Lyme disease

[BostonRott]

Thought I'd start a new thread, so that the next time some one does an archive search, they'll find a whole thread on Lyme's disease.

The posts on Froli are copied here, and a wonderful link which answers many questions is also here. It talks about the testing, the treatment and why Frontline does not always work, and a Preventic collar is the best prevention (if you choose to go that route).

Froli started with not acting herself on Saturday a.m., after having been 100% fine on Friday. No recent illness, no known trauma, no medical history of any kind. She's a fit, healthy, happy 6.5 yr old girl. Saturday a.m. she seemed grumpy, decreased appetite. I took her to the seminar with me, but didn't work her because she was obviously not feeling well. She yipped when she jumped out of my Expedition, as her back end landed. She was very hesitant and uncomfortable going up and down stairs. She did roll over for a belly-rub/massage while in the seminar, but she was very obviously hurting.

Initial post, Saturday evening:

Froli is acting very strangely right now, hasn't been right all day. She's grumpy, decreased appetite, haunched-up rear, no power in her rear to jump into the car, very uncomfortable on the stairs, yipped as she jumped out of the car, as her rear landed, is not limping on any leg, no heat in her joints, rear muscles are quivering and tight, and no known recent causes of significant trauma.

She got a bunch of supplements this evening, no dinner and is in a crate being rested. If she's still really bad tomorrow, I'll pull from the rest of the seminar and get her to the vet, otherwise, we'll go Monday a.m.

I'm also considering Lyme's (recent deer tick exposure in November......was negative for Lyme's in July when tested) and intestinal blockage (recently had large beef bones, which sometimes she pukes up large pieces of).

I've never seen Froli in so much pain, or so reactive to it. I feel really badly for her.

The next morning, I didn't get much chance to see her move about, but she didn't seem worse.

Further progression, Sunday:

I went to the seminar today, came home and found Froli lying on the couch, not even lifting her head to look at me. Thought she was dead, she was not moving at all. Needless to say I got really worried.

Couldn't get ahold of hubby to find out if she'd pooped today or not. He finally came home said she'd gone out, done her business and was still moving with a lot of pain and favoring a back leg.

I had to wait for him to come home, because I didn't want to try to move her myself. Was getting ready to go to the emergency vet, and put a call into her chiropracter, who is also does a lot of treatment with homeopathic remedies. She came right over, said "definitely Lyme's disease," did a few clicks with the activator and left us with some remedies. SHe's acting slightly better, at least got up and took a few steps, and is moving her head around more.

Monday a.m., after homeopathic remedies, progress!

This morning Frol continues to show progress. She's still got a lot of obvious weakness, she's walking about like a wobbly drunk. However, her attitude is much better,she's back to cat-obsessing and perking her ears at the usual phrases "Where is the kitty?" "Do you want to eat?" "Where is the bad guy??" Last night, the cat (who is Siamese and VERY loud) came down the stairs and yowled and yowled for all she was worth. Normally, Froli would have been going out of her mind. Last night, she didn't even lift her head. When Anne came over, she still wouldn't move or lift her head, she just lay on the couch alarm-barking. That in particular told me how badly she's hurting.

This morning, she's wandering slowly and wobbily around upstairs, hoping for a kitty and acting much more Froli-like. She's still in a good bit of pain, you can see it in how she maneuvers and what she is or is not willing to do.

Here is the info from the Yankee Golden Retreiver Rescue group. I've taken the liberty of pasting the whole thing here, as over time, links often change/break and I think this is some of the best and current info that I've read.

Lyme Disease


Compiled from materials provided by Steven A. Levy, VMD, Durham Veterinary Hospital, Durham, Connecticut

In recent years, ticks have become much more than just disgusting nuisances for dog owners as we have learned that they can carry and transmit a variety of diseases to our dogs. Perhaps the best known tick-borne illness is Lyme Disease. The first outbreak of Lyme Disease in humans occurred in Old Lyme, Connecticut in 1975. The first case of canine Lyme arthritis was reported in 1984. Since that time cardiac (heart) and renal (kidney) effects of Lyme have also been noted. Lyme has been reported in humans in 47 of the lower 48 states and is endemic (always present) on the east coast, west coast and upper Midwest.

The organism (pathogen) that causes Lyme Disease is a spiral shaped bacteria (spirochete) called Borrelia burgdorferi. Ticks are the vectors that transmit the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi from a reservoir host animal to a non-infected animal. Lyme disease is vectored by two kinds of ticks: Ixodes scapularis on the mid Atlantic coast, northeast New England and upper Midwest and Ixodes pacificus on the west coast and in British Columbia. These ticks may be active from September through July depending on weather conditions and geographic location.

