Buzzards Bay Veterinary Associates - Lyme Disease Web Page

BBVA Buzzards Bay Veterinary Associates

230 Main Street * Buzzards Bay, MA 02532 * Tel: 508-759-2521 * Fax: 508-759-6782

What you need to know about Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is caused by a spirochete bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted by the bite of the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis. The deer tick lives on several different species throughout its life cycle including the white footed mouse and the white tailed deer. Both larval and nymphal forms of the tick (which are very small) and adult forms of the tick (which are larger) can transmit the disease if they are allowed to feed on a host for 48 hours. The tick sucks the blood of the host and while doing so, regurgitates the Lyme bacteria into the host’s blood supply. Lyme disease can result in severe, life-threatening consequences for humans including cardiac, neurologic, and musculoskeletal disease. In dogs, Lyme disease does not usually cause the same immediate life threatening problems to the heart and nervous system as it does in humans. It also takes longer for an exposed dog to manisfest signs of the disease – Weeks/ months after the bite of an infected Ixodes tick in a dog compared to days/ weeks in a human.

What are the signs of Lyme Disease in a Dog?

In a “Lyme endemic area” or area where Lyme disease has been reported, such as Dedham and the surrounding areas, over 90% of dogs who are not maintained on regular tick control have been exposed to Lyme disease. Of those exposed, only 10% of so will become ill. Lyme characteristically causes a fever, large, swollen lymph nodes, and swollen and painful arthritic joints. In our practice, we tend to see the carpal (wrist) joints and stifle (knee) joints most commonly inflamed. This acute arthritis responds remarkably well to a 30 day course of antibiotics. The treatment is inexpensive and usually given once per day. The new concern with Lyme disease in the veterinary literature is the potential for some dogs to develop “Lyme Nephritis.” This is a condition that results from the body’s fight against the Lyme spirochete. Numerous proteins called immunoglobulins form as part of the immune response and get stuck in the kidneys. This causes the kidneys to leak protein. This is a type of kidney failure called glomerulonephritis. This condition is usually observed in individuals who have had a long standing, untreated, smouldering Lyme infection.

Lyme testing has become part of the annual examination for your dog:

We have replaced our annual heartworm test with a new three part test which will allow us to test your dog for Heartworm Disease, Lyme Disease, and Ehrlichiosis (another tick-borne disease) at the same cost at the old heartworm test. This test answers the following question:

“Has this dog been exposed to Lyme disease?”

If your dog tests NEGATIVE for Lyme Disease:

This means that he or she has not been exposed to the disease. For all dogs testing negative for Lyme disease, we recommend either a booster vaccination for Lyme disease if your pet has been receiving Lyme vaccinations on a regular basis or starting the Lyme vaccination series. The Lyme vaccination series consists of 2 vaccinations given 3-4 weeks apart. We use the recombinant, vectored Lyme vaccination (recombinant Lyme) which appears to be the safest option. Some pets have become ill after receiving the other form of the vaccine called the whole cell bacterin vaccine – we do not use this type of vaccination. In most circumstances, vaccination for Lyme disease is only effective if your dog has not been previously exposed to Lyme disease.

If your dog tests POSITIVE for Lyme Disease:

Our initial Lyme test answers the following question: “Has this dog been exposed to Lyme disease?” For your dog, the answer was YES. The next questions we need to answer are:

1) “HOW MANY Lyme organisms are in this dog’s body?”

and

2) Is this dog losing protein in his or her kidneys that could indicate Lyme Nephritis (kidney disease/failure) and is there evidence of kidney damage?

To answer question one, we recommend a C6 LYME QUANTITATIVE TEST. This information is extremely important as it gives us baseline information to see if treatment for Lyme disease was successful. Some animals are continuously exposed to Lyme disease in their environment and will have consistently high levels of Lyme spirochetes in their bodies putting them at risk for Lyme Nephritis (kidney disease/ failure caused by the Lyme spirochete). We recommend a baseline quantitative Lyme test be run the day your dog has a positive Lyme test at our hospital. Treatment with antibiotics for 30 days will follow immediately. We then will follow up with a post-treatment test in 4-6 months to see if the Lyme infection was successfully treated.

To answer question two, we will need to submit both a urine sample and a blood test to our lab to see if there is protein in your dog’s urine and if your dog has evidence of early kidney failure. Protein loss suggests that the Lyme disease is in the kidneys. In some cases, this can be cured with antibiotic therapy, but it must be followed closely as kidney disease can be managed with diet, antacids, and other agents to maintain your dog’s quality of life. We recommend a follow up urine sample at the time of the 4-6 month recheck of the Lyme quantitative test.

In most cases, animals who test positive for Lyme disease are poor candidates for vaccination. There are special circumstances called superinfection where dogs are continuously exposed to Lyme and have continuously high levels of C6 antigen in their bodies. These cases may benefit from vaccination. Veterinary immunologists are still unsure about this type of situation, but more data will emerge over the next few years that will help us make this determination.

Once your dog tests positive for Lyme, he will always test positive for Lyme disease. Running the initial survey Lyme test would not be helpful for your dog in this case. Because of this, we need to know if he is positive from an old exposure or if he has been exposed again. For all dogs testing positive, we recommend the C6 QUANTITATIVE LYME test every 6 months to make sure Lyme levels continue to stay low. If these levels increase, another round of antibiotic therapy is needed, as this indicates another exposure to Lyme Disease and again potential danger to the kidneys. If your dog appears to have an increase in Lyme levels, we will recommend checking the urine for excessive protein loss. This is relatively simple as it can be done at our hospital on a urine specimen that you collect and drop off for analysis.

How can I prevent Lyme Disease in my dog?

Dedham and its surrounding areas are now considered Lyme endemic. This means that your dog has significantly increased chances of contracting Lyme disease. Additionally, if you plan to travel to Cape Cod or the Islands, your pets risk is even greater. We now recommend Lyme testing for every dog every year. We also recommend regular Lyme vaccination for those dogs who have not been previously exposed and test negative for Lyme disease.

Regular tick control is EXTREMELY important in a Lyme endemic area. We recommend Frontline™ applied once per month between the shoulder blades of your dog all year around. Frontline is not absorbed systemically, but rather seats itself in the oil glands of your dog’s coat and is gradually released onto the skin throughout the month. Frontline will kill ticks before they attach. Some ticks are able to attach despite Frontline being present, but these are usually killed in 12 hours. These ticks will remain attached, but will be dead. It takes 48 hours of attachment to transmit the Lyme spirochete from the tick to your dog’s blood stream.

The science of infectious diseases is constantly changing:

Veterinarians are only beginning to fully understand the repercussions of Lyme disease in the dog. Information is changing by the day. Our veterinarians are constantly taking continuing education seminars and attending conferences on this subject to ensure that you are provided with up to the minute information on Lyme Disease and your dog.

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