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Pet Health Watch with Dr. Main
What is Lyme Disease?
L
yme is a tick borne disease caused by infection with
the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacteria has
a spiral shape or cork-screw shape, and is known as a
spirochete. The disease is primarily in dogs. The tick that
carries the bacteria is known as the Deer Tick or Ixodes.
The Borrelia organism attaches to the salivary gland of
the tick; and then is transmitted to the dog in the saliva
of the tick. The tick saliva actually helps protect the Lyme
bacteria from the host’s immune system.
related to Lyme disease include
heart disease, eye problems, and
neurological problems.
Diagnosing Lyme disease usually
starts with an Accuplex 4 test that
screens for heartworm disease,
Lyme, and 3 other tick borne
diseases. If this test is positive for
Lyme, then further testing is done
to look for kidney problems and extra protein in the
urine. Many dogs may be clinically normal but simply
experienced exposure and an immune response to the
Borrelia organism. For dogs with a positive test and
clinical symptoms like swollen joints or protein in the
urine; appropriate antibiotic therapy should be started.
Once under the skin the bacteria proliferates and
then begins to spread through tissue. The organism
moves through connective tissue into joints and stays
extracellular (outside the cell). The bacteria is very good
at avoiding the immune system and can change shapes
if needed to prevent detection by the host defenses.
Note that 90% of dogs exposed to the Lyme bacteria
do not develop any symptoms. For those dogs that
develop symptoms – the host immune response to the
connective tissue migration of the bacteria is likely a big
part of the disease process.
If Lyme disease is diagnosed early on, then antibiotic
therapy can be successful. However when the condition
is detected late in the disease and especially when there
is kidney involvement the prognosis is guarded even with
antibiotic therapy.
Clinical signs develop in 10% of dogs exposed. Signs
usually develop 2-5 months after exposure. These signs
can include fever, enlarged lymph nodes, joint swelling
and pain and lameness. The first leg and joint affected
is usually closest to the tick attachment site and then
spreads from there. Further, some patients will develop
kidney disease known as Lyme nephritis. 80% of people
with Lyme disease will get a red bull’s eye lesion on their
skin; yet this is much less apparent in dogs. In general Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases
are on the rise especially in the upper Midwest of this
country. Lyme disease is commonly seen in pets living
in Dupage County. The disease is mostly preventable by
using effective flea and tick prevention throughout the
year. The newer monthly oral flea and tick preventatives
such as Nexgard and Simparica are highly effective and
available through veterinarians.
Lyme nephritis develops in 1-2% of dogs with an antibody
response to the Lyme organism. This is usually a serious
and sometimes fatal condition. The condition leads
to kidney failure and is over represented in Labrador
and golden retrievers. Other less common disorders Lyme can be an insidious disease as well as life
threatening. If as a pet owner you are out and about with
your dog it is important to be informed of the risk of tick
borne diseases. Surveys show these diseases are on the
increase in our community.
Emails and Letters from Adopters
Hello!
Thank you for checking in. I have been meaning to contact you. We love having Rocco.
We shortened his name. He’s doing very well. He’s such a sweet, smart, and fun dog.
He’s great with my son too. We’re currently working with him on walking on a leash. We
had our first vet visit and they said he’s doing great. Thank you so much for helping us
find him! It was great working with WSHS. I’m happy to give this good review for sure!
Jen
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