How To Treat Lyme Disease In A Dog
Introduction
If you suspect that your dog has lyme disease, there are a few things to be aware of. The first thing you will want to do when you suspect your dog may have Lyme disease is to talk to your veterinarian. A simple test can be performed on your dogs blood, it is called a ELISA test. After receiving the results you will want to start antibiotic treatment for about 3-4 weeks. You will also want to keep an eye on your dogs joints and lameness. If caught in time Lyme disease is curable, if left untreated it may become worse and even spread to other parts of the body.
The first thing you will want to do when you suspect your dog may have Lyme disease is to talk to your veterinarian.
The first thing you will want to do when you suspect your dog may have Lyme disease is to talk to your veterinarian. While the disease can be difficult to diagnose in dogs, there are tests that can help identify if it is present in the body of an infected animal. These tests may include blood work and X-rays. Your vet will be able to determine whether or not these tests are necessary based on the symptoms presented by your pet and what they find during their physical examination of the dog’s body after talking with you about possible causes for those symptoms (i.e., being out in tall grass or being bitten by a tick).
If it turns out that there is evidence of Lyme disease, then treatment will begin shortly thereafter. The most common treatments involve antibiotics or other medications designed specifically for dogs with Lyme disease; however, some veterinarians may recommend alternative therapies such as homeopathic remedies if they believe this would be more effective than traditional methods given all other factors involved here (such as age/health status).
A simple test can be performed on your dogs blood, it is called a ELISA test.
A simple test can be performed on your dogs blood, it is called a ELISA test. This will take about 3 days to get results and cost between $75-$150 depending on the lab that does it. The ELISA test detects antibodies in the dog’s body which are produced when there is an infection in the body. If this happens, then you can assume there is Lyme disease present in your dog at some level.
The question becomes how much antibody do we need to detect before we treat our dog? The answer: not much. There are many studies that have been published showing that even low levels of antibodies indicate active infection or at least re-infection with Lyme disease so treating early should always be strongly considered even if the results of this test come back negative, which they often do because most dogs don’t have enough antibodies to register on these tests yet still exhibit symptoms consistent with Lyme disease
After receiving the results you will want to start antibiotic treatment for about 3-4 weeks.
After receiving the results, you will want to start your dog on antibiotic treatment for about 3-4 weeks. The type of antibiotic depends on the result of his/her test and how long it takes for it to clear up the infection. You should discuss this with your veterinarian who can prescribe an appropriate course of antibiotics based on your pet’s situation.
Your vet may also recommend administering other medications such as pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs as well as nutritional supplements to help boost their immune system during this time period. When choosing which antibiotics are safe for your dog, be sure that they are labeled for use with dogs only (some prescription medications are made for humans but have side effects when taken by pets). Also keep in mind that some brands may not be approved yet by the FDA so make sure you talk about these things with your vet before making any decisions about what medications would work best for treating Lyme disease
You will also want to keep an eye on your dogs joints and lameness.
You should also keep an eye on the dogs joints and lameness. If you notice any change in their behavior, or if they are limping or moving a different way than normal, then you should contact your vet immediately.
If caught in time Lyme disease is curable, if left untreated it may become worse and even spread to other parts of the body.
If you suspect your dog has Lyme disease, it is imperative to get him treated immediately. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, but if left untreated it can lead to neurological issues and kidney failure. If not caught in time, the disease will spread throughout the body and become increasingly difficult to treat. The longer a dog is left untreated, the more severe his symptoms will be and the more likely he will see permanent damage from it.
Lyme Disease Is Not Fun
Lyme disease is not fun. It’s a serious disease that can have lasting effects on the health of your dog. The sooner you treat it, the better.
If you wait too long to bring your dog in for treatment, he or she could get worse and more likely to spread the disease to other pets or even humans in your family.
Conclusion
Lyme disease is a very serious situation for your dog and should not be taken lightly. If you suspect that your dog has contracted the disease you will want to make an appointment with your veterinarian immediately and get started on the treatment process right away. Also, a good preventative measure would be to vaccinate your dogs against Lyme Disease.