April is Prevent Lyme Disease in Dogs Month!

Spring is here, which means tick season is here too! Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic recommends year round flea and tick prevention, so if you haven’t given your dog his monthly dose, now is the time to start.  

Every year we see more and more dogs that are testing positive for tick-borne diseases. The most prevalent tick borne disease in our area is Lyme, with Anaplasma coming in second. As the tick population continues to increase and move closer to us, the amount of disease also rises. Tick prevention is no longer only necessary for the dogs that travel “up north” or spend a lot of time hiking and camping. A dog that never leaves his backyard is at risk, just like dogs that travel to these places.

Our clinic offers topical prevention for fleas and ticks, as well as oral products. The oral products come in a tablet that can be given monthly OR every three months. All of these products have been tested for safety and efficacy.

 

Besides monthly prevention, we also recommend an annual 4DX test. This is an antigen test that will look for heartworm disease (spread by mosquitoes), as well as exposure to three tick borne diseases. Many dogs that test positive do not show clinical signs. This does not mean they won’t in the future, which is why we often do additional testing and/or treat with antibiotics.

In addition to topical or oral prevention and routine testing, a vaccine is available for Lyme. Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic does recommend this vaccine to all dogs. Unfortunately, at this time there is not a vaccine available for Anaplasma, making topical or oral prevention a must.

Clinical signs of Lyme disease are fever, lethargy, inappetence, lameness, and pain. Lyme disease can be life threatening at this point because irreversible kidney damage can occur. Anaplasma has many of the same clinical signs as Lyme, but this tick borne disease actually attacks the white blood cells and can cause platelet loss. If a dog does test positive, certain blood and urine tests should be done to monitor any changes in kidney values, platelets and white blood cells.

Treatment for both Lyme and Anaplasma is an antibiotic called Doxycycline. If the dog is showing any of the above symptoms, IV fluid therapy and other medications may also be recommended by your veterinarian.

As a veterinary clinic, our job is to do our best to protect dogs from these diseases by educating their owners and giving them the highest standard of care and recommendations. Many people are unaware however, that these tick-borne disease can be transmitted to humans as well. Lyme and Anaplasma can cause many of the symptoms in humans as in dogs. Be sure to take precautions and be informed for your own safety as well as your dogs.

Because ticks aren’t going anywhere any time soon, the best we can do is work to prevent them from spreading disease to our dogs. With monthly year round prevention, annual testing, and vaccinating, we can make sure our dogs stay healthy.

 

WLUK-TV FOX 11 Lyme Disease Report 2014            Parasite Prevalence Map