Lyme Disease
This disease is a form of infectious arthritis. It is caused by a
bacteria transmitted by small ticks.
Symptoms
The most common sign is limping or lameness that may shift from
leg to leg. The joints may become warm and swollen plus the lymph nodes can be
swollen. A blood test is needed to confirm the disease.
Treatment
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics.
Preventions
Vaccination against the
disease is recommended, especially pets that live in the area where deer are
common. Always check your pet for ticks. Ticks usually have to be attached for
about 24 hours before they transmit the infection.
Lyme Borreliosis in Dogs
Lyme disease is one of the most common
tick-transmitted diseases in the world. It is caused by a spirochete (bacteria)
species of the Borrelia burgdorferi group. Dominant clinical feature in
dogs is recurrent lameness due to inflammation of the joints. There may also be
a lack of appetite and depression. More serious complications include damage to
the kidney, and rarely heart or nervous system
disease.
Kidney disease appears to be more prevalent.
Experimentally, young dogs appear to be more susceptible to Lyme disease than
adult dogs. Transmission of the disease has been reported in dogs throughout the
United States and Europe, but is most prevalent in the upper Midwestern states,
the Atlantic seaboard, and the Pacific coastal
states.
Symptoms and Types
Many dogs with Lyme disease have recurrent lameness of the limbs
due to inflammation of the joints. Others, meanwhile, may develop acute
lameness, which lasts for only three to four days but recurs days to weeks
later, with lameness in the same leg, or in other legs. Better known as
“shifting-leg lameness,” this condition is characterized by lameness in one leg,
with a return to normal function, and another leg is then involved; one or more
joints may be swollen and warm; a pain response is elicited by feeling the
joint; responds well to antibiotic
treatment.
Some dogs may also develop kidney problems. If left untreated, it
may lead to glomerulonephritis, which causes inflammation and accompanying
dysfunction of the kidney's glomeruli (essentially, a blood filter). Eventually,
total kidney failure sets in and the dog begins to exhibit such signs as
vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, weight loss, increased urination and
thirst, fluid buildup in the abdomen and fluid buildup in the tissues,
especially the legs and under the skin.
Other symptoms associated with Lyme disease
include:
Stiff back walk with an arched back
- Sensitive to touch
Difficulty breathing
- Fever, lack of appetite, and depression may accompany
inflammation of the joints Superficial lymph nodes close to the site of the infecting
tick bite may be swollen
- Heart abnormalities are reported, but rare; they include
complete heart block
- Nervous system complications (rare)
Causes
Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the bacteria responsible
for Lyme disease, is transmitted by slow-feeding, hard-shelled deer ticks.
However, infection typically occurs after the Borrelia-carrying tick has
been attached to the dog for at least 18
hours.
Diagnosis
You will need to give a thorough history of your dog's health,
including a background history of symptoms, and possible incidents that might
have precipitated this condition. The history you provide may give your
veterinarian clues as to which organs are being affected secondarily. A
complete blood profile will be conducted, including a chemical blood profile, a
complete blood count, and a urinalysis. Your veterinarian will use these tests
to look for the presence of bacteria, parasites, and fungi in the bloodstream. Fluid from the affected joints may also be drawn for analysis.
The condition of the skin near the tick-bite site will be an important indicator of your dog's health as well, such as whether the wound is still open, or whether there are any fragments of the tick's body left in the wound.
There
are many causes for arthritis, and your veterinarian will focus on
differentiating arthritis initiated by Lyme disease from other inflammatory
arthritic disorders, such as trauma, or osteochondrosis dissecans (a condition
found in large, fast growing breeds of puppies). Immune-mediated diseases will
also be considered as a possible cause of the symptoms, and an X-ray of the
painful joints will allow your doctor to examine the bones for damage or
disorder
inflammation of the joints
tick bite may be swollen
complete heart block