Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is considered the most common tick-transmitted disease in the world. The disease itself is caused by a bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is seen in dogs, cats, horses, cattle and in humans, making this an especially important disease to watch out for.

When a tick bites a human or animal that already has the disease, it swallows some of these tiny bacteria. Then, when it later bites an uninfected human or animal, these bacteria are let free to infect the next victim. It was previously thought that only certain species of ticks were capable of transmitting the disease, but that notion is rapidly disappearing. As more and more cases have been seen in Arizona-native dogs, we have found out that our local ticks are transmitting the illness quite effectively.

There is a little good news, however; only about 5% of all dogs infected will actually get Lyme Disease. Signs of the disease can include sudden arthritis and lameness that may come and go, swollen painful joints, fever, loss of appetite, enlarged lymph nodes, and in rare cases, severe kidney and neurological disease. There are other diseases which may mimic the signs of Lyme disease, and diagnosis until now has been difficult.

A new test called the "C6" has proven very effective at diagnosing active infections. Antibiotic medications are available to treat the disease but may be needed for four weeks. A vaccine to help prevent the infection is also available from most veterinarians.