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by Ninja181 on 26 February 2010 - 00:02
What is the Prognosis for a dog that contacts lyme disease from a tick bite. I know they prescribe antibiotics but is this a permanent cure? Are there any lingering effects?
by MaggieMae on 26 February 2010 - 00:02
Ninja -- Try "Search Message Board -- there are Numerous Threads on it.
by hodie on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
Prognosis is in general, good if caught and treated. Some dogs require long term treatment with antibiotics and the right antibiotic is critical. Let me know Ninja if you need more help.
by Ninja181 on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
Thanks Hodie,
I just read an old thread on it and one of your extensive posts on the subject. So you answered all of my concerns on the old thread.
I guess I should have done a search first, shame on me. LOL
I just read an old thread on it and one of your extensive posts on the subject. So you answered all of my concerns on the old thread.
I guess I should have done a search first, shame on me. LOL
by hodie on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
NO biggie Ninja. Is your dog ill? I hope not. Email me if I can help.
Take good care.
Take good care.
by Ninja181 on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
Hodie,
He went to the vets today to have a couple of small cysts removed and his teeth cleaned. When I picked him up they told me they tested him for heartworm etc. and that he tested positive for lymes disease. He has been acting fine. They gave me antibiotics for the lymes which I will start him on tomorrow.
He is 5 years old and I think he has only had two or three ticks on him. I guess it only takes one bite.
Thanks for the help.
He went to the vets today to have a couple of small cysts removed and his teeth cleaned. When I picked him up they told me they tested him for heartworm etc. and that he tested positive for lymes disease. He has been acting fine. They gave me antibiotics for the lymes which I will start him on tomorrow.
He is 5 years old and I think he has only had two or three ticks on him. I guess it only takes one bite.
Thanks for the help.
by hodie on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
It only takes one bite for a long enough time for the pathogen to be transmitted. However, there are false positives in these tests. How was the dog tested? And did you get Doxycycline or?
by Ninja181 on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
Hodie,
I don't know what type of test they used, but they said he also tested positive for anaplasm (spelling?) which they said was associated with lyme disease.
They gave me Doxycyline 100 mg to be taken two pills twice a day for 21 days.
I don't know what type of test they used, but they said he also tested positive for anaplasm (spelling?) which they said was associated with lyme disease.
They gave me Doxycyline 100 mg to be taken two pills twice a day for 21 days.
by starrchar on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
In the medical community there are two schools of thought regarding treatment of Lyme disease. There are doctors that believe patients with Lyme disease need to be treated periodically because it is never really cured. The other school of thought is that after the full course of antibiotics the Lyme disease is cured. Yes, the symptoms need to be treated, but there is no reason to treat with antibiotics more than once. Who's right? I don't know.
Just a few weeks ago I spoke to my sister's infectious disease doctor (my sister had/has Lyme disease) and she said basically it is very controversial as to whether Lyme disease is cured or not. She said if it is caught within a three-four weeks, generally it can be treated without any lasting effects. If treated after that there are usually lasting effects of some sort- heart problems, joint pain, nerve pain, immune system issues. She believes one course of antibiotics is all that is needed and symptoms need to be treated as necessary.
My dog had Lyme disease (1994). My dog was treated with antibiotics fairly soon after contracting it (he contracted it before I bought him, so I don't know the exact timing) and although his blood work showed he was "cured", some of the symptoms remained for the rest of his life, but he did live to 14 years of age. His immune system was affected and so was his heart.
My sister had Lyme disease (1986). She sadly went undiagnosed for 20 years. In the meantime she was tested for eveything imaginable- MS, Lupus, MD, Scleroderma, Chronic Fatigue. She was finally diagnosed three years ago and was treated with antibiotics. According to her blood work she is "cured", but the damage has been done and it is irreversible. It ravaged my sister's body and she is basically bed ridden and will be for the rest of her life. She has no immune system- allergic to everything almost, she has joint pain, heart problems, digestive problems, damaged nervous system and is very fatigued all the time- she has enough energy only to go back and forth to the bathroom. She was a vibrant, energetic woman before she got it. If they only would've tested early on the outcome would've been very different.
My aunt contracted it (1980) and was not diagnosed for 2 months. My aunt was treated, but she had joint problems, heart problems and other health issues directly related to the Lyme disease. She still lived to 90 years of age, but her quality of life was definitely compromised by the Lyme disease.
One more thing that I need to mention is that Lyme disease goes undiagnosed a lot because many people don't have the classic symptoms- finding a tick (the ticks are small, can bite and fall off without the person knowing it) , bulls-eye rash and flu like symptoms. Fortunately doctors are more aware of Lyme disease now than they were 20-30 years ago and are more inclined to test early on. If your think your dog has been bitten by a tick and shows any signs of a Lyme disease such as poor apetite, fatigue, joint pain and has a fever take the dog to the vet immediately. The sooner treatment is started, the better the outcome
I hope this helps.
Just a few weeks ago I spoke to my sister's infectious disease doctor (my sister had/has Lyme disease) and she said basically it is very controversial as to whether Lyme disease is cured or not. She said if it is caught within a three-four weeks, generally it can be treated without any lasting effects. If treated after that there are usually lasting effects of some sort- heart problems, joint pain, nerve pain, immune system issues. She believes one course of antibiotics is all that is needed and symptoms need to be treated as necessary.
My dog had Lyme disease (1994). My dog was treated with antibiotics fairly soon after contracting it (he contracted it before I bought him, so I don't know the exact timing) and although his blood work showed he was "cured", some of the symptoms remained for the rest of his life, but he did live to 14 years of age. His immune system was affected and so was his heart.
My sister had Lyme disease (1986). She sadly went undiagnosed for 20 years. In the meantime she was tested for eveything imaginable- MS, Lupus, MD, Scleroderma, Chronic Fatigue. She was finally diagnosed three years ago and was treated with antibiotics. According to her blood work she is "cured", but the damage has been done and it is irreversible. It ravaged my sister's body and she is basically bed ridden and will be for the rest of her life. She has no immune system- allergic to everything almost, she has joint pain, heart problems, digestive problems, damaged nervous system and is very fatigued all the time- she has enough energy only to go back and forth to the bathroom. She was a vibrant, energetic woman before she got it. If they only would've tested early on the outcome would've been very different.
My aunt contracted it (1980) and was not diagnosed for 2 months. My aunt was treated, but she had joint problems, heart problems and other health issues directly related to the Lyme disease. She still lived to 90 years of age, but her quality of life was definitely compromised by the Lyme disease.
One more thing that I need to mention is that Lyme disease goes undiagnosed a lot because many people don't have the classic symptoms- finding a tick (the ticks are small, can bite and fall off without the person knowing it) , bulls-eye rash and flu like symptoms. Fortunately doctors are more aware of Lyme disease now than they were 20-30 years ago and are more inclined to test early on. If your think your dog has been bitten by a tick and shows any signs of a Lyme disease such as poor apetite, fatigue, joint pain and has a fever take the dog to the vet immediately. The sooner treatment is started, the better the outcome
I hope this helps.
by starrchar on 26 February 2010 - 01:02
While I was writing the above post you and Hodie were communicating. Sorry for the redundancy. When it comes to dogs and health issues, few people know more than Hodie. I'm glad you got the information you needed and I hope your dog makes a full recovery.
Char
Char
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