Ask A Vet: Lyme Disease in Dogs
July 3rd, 2008 by Dr. Donna SpectorQ: We live in an area which is high risk for Lyme Disease. Our dog has been on a major brand tick and flea medication year round. We purchased the medication at our vet. Last week he showed a strong positive test to Lyme disease and is now on an antibiotic. His symptoms were lethargy, fever and limping on right back leg. He is 4 1/2 years old and the breed is Old English Sheepdog.
Could you please suggest some Halo pet products to help during this health crisis?
A: Sorry to hear your guy isn’t feeling so well right now. Has he ever been vaccinated for Lyme disease? Many dogs test strongly positive because of the vaccine and not because of true Lyme disease. Your veterinarian can run a test (called a Western Blot) to make sure that your dog’s symptoms are truly a result of Lyme disease and not another form of inflammatory arthritis.
The Old English Sheepdog is very prone to a condition called immune mediated polyarthritis, and it also can cause lethargy, fever and limping and is treated differently than Lyme disease. Regardless of the cause, there are some Halo Pet Supplements that can help. Dream Coat has omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which help with inflammation and the Hip and Joint Supplement contains glucosamine and chondroitin which can help lubricate his joints to make him more comfortable. The Hip and Joint should be used long term as many patients will have residual arthritis after the infection (Lyme) is over. Hope this helps.
Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.
Enjoy reading the Halo Purely For Pets blog? Subscribe to our RSS feed so you’ll never miss an update!
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:28 am
Dear Dr. Spector,
Thank you so much for your prompt response to our concerns about our Old English Sheepdog.
We appreciate your suggestions on Halo products to assist him.
He has not been vaccinated for Lyme disease. He had a test which confirmed
that it is Lyme. About 1 1/2 months ago, he had a tick embedded on his
right front leg. He started the Lyme symptoms last week.
I spoke with his breeder last night, and she has several dogs who are also currently
being treated for Lyme. Our are is very high risk.
Thank you for the information on immune mediated polyarthritis. We are monitoring
him closely and have a follow up visit with our Vet.
We’ve added a little Spots stew to his meals, and he loves it! It has really helped
us to make taking medication a joy. He has had no vomiting or other problems
taking the antibiotic.
We will keep you updated from time to time. We are very happy that the Petco in
our area carries your products. I have also ordered Ms. Brown book-Whole Pet Diet.
Thanks to you and the staff at Halo for the support you have given us in our
first experience with this disease.
All the best,
Joanie
July 31st, 2008 at 9:16 am
Dear Dr Spector,
One question on the Halo Herbal Dip product– as it is made from essential oils-
can it be used as a spray in addition to using a monthly topical tick/flea treatment?
If so, that would give him extra protection.
Thank You,
Joanie