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Canine Lyme Disease and Merck
by Jayne Adams
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Overview
A tick the size of a sesame seed can cause Lyme disease.
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Canine Lyme disease is a tick-borne, bacterial disease. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that its incidence is increasing in the United States and parts of Europe and recommends vaccination and avoidance as the best protection against dogs contracting the disease.
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Merck Veterinary Manual
Since the Merck Veterinary Manual (MVM) was first published in 1955, it has been considered a reliable source of information for animal health professionals. The MVM has been translated from English into six languages and, in 2005, published its ninth edition. The goal of the MVM is to provide concise information regarding diagnosis and treatment of animals through a publication that is both readable and accurate. The introduction of the online version, with more than 1,400 images, videos and audio files, contributes to that goal.
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Canine Lyme Disease
Canine Lyme disease (borreliosis) is caused by a bacteria transmitted through the black-legged deer tick. In dogs, symptoms may appear months after infection and can include lameness, fever, depression, loss of appetite, fatigue, swollen and/or painful joints, pain throughout the body and swollen lymph nodes. The dog may also show stiffness or discomfort while moving. If the disease presents neurologically, facial paralysis and seizures may result.
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Deer Ticks
Also called the black-legged tick, the deer tick is a member of the arachnid family but since the mid-1970s has become better known for transmitting Lyme disease to dogs and humans. The range of the deer tick covers the entire eastern half of the United States but incidence of the disease includes the Pacific coast, where the western black-legged deer tick is prevalent.
About the size of a sesame seed, the adult deer tick is smaller than its better known dog tick cousins. Beginning with an egg that will produce larva about the size of a period, the tick will go through two more life stages--nymph (which looks like a smaller adult) and adult. On average, deer ticks live about two years.
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Transmission
Deer tick larvae are born uninfected but both the larva and nymph stages of the tick can acquire the bacteria after biting infected reservoir hosts (primarily smaller rodents and birds), then can transmit it to their hosts during the second and third feeding stages (nymph and adult). Risk of infection is greatest in spring when nymphs are most active, and fall, when more adults are seeking hosts.
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Treatment
Antibiotic therapy using the penicillin and tetracycline groups usually invokes fast response in limb and joint swelling and soreness. For most cases, the length of antibiotic treatment is about two weeks, although some infected dogs may also require symptomatic therapy. In some cases, symptoms may persist despite treatment.
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Prevention
Since 1990, a vaccine against canine Lyme disease has been very effective in providing protection but avoiding areas known for tick infestation is the best defense. Ticks must remain attached for 24 hours for bacteria to transmit, so frequent checks of dogs who have had access to tick-prone areas goes a long way toward preventing infection.
