Prevention is always the best medicine. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection carried by ticks, and there are different types of bacteria that can be transmitted. Traditional methods only test for two unless a more specialized tick serology is done, then more options are available.

 

Lyme disease is best prevented by keeping ticks from biting and attaching to a pet in the first place. Reducing ticks in a yard can be best accomplished by keeping grass short and using natural sprays to reduce their population.

 

There are also safe, natural repellent sprays to use on the pet directly and traditional chemicals to kill ticks if they attach, so evaluate the option of using chemicals on dogs and cats. Every time they go outside, check for ticks before they can attach and transmit disease.

 

There is a Lyme vaccine, but it is only effective for one species of the bacteria, Borrelia. There are always pros and cons with any vaccine, so evaluate whether it is worth the risk. It may be impossible to avoid ticks transmitting disease no matter what preventative measures are used.

 

Symptoms range from none to mild, severe or even death. There can be a mild to severe fever, lameness, anorexia and involvement of any organ in the body. Sometimes outpatient treatment on 30 to 45 days of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine is enough. Other times, intensive care with hospitalization is needed, depending on the severity.

 

Ticks are active all year, so prevention of Lyme disease is always best. They do not die from the cold or snow, and when the snow melts, they become active. Because this winter was mild, ticks will be abundant and Lyme disease will be a problem in this area.

 

Linda T. Stern, DVM, MS, CVA, is the owner of Healing Creatures Animal Hospital, located at 3300 Hartzdale Dr., Ste. 108, in Camp Hill. For more information, call 717-730-3755 or visit HealingCreatures.com.