Canine Lyme Disease Can Be Deadly
September 27th, 2008 . by adminCases of Lyme disease are usually thought of only in humans, but lyme disease symptoms in dogs are also very common, depending on where they live, and their lifestyle.
Lyme disease was named for the town Lyme in Connecticut, where it was first discovered several years ago. It is caused by being bitten by a black legged tick, or sometimes refer to as the deer tick.
The entire northeast region of the country, plus New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, continues to be a heavy Lyme disease area for dogs. Over seventy thousand cases of canine Lyme disease in dogs have been reported so far.
People are familiar with the signs of Lyme disease in humans, such as flu-like symptoms, a bull’s-eye rash at the bite site, migraine headache, and joint pain, and if left untreated neurological and cardiac problems.
Unfortunately if a dog gets bitten, and contracts Lyme disease, the early warning symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs usually goes unnoticed until the later stages set in. By then it can be difficult, expensive, and painful for your dog, to try and cure.
Some of the usual symptoms of a dog with Lyme disease would be, a dog that is quite sick, with a fever. They are usually listless, not eating, and basically have no interest in doing anything that they once did.
The best way to handle canine Lyme disease is to prevent it before it happens. One way is to have your dog vaccinated against Lyme disease. The cost is typically about fifty dollars.
This is really the best option if you live in a high risk area, since symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs is very hard to notice until it is quite advanced.
You can also use a repellant that is applied to your dog several times a year to help prevent ticks. These repellants are very good, but generally not as good as the vaccine.
If your dog spends time in wooded areas when ticks are prevalent, they should be vaccinated, because tick-killing products are never 100% effective. Check with your vet for his opinion.
Dogs cannot transmit Lyme disease to humans. However since dogs and their masters often go to the same places together, and often share the same space, it is common for both to get the disease.
If you don’t live in any of the areas mentioned you probably don’t need to be concerned, unless you are planning a trip with your dog to one of these areas, although I have heard that the disease is slowly making its way into other states.
If your pooch is an inside house dog and rarely goes outside, you probably don’t need to be too concerned.
Cats very rarely get Lyme disease. No one knows why, but it is thought they may be more resistant to the disease, or less attractive to ticks.
Dogs are just the opposite and seem to attract ticks like a magnet. It is most likely some chemical attraction for ticks and fleas or a scent emitted by the dog that attracts them, and makes them very prone to the canine Lyme disease. No one is really sure.
To save money on your veterinarian bills every year Click Here!