Ixodes scapularis ticks feed on three different hosts during their development from eggs to adult ticks. Eggs hatch and larvae feed on small mammals, such as rodents, which may be carriers of the Lyme organism. In regions where winters are cold, it takes two years for ticks to mature which is ideal for the maintenance of infection. When tick larvae infected by feeding on rodents in the fall molt to nymphs the next spring, the next generation of rodents can be infected. And the cycle continues.

Ixodes ticks live up to two years and that longevity perpetuates the pathogen within the tick. The pathogens taken in the tick's blood meal escape the tick's digestive process when they are internalized by the cells which line the tick's digestive tract. Ixodes ticks can produce up to 22,000 eggs in one egg clutch and Ixodes scapularis and pacificus females generally lay up to several thousand eggs before they die. Ticks have the ability through their saliva to suppress an immune response in the host, thus allowing repeat feedings on the same host by many ticks.

Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted to a host via tick saliva after a lag phase of approximately 24 to 48 hours. In mammals, the bacteria takes up residence in the layer of cells that line the inside of blood vessels and may lie dormant in connective tissue. It is difficult to detect the bacteria in blood or in tissue and the bacteria can evade both the host's immune response and antibiotic therapy. It takes three to six weeks for the production of antibodies which indicate that an animal has been infected by the organism. This is important because the best way to test for infection is to test for antibodies.

Diagnosis

The incubation period for the disease in naturally infected dogs is unknown but in laboratory dogs clinical signs develop from two to five months after exposure to infected ticks.

Clinical signs of Lyme disease include inflammation of the joints (arthritis), the heart (carditis) or the kidneys (nephritis/renal) and nervous system abnormalities. Lyme arthritis is characterized by sudden onset of joint swelling, lameness, fever and lethargy and swollen lymph nodes, while some dogs may show more chronic and less dramatic signs. Cardiac Lyme is characterized by heart block and treatment must include a pacemaker and antibiotics. Renal Lyme is generally fatal (kidney failure) and often occurs in young adult dogs. Central nervous system infection with Lyme has been associated with seizure disorders.

One of the most confusing issues in the diagnosis of Lyme disease has been the significance of testing. A test result that shows antibodies directed against Borrelia burgdorferi is merely an indication of exposure to the organism or to a vaccine (which contains an antigen). A positive test result by itself does not constitute a diagnosis of Lyme disease.

Recently a new test has been developed to aid in the diagnosis of canine Lyme Disease. Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi detected by previously available tests could not be identified as either infection or vaccination induced antibodies without performing an expensive test called a Western blot. The new test is called a C6 ELISA and is available in the SNAP3Dx test kit which provides the veterinarian with data concerning three vector borne diseases of dogs: Heartworm, canine Erlichiosis and Lyme disease. The C6 ELISA component of the SNAP3Dx is unique in that it is specific for the antibody that is produced when live Borrelia burgdorferi interact with cells in the spleen of an infected animal. Thus it offers the veterinarian the ability to determine whether a dog has Borrelia burgdorferi antibody that is produced in response to active infection rather than by vaccination.
This distinction is a vital part of the diagnosis of Lyme disease in dogs that may have been vaccinated against the Lyme organism. This information was previously only available through the Western blot test which is time consuming, expensive and potentially difficult to interpret.

Prevention

Tick avoidance, control and tick bite prevention. Keep dogs out of areas with tall grass, etc. Ticks wait on grass and leaves and can detect a dog's presence by smelling carbon dioxide (on a mammal's breath), or other odorants produced by the dog. When a dog (or other mammal) contacts the tick by brushing against the vegetation where the tick is waiting, the tick transfers to that animal, grasps securely with claws on the ends of its legs and then finds a place to make a small incision and attach itself by secreting a glue-like substance. Conduct careful tick checks every time a dog has been outdoors.

Products that are put on the host (dog) can produce good results in tick control. The Preventic collar is the only tick control product with a study to prove that it can prevent disease transmission. Frontline, a spot-on insecticide containing fipronil, kills ticks that contact it within 24-48 hours. Therefore, it is possible that an infected tick could transmit the disease to the dog before the fipronil killed the tick.

Immunization

A 1993 published study of dogs immunized with LymeVax indicated that vaccinating before tick-borne exposure gives the best protection against Lyme disease. Immunization with LymeVax has been demonstrated to be safe - even for dogs already infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. However, it is important to note that even if they are immunized with LymeVax, dogs with positive C6 antibody tests are already infected and might still develop the disease due to the prior infection.

Vaccinating young pups in endemic areas as part of the routine puppy series - before they have been bitten by infected ticks - is the best way to protect them.

