One of the best summer activities is going on an outdoor adventure with your best buddy by your side. However, there are some considerations you should make to protect your pet’s safety from Lyme Disease
Protecting your pet against ticks
Who transmit Lyme disease and can infect your dog with a single bite and result in major health issues, is one of the most crucial things you can do.
This summer has unfortunately seen a dramatic increase in the number of Lyme disease cases reported to vets, with one new infection being reported every day.
Warmer weather caused ticks to become active earlier in the year, according to Dr. Julia Lucas of Cumberland Animal Clinic, which she believes is the cause of the growing numbers.
Since many people adopted their first dog during the pandemic, she also mentioned that they might not be familiar with the best ways to safeguard their animals against these vile vermin.
If you want to ensure that you and your canine companion have a fantastic summer without making any unneeded trips to the veterinarian, regardless of whether you are an experienced dog parent or a first-time owner, you should brush up on the signs and preventative techniques of Lyme disease in dogs.
Lyme disease: What Is It?
This bacterial illness, sometimes known as Lyme borreliosis, is passed from dogs, cats, and humans to ticks. However, not all ticks are carriers of Lyme disease; in the US, the black-legged tick (deer tick) and western black-legged tick are the species most likely to transmit the illness.
The tick needs to be attached to your pet for at least 24 to 48 hours in order to transmit disease. Although it is not dangerous on its own for dogs, Lyme disease can cause kidney failure, which can result in death.
Lyme disease signs in dogs
If you see any of these symptoms in your pet, you should take them to the veterinarian so they can be tested for Lyme disease, even if you didn’t even notice the tick was attached to their body.
• Lameness brought on by joint pain
• Fever
• Lethargy
• Appetite decline
• Inflamed joints or lymph nodes
• Heart and neurological problems
• Renal failure
It’s important to remember that not all infected dogs with Lyme disease will exhibit symptoms of the condition; occasionally, the body just fights off the infection on its own before it has a chance to seriously harm your pet’s health.
Nevertheless, it pays to get in touch with a veterinarian and begin treatment as soon as you detect any strange behavior that matches signs of Lyme disease or if you spot a deer tick clinging to your dog’s skin.
Is canine Lyme disease curable?
Dogs with Lyme disease are typically given medication for 30 days to help them fight off the bacterial illness. But other medicines might be necessary to help address the problems that have developed as a result of the infection, depending on your pet’s individual symptoms (for example, edema or kidney problems).
How to Protect Dogs from Lyme Disease
Better safe than sorry, as the saying goes. Make sure your pet doesn’t get bitten by a tick in the first place to prevent a tick bite from having a major health impact on them and costly vet fees. With a variety of solutions designed to repel and eliminate ticks as soon as they make contact with your pet’s skin, it’s fortunately not that difficult to do that.
The option is yours, as long as it keeps your furry friend safe on your outside outings, whether that means chewables, topical treatments, or waterproof collars.
Every time you return from a stroll with your dog, you should also be sure to thoroughly inspect yourself and your dogs for ticks.
It’s wise to keep an eye out for these small parasites because ticks may be found almost anywhere, from sparse grass to dense brush.
If you happen to see a tick on your pet, get rid of it as quickly as you can since the longer the tick feeds, the greater the risk of spreading Lyme disease.
