Lyme again
Becca tested positive for Lyme disease today. She also had it in 2013. Then she wasn't showing symptoms and it was during a screening. This time she is feeling it. Two weeks ago while we were on vacation she injured her shoulder, minor injury, but enough to make her limp. When we got home I made her an appointment with a nearby vet who does chiropractic. She also has corgis and does agility so I know she understands the corgi body. She adjusted Becca, and did a cold laser treatment. It worked great, limping stopped. I kept her on restricted activity for a few days, but she wanted to do stuff. Then last Friday Becca started not acting herself. She was lacking her typical drive, no oomph. Becca is typically quite full of herself.
I took her back to the vet today for a recheck and we said at the same time, "What about a Lyme check?" It came back positive but we caught it early. Becca is on doxycycline for 30 days.
I guess this is just a reminder for all of us to follow our gut when it comes to our dogs health. I second guessed myself all weekend, thinking something was wrong, then blaming it on the shoulder. I'm really glad I took her in today. Lyme is treatable especially when caught early, but can be life threatening if not.
Now I'm also weighing my options for prevention. She was vaccinated for Lyme. I almost didn't vaccinate but the vet talked me into it. She got it anyway. She has been getting a topical, she got it anyway. I do tick checks...There are many other people her from New England. What do you do for prevention?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Holly on
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I use monthly prevention year round. The only month I missed was February because we had six feet of snow. I had a tick on me in December this past year and all of my family members, including myself, were treated for Lyme Disease this year. Sully only had one tick bite when I was late giving her her monthly prevention medicine and that was in April, when I was also bitten after a long hike in the woods. We still had snow on the ground, but those little buggers are indestructible. I give Sully an ingestible pill called Nexgaurd. I like it because it can't wash off and it really works well. If I didn't use it I am sure she would have ticks all the time and likely get Lyme Disease on a regular basis. The vet recommended Nexgaurd and I have found it very effective here in New England.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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K9 Advantix. The only one that prevents ticks from attaching. We are in PA in I believe the worst hot spot in the country. Jack has always tested negative. However my parents Chessie had it twice and she's on the same regimen as mine.
Maddie had a weak positive but titres were low so we didn't treat.
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We've had zero ticks or fleas on Nexgaurd as well. Not sure if the prices are comparable but Advantix sounds like a good option too. Frontline was fine but I worried about it washing off or getting rubbed off. I didn't try the three month treatment in case she had an adverse reaction after swallowing it.
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hHolly, I've heard Nexgard is very effective and I'm glad it works for you. I understand what you are saying about swimming and bathing too.
What I meant was Advantix is the only one that repels ticks. Frontline and the chewables kill ticks once they bite, but Advantix also repels them.
From the Nexgard website:" It is important to note that Nexgard does not repel ticks. In some cases this means biting and attaching to your dog for up to 48 hours. The tick should be killed before they are attached to your pet long enough to transmit disease."
The nymph stage of the deer tick-- the one that often causes disease--- is so tiny you probably won't see it, even if it's eaten. Products like Nexgard work because they kill any ticks before they have time to transmit disease.
We have stuck with Advantix because we have an untreated indoor cat. We don't want the dogs bringing any fleas or ticks inside, and then have them hop off the dog and onto the cat.
I'm glad there are so many choices now because different things work better for different people and their pets.
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Thanks.good to know. Guess I just got lucky. I didn't realize it didn't repel them. I am lucky Sully is very light colored and I can see easily if any are on her but so far they only land on me. I want to fo a cost comparison again to in case I am spending to much. Sounds like Advantix is worth a try.
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Permalink Reply by Marcie on
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At this point I'm actually debating going natural. Beck's breeder also lives in Maine and doesn't use pesticides. All of the dogs who I know who have gotten Lyme have been treated with some type of topical, most of them were vaccinated. I have never seen deer tick mentioned in any of the literature for the treatments either.
Nexgard scares me a bit, all of the ingestables do. One of the dogs at agility class got extremely ill after her first Nexgard.
I just don't know at this point...
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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Max had Lyme before we got him, he was in MA prior. I had all his vet records from his previous owner and my vet said he only received half the treatment that was needed so he repeated it. He said that any dog who has had Lyme will always show a mild positive for it. Both Max and Katie are vaccinated every year. I do use the K9Advantix even tho we live in the middle of a city. But we do live in a bad area for Lyme. I have lived in this area of NY (Mid Hudson Valley) all my life yet the only time I ever had a tick on me was in TN.
Fleas go in cycles....last time we had a really bad year here was 2-3 years ago. I came in from the yard and my white socks were covered in them. I didn't notice it till I was already in the house, I had run in to answer the phone. Hung up on my poor mother and ran back outside to get my socks and shoes off and then spray everything inside.
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Holly, my own vet uses one of the new edibles, if that means anything. Maybe talk to your vet? If what you are doing is working well, then there may be no good reason to change. The reason we use Advantix is the only tick preventatives when we started were the spot-ons. If it were just Jack I'd probably change to an edible, but Maddie is on seizure medication and 18 trillion supplements and meds at this point in her life and I don't want to switch from something that is NOT causing issues.
Marcie, if you decide to go without, keep us posted on how it goes. I just have visions of dozens of ticks if we go through the woods. I know our breeder only uses meds if her dogs get fleas, but they don't spend much time in the woods. I believe she told me she uses them as-needed mostly because of the cost; they have a decent sized little group of dogs and keeping them all on the meds all-year would probably be prohibitive.
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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
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Gosh, that's a pain! Sorry to hear you're having to treat her again. Here in the Southwest we don't seem to have much Lyme disease, thank heavens! And so far, neither dog has had a problem with ticks or fleas. Now, mosquitoes? That's another issue.
Hope Becca quickly gets back on the top shelf!
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Thanks Vicky. She's totally back to normal and only has two doses of antibiotic left to go. I'm still using Activyl for this year. Next year, I'm not sure what I will do. I'm leaning towards natural methods. I would have stopped the topical already, but the neighborhood has had a flea epidemic. Knock on wood, none here yet.
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