Diagnosis of both diseases includes blood tests similar to those used to check for Lyme disease. Babesiosis can present with a wide range of symptoms, from sudden and severe shock, high fever, and dark urine to a slowly progressing infection with more subtle clinical signs. Ticks can also carry several other less common but serious bacterial diseases affecting dogs, including anaplasmosis and babesiosis.Īnaplasmosis can involve symptoms similar to those for Lyme disease. If your dog is diagnosed with Lyme disease, you and any other pets have probably been in the same outdoor environment and may also be at risk, so it is a good idea to consult with your physician and veterinarian to see whether you should test other pets or family members. However, a carrier tick could come into your house on your dog’s fur and get on you. Lyme disease can’t be transmitted from one pet to another, nor from pets to humans, except through tick bites. Can I Catch Lyme Disease From my Dog?ĭogs are not a direct source of infection for people. Treatment can also include other therapies aimed at resolving or relieving specific symptoms. This often resolves symptoms quickly, but in some cases, the infection will persist and prolonged medication may be needed. Treatment includes antibiotics, usually for at least 30 days. This, along with urinalysis will help determine if antibiotic treatment is necessary. The C6 antibodies can be detected three to five weeks after an infected tick bites a dog and may be found in the bloodstream even before the dog shows signs of illness.
Presence of the antibodies suggests an active Lyme infection. The C6 test detects antibodies against a protein called “C6”. For dogs, the two blood tests for diagnosing Lyme disease are called the C6 Test and Quant C6 test. Image: CDC How are Dogs Tested for Lyme Disease?ĭiagnosis is made by a combination of history, physical signs, and diagnostics. The primary carrier of Lyme disease is the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), also called the “deer tick” or “bear tick.” The tick acquires the Lyme disease bacterium when it feeds on an animal that has been infected, such as a mouse, deer, or other mammal, and then transmits the bacterium to the next animal it feeds on. A smaller number of cases are reported each year in Southern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. In Canada, Lyme-positive dogs are found mostly in southern Ontario and southern Manitoba. Over 95% of cases are from the Northeast, the Upper Midwest, and the Pacific coast, although with recent changes in deforestation, migrating deer, and bird populations, percentage rates in these areas are constantly changing.Ī small number of cases crop up each year along the West Coast, especially Northern California. Lyme disease happens in every state, but infection risks vary. A tick can transmit the disease once it has been attached to a dog for 24 to 48 hours.įirst named when a number of cases occurred in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975, the disease can be hard to detect and can cause serious, ongoing health problems in both dogs and people. 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 he passes by. Given the seriousness of Lyme disease, it’s important to be aware of tick prevention and treatment for dogs. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria can travel to different parts of the body and cause problems in specific organs or locations, such as joints, as well as overall illness. It is caused by the spiral-shaped bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi that is carried inside a tick and gets into a dog or person’s bloodstream through a tick bite. Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a bacterial illness that can be transmitted to humans, dogs, and other animals by certain species of ticks.
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