introduced by wildlife, which is usually attracted to the easy prey of food in populated areas will.
Not all dogs bitten by contaminated ticks are sure to get sick, and not all ticks that carry deer canine Lyme disease. Research reports have shown that some that are large currently have some immunity, but there is no way we can help you by telling whether or not your pet is at risk.
It’s best to follow tick prevention measures and treat any tick found on your dog as a potential threat (there are other tick-borne diseases like Rocky Hill Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, and others to consider as well).
Deer ticks are small, usually, between 2 and 3.5 mm, and an adult is no larger than a sesame seed. However, she grows significantly larger and it is easier to spot when she is sucking blood.
REMOVING TICKS QUICKLY IS IMPORTANT!
The tick needs to be attached for between 18 and 48 hours (researchers/experts can’t agree on a more precise time frame at this point) for it to be able to transmit the bacteria that cause canine Lyme disease infection. After this period of time, the germs can be transmitted through the tick’s saliva into Fido’s bloodstream.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF LYME LYME IN DOGS
It’s important to know that symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs usually appear within 2 to 5 months of your dog becoming infected. Occasionally they can appear earlier (in as little as a week, which can be just a few or sometimes later, possibly as much as 12 months or more after exposure.
Signs that COULD indicate your dog has Lyme disease consists of:
- Lethargy or exhaustion that is extreme
- loss of appetite
- Joint pain, swelling, stiffness
- Limp or lameness in one or more legs
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Fever (usually between 40 and 40 degrees Celsius)
Rare but serious symptoms that can occur are
- heart problems
- kidney problems
- Neurological/nervous problems
- heart irregularities
- neurological changes
If Lyme disease goes undetected and untreated, serious complications can develop, such as B:
- Kidney failure or kidney damage
- heart disease
- Neurological problems, seizures, too
- Chronic inflammation/arthritis of the joints
- problems with the immune system
In dogs, you’re unlikely to notice the classic “oxeye rash” as a sign of illness. You may then see a red, spherical rash around the bite site itself, but this is not likely if the tick bite was on a relatively hairless area of your pup (e.g., belly, inside hind leg, etc.).
If your dog has picked up a tick, you need to remove it as soon as possible. Removing the tick within 24 hours reduces the chance that it can transmit canine Lyme disease or other diseases.