Lyme Disease

What is Lyme Disease?

• Infection by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi

How can my pet get Lyme Disease?

• Bite of a deer tick (Ixodes spp.)
• Transmission occurs when tick is attached for 24-48 hours

What’s the big deal? Public safety is!

• ZOONOTIC: can be transmitted from animals to humans
  • Example: a tick could take a meal from a Lyme infected dog, then attach itself to a human and also infect that human
• In dogs: swollen/painful joints, swollen lymph nodes, limping
• In humans: “bulls-eye” rash, fatigue, fever, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes

How do I know if my pet has Lyme disease?

• SNAP test (if you get a yearly 4DX heartworm SNAP test, a Lyme antibody test is typically included)

How do I prevent it?

• Regular screening at wellness visits
• Year-round prescription-strength tick prevention
• Vaccination if in an endemic region

For more information:

https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/about/index.html

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952009