Now that the weather is getting warmer, restrictions are lowering and vaccinations are becoming more available, everyone and their pets are spending more time outside and exploring! There are also other living beings that love warm weather too – called ticks! Ticks are little, even tiny creepy crawlies that love to jump onto unsuspecting pets and their owners every day! They are easily hidden and can transmit some pretty nasty diseases.

One of the biggest pests is the bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi – it is transmitted by ticks and causes the classic Lyme Disease, in both people and animals! The tick transmits this bacteria when it bites you or your pet looking for blood to nourish its babies. The tricky part with Lyme disease is that it can require long-term antibiotic treatments and side effects that reduce quality of life such as joint pain and lethargy or tiredness. There are four species of ticks known to transmit this bacteria and positive cases of this disease have been reported in every state.

In dogs it can be tricky to diagnose and detect because the symptoms (fever, lethargy, swollen joints, loss of appetite – to name a few) are not very specific and can overlap with other diseases as well. There are also many dogs who won’t show any signs at all until the disease progresses to be more severe, leading to paralysis or even seizures. Now, if your dog gets infected with Lyme disease, they cannot give it to you, but you could get it from a tick bite just like they did. It takes about 1-2 days for the tick to transmit the bacteria to you or your dog after it bites, so prompt removal of any ticks is essential.

Antibiotic treatment usually is followed by quick symptom resolution, although some infections can be harder to get rid of and often require multiple rounds of antibiotics with some lasting effects. The best way to treat disease is to prevent it altogether, and with Lyme disease, fortunately we can prevent it. There are many options to choose from, with topicals, to slow-release collars to once a month chewable treats. Depending on your preferences and what is best to protect your dog in your lifestyle, your veterinarian can discuss with you which option they recommend would be best. The small investment to prevent Lyme disease along with other tick-borne diseases is well worth it to avoid much larger veterinary costs of treatment if they did become infected. Remember – prevention is the best medicine!