Lyme In Dogs Month - Prevention Tips
Pet owners are often surprised to learn that dogs can get Lyme Disease, the most common tick-borne disease from deer ticks. Although the Eastern Black-legged Tick, or 'deer tick' is known to carry Lyme Disease, it is not the only tick species that can transfer to the disease to dogs.
Symptoms of dogs can come several weeks after a tick bite and can last for up to 2-5 months. Lyme Disease symptoms in dogs may vary, but include:
- Vomiting
- Regurgitation
- Unsteadiness
- High blood pressure
- Fast heart rate and rhythm (tachyarrhythmias)
- Weakness, especially in the hind limbs
- Partial loss of muscle movements (paresis)
- Complete loss of muscle movement (paralysis), commonly seen in advanced disease state
- Poor reflexes to complete loss of reflex
- Low muscle tone (hypotonia)
- Difficulty in eating
- Disorder of voice (dysphonia)
- Asphyxia due to respiratory muscle paralysis in severely affected animals
- Excessive drooling (sialosis)
- Megaesophagus (enlarged esophagus)
- Excessive dilatation of pupil in the eye (mydriasis)
It's important to groom dogs for ticks after outdoor activity; and know how to remove a tick from pets.
To prevent Lyme Disease in dogs, EasyPetFence.com encourages pet owners to install a dog fence to keep out wildlife that may be carrying ticks with vector diseases. The logic is simple: if homeowners keep out deer they will reduce the spread of ticks in the yard and will keep pets safe from tick bites.
This Lyme Disease Prevention In Dogs Month, keep a look out for pet ticks and read the EasyPetFence blog for more tick disease prevention tips.