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Many dogs with only mild signs of Lyme disease will live a long, healthy life once they are appropriately treated. Dogs who are not clinical for Lyme disease or those who have mild signs of the disease are likely to make a full recovery.
Where Do Ticks Live? The ticks that carry Lyme disease are especially likely to be found in tall grasses, thick brush, marshes, and woods — waiting to latch onto your dog when they pass by. A tick...
Unfortunately, Lyme disease can negatively affect a dog’s life expectancy. There can be irreversible damage to the kidney, heart, or nervous system. This damage can ultimately reduce the quality and longevity of a dog’s life.
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics, most commonly doxycycline, for four weeks. Pain medications should also be given to help with joint discomfort. Asymptomatic dogs generally only require monitoring by you and your veterinarian, which may involve routine urine checks.
If left untreated, Lyme disease in dogs can be fatal. While antibiotics help relieve symptoms, dogs may still feel some lingering effects of the infection. Some dogs may even experience chronic...
Once a tick attaches, it takes 1-2 days for it to transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, so prompt removal of ticks is important. Risk of transmission is highest during periods when the nymphs (spring) and adults (spring and fall) are actively seeking hosts.
In dogs that do become ill, signs of Lyme disease typically first show up 2-5 months after the dogs were first infected. By this time, the disease can be widespread throughout the body. Illness in dogs can take many forms.
With appropriate treatment, most dogs will fully recover by the end of one month and Lyme disease won’t affect their overall health or life expectancy. However, long-term infection with Borrelia can cause damage to a dog’s kidneys, called Lyme nephritis.
It is recommended to test no earlier than four weeks after a tick bite. Some dogs that have been infected for long periods of time may no longer have enough antibodies present to be detected by the test. Therefore, a positive test is meaningful, but a negative is not.
It can take between three to six weeks after the infection for antibodies to be produced and detected by blood tests, however.