Dogs with signs of Lyme arthritis and positive SNAP/C6 tests should be started on antibiotic protocols for up to 28 days. The dog's response to the antibiotics should be rechecked in 14 days and if a favorable response is noted, a LymeVax vaccination series should be initiated. If the response to the antibiotics is minimal or the symptoms have worsened, the veterinarian should reassess the diagnosis.

In endemic areas, any dog older than a puppy should be considered at risk for prior exposure. Adult dogs should be given the SNAP test to determine if the dog has been infected with the disease. Adult dogs without clinical signs should be tested with SNAP and immunized with LymeVax as soon as they move to endemic areas. Dogs with positive C6 tests can be started on antibiotic protocols concurrent with the first dose of LymeVax. A second vaccination is given two weeks later. The vaccinations are given annually thereafter.

Questions have been raised about signs of Lyme disease arising after the dog has been vaccinated. However, no data or hard evidence has proved the possible post-immunization syndrome. Dr. Levy has vaccinated more than 1000 dogs annually with LymeVax since 1990 and has not observed a post-vaccination syndrome in any of them. Dogs given Lyme vaccines may experience the same post-vaccination discomfort seen with any of the vaccines which are administered to dogs. The 1993 study demonstrated that LymeVax was both safe and effective in un-infected dogs as well as dogs which had already been bitten by infected ticks.

Conclusion

Lyme arthritis is a crippling and painful condition for a dog to suffer but it is an obvious symptom of Lyme disease so you know something is wrong and you can treat it. (Nonetheless, 15-25% of dogs treated for Lyme arthritis will become chronically affected and have incomplete resolution of signs or recurrent disease.)

Since Lyme disease can also invisibly affect the heart, kidneys and nervous system without the dog showing clinical signs until it is too late, it is essential to try to protect your dog from the disease. If you live in an area where the disease is present (check with your veterinarian), consider the protocol outlined above. Encourage your veterinarian to use the SNAP test as a way to determine what the incidence of Lyme disease in your area is.

Source: http://www.ygrr.org/doginfo/health-lymedisease.html

[Judi W]

I find this information intimidating and frightening! This is a serious disease and no question about it. Let's hope your vet has the elisa test described so you can know for sure what you are dealing with.

[Judy Chrusch]

Frightening indeed Judi but it's out their and it's real and as you know, I've been through it and almost lost Czar bc of it :( . Being educated and knowing what to ask for is far better then a dead dog. I can't tell you how many people I've dealt with in the last 2 years and who have lost their dog/dogs to lyme. Part of it was lack of education and the other was they simply didn't want to follow through with things I've suggested. I can only speak from experience and try to help others but I can't make people do things. Finding out that those people lost their pets just bc they didn't want to listen and take my advice was simply selfish on their part. That's why a relationship with your vet is also essential.

Some people don't know the seriousness of lyme, they don't know the signs and the right questions to ask. We all want to have trust in out vets but I went through 4 and almost lost the battle but persistence and perserverance on my part is the reason Czar is alive today. I know many people here are sick if hearing my story but it's real and we MUST educate ourselves on the do's and don't's of prevention of this sometimes fatal disease. Czar is alive today bc of me, bc I never gave up, never stopped asking questions and I searched until I found someone who could try to save him. Had I gone with the original Dr. and even the 3 after them, he wouldn't be here today, but I'll be damn if someone is going to tell me my 1 1/2 yr. old male is going to die bc there is NOTHING else they could do, he was that bad :( .

Anyway, no need to rehash all that bc it is still quite upsetting, I think this information is excellent and I thank Gretchen for taking the time to write all this out. I printed all 5 pages out to keep with my records, my TONS and TONS of records in Czars chart that I have started here at home.

Oh one more thing as far as preventative, I agree, the BEST preventative, and it's what I now use, is the Preventic collar. It was recommended to me by my present vet and Czar must wear one every day ALL year round. He is also on a low dose of doxy the first 5 days of every month for the rest of his life in addition to vitamins and supplements.

For those who don't know, Czar who is now 3 was MISDIAGNOSED at the age of 1 1/2 with Lyme nephritis and was days away from being put down bc he was that sick and went into kidney failure, so there is hope, catch it early, educate yourself and most importantly PREVENT it in the first place or at least do what you can to minimize the chances, especially if you live in an area where lyme is ramped. Another myth, they say that the ticks are gone after the first frost and your safe from using protection, WRONG, I can't tell you how many times we found ticks on Czar in the dead of winter and where there are deer there are ticks!

Thankyou again Gretchen for this valuable information, know your dog and act on any behavior that is different.

Judy

[K-9Girl]

Thanks Gretchen...I too am going to print this out to keep in my "dog" folder. Very scary, but good to know about.... :)

Sara