Cyrus has Lyme

[Denise L.]

The vet called with the results last night and Cyrus does indeed have Lyme disease. (Thank you Gretchen for links I found when doing a search here!)

The vet thinks he has been harboring this for a while. I have been using Frontline Plus since I have had him and there are no deer ticks in our area. He could have picked up a tick at training classes last year I guess but he was on Frontline by then. He did come from a rural area before I adopted him.

I will be off soon to pick up his medication. BTW, the Rimadyl seemed to have finally kicked in this week. He was visibly better yesterday. Even folks at work commented how much better was moving.

Thank goodness for you folks...if not for Rott.net I would not have had the knowledge to be proactive in this.

[RottiMomCT]

Aw phooey Denise...give the big lug a smooch and a butt scritch from me.

Did he get Doxycycline for the Lyme?? He'll be all better quickly - especially with your care ...you are a good dog mom.

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by RottiMomCT

Aw phooey Denise...give the big lug a smooch and a butt scritch from me.

Did he get Doxycycline for the Lyme?? He'll be all better quickly - especially with your care ...you are a good dog mom.

Thanks Anne! No, he's getting tetracycline. I am ducking out of work for an hour to go pick it up...gotta teach aerobics right after work to help pay for all this! AND I am teaching first thing tomorrow morning too...busy, busy keeping the Fluffernutter healthy!

[jas'smom]

OH MAN! glad you were so quick to pick up on this....now the boy can get better!

[cuppacoffee]

Oh poor Cyrus! Well, hopefully he'll be feeling much better soon. When does he start treatment? I'm not sure if he can get it after he's been diagnosed positive, but there is a Lyme vaccine..
Kate

[cuppacoffee]

Originally Posted by Denise L.

Thanks Anne! No, he's getting tetracycline.

Denise, not sure if this applies to animals, too, but people are really photosensitive while on tetracycline.. you might want to keep him out of the sun, or at least ask the doc about it.
Kate

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by cuppacoffee

Denise, not sure if this applies to animals, too, but people are really photosensitive while on tetracycline.. you might want to keep him out of the sun, or at least ask the doc about it.
Kate

Thanks Kate! Yes, I thought of this last night and I will ask.

Cyrus was vaccinated for Lyme in December and the vet will do a Western Blot to see if the positive result is from the vaccine...he wants to start treatment anyway because it is level 3 and he is thinking the vaccine alone wouldn't show that level.

[Miabella]

Ugh, I hate ticks! I know I sound like a broken record, but you should try the Preventic collars. They have worked much better for us than Frontline.

Get better soon, Cyrus!

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by Miabella

Ugh, I hate ticks! I know I sound like a broken record, but you should try the Preventic collars. They have worked much better for us than Frontline.

Get better soon, Cyrus!

Yup! Gonna ask about that too when I get his medicine this morning!

[animaltrainer]

Originally Posted by Miabella

Ugh, I hate ticks! I know I sound like a broken record, but you should try the Preventic collars. They have worked much better for us than Frontline.

Get better soon, Cyrus!

Just a quick note. Several years ago, one of our dogs ate about two inches of a Preventic collar (they are treated with a bittering agent to prevent this, but...). The collars work well, but the dog almost died, even with prompt treatment for Amitraz poisoning - it took days for him to pass the pieces of the collar.

Be well,

Dennis Owens
New York City

[Miabella]

Originally Posted by animaltrainer

Just a quick note. Several years ago, one of our dogs ate about two inches of a Preventic collar (they are treated with a bittering agent to prevent this, but...). The collars work well, but the dog almost died, even with prompt treatment for Amitraz poisoning - it took days for him to pass the pieces of the collar.

Be well,

Dennis Owens
New York City

Good to know, thanks. The package directions tell you to fit the collars pretty tightly and trim off the excess, so since my dogs don't gnaw on each other's necks, I'm not too worried about it.

[debbiej]

almost missed reading this. so his elbow and hips are ok? glad you have a diagnosis and treatment!!

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by debbiej

almost missed reading this. so his elbow and hips are ok? glad you have a diagnosis and treatment!!

I wish! He has moderate hip displasia and I have been giving him Rimadyl for 2 weeks. I just got the doxycycline (Anne, you were right!) today.

FIVE capsules 1X per day. Oh my aching head

One of our painters here has 4 Goldens and they ALL have had Lyme...so much for Frontline Plus!

[Sargeant_C]

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43885

Judy Ch. Had a dog with lyme and here is a thread she started about it.

[BostonRott]

Doxy can be upsetting to the stomach in high dose. If you see him having troubles, split the dosage up. Also, he needs to be on the doxy for a minimum of 60 days. A lot of vets want to treat for 30 days (or even 21) but that's not the current thinking in those who treat this all the time. It's a hard organism to get rid of, b/c of all the places it gets into. Stand firm on this with the vet if they give you a hard time.

Also, a homeopathic treatment that works very well with Lyme is Ledum palustre (often just referred to as Ledum). I'd see if you can find the 1M strength, but if not, 30C will have to do. It's for insect bites and works very well with Lyme, I know several friends who have treated their dogs only with this (a course I don't recommend!) and no antibiotics. You'll find it at holistic/homeopathic stores, and some of the more natural food/drug stores. There is a pharmacy in Waltham on Main St called Johnson drug that I know carries it (and at the 1M strength).

Glad you have a diagnosis, best of luck with the treatment! :)