My Dog Is Lyme Positive
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Your dog has tested positive on a test for Lyme disease. This is a very sensitive and accurate test.
It detects a protein (called a C6 antibody) that is produced only when the bacteria that causes Lyme
disease infects your dog. This bacteria is called Borrelia burgdorferi. This test is not affected by
vaccines. The test picks up the response to the infection, but it does not tell us if the bacteria are active
in your dog’s body.
What this means is at some point your dog was bitten by a deer tick and was infected with the bacteria
that causes Lyme disease. This may have happened recently, or it may have happened years ago.
Your dog may not be showing signs of Lyme disease at this time. Not every dog that is infected with
this bacteria will develop Lyme disease. However, in our experience, about 25% of dogs will show signs
of Lyme disease within 12 months. Our goal is to prevent your dog from becoming sick, and we have
the following options:
1. Run a Quantitative C6 (titer) test: Our test is a yes or no test. In other words, it only tells us if
your dog is producing this antibody. Dogs with active infections have higher levels of this antibody. If
we measure the antibody, we can tell if we have an active infection that needs to be treated or a low
level of antibody that does not need treatment. We send out this test and usually have the results
within a week.
2. Treat your dog with antibiotics: We can place your dog on antibiotics. Our goal with this is to
kill any active bacteria that are in the system. We treat for four weeks, and it is very important to give
all of the medications until they are gone. In our experience, we have been very successful with
preventing active Lyme disease when we treat dogs before they have a chance to develop serious
symptoms.
3. Monitor your dog: We can watch your dog for signs of Lyme disease. Most dogs with Lyme will
show limping (usually in multiple joints, and the limping may come and go), high fever, lethargy,
decreased appetite, and occasionally vomiting. If your dog develops signs of Lyme, we can reevaluate
and decide what treatment would be best.
Many dogs that test positive for Lyme disease will continue to test positive in the future (the test we
use is very sensitive!), even after treatment. We usually do not recommend re-treating unless the
antibody level increases (we would see this on the quantitative C6 test) or if your dog is having
problems.
In order to prevent problems in the future, we recommend the following:
1. Place your dog on good tick control. We recommend monthly Frontline, avoidance of areas
known to be tick-infested, and inspection of your dog following outings so that any ticks found can be
promptly removed.
2. Vaccinate your dog for Lyme. The vaccine is good, but it is not 100%. In general, the vaccine
will prevent infection 70-75% of the time. This by itself is not perfect, but when you combine vaccination
with good tick control, you greatly reduce your dog’s risk of disease.
3. Keep your dog’s immune system healthy: Feeding a high-quality diet (dry, canned and/or raw)
with appropriate supplements will help keep your dog’s immune system functioning efficiently, greatly
increasing the chances that he will be able to fight off an infection if he is exposed.
With regular testing and proper steps, we can prevent Lyme disease in your dog. Please let us know at
any time if you have additional questions or concerns about Lyme disease and your dog’s symptoms or
treatment.
It detects a protein (called a C6 antibody) that is produced only when the bacteria that causes Lyme
disease infects your dog. This bacteria is called Borrelia burgdorferi. This test is not affected by
vaccines. The test picks up the response to the infection, but it does not tell us if the bacteria are active
in your dog’s body.
What this means is at some point your dog was bitten by a deer tick and was infected with the bacteria
that causes Lyme disease. This may have happened recently, or it may have happened years ago.
Your dog may not be showing signs of Lyme disease at this time. Not every dog that is infected with
this bacteria will develop Lyme disease. However, in our experience, about 25% of dogs will show signs
of Lyme disease within 12 months. Our goal is to prevent your dog from becoming sick, and we have
the following options:
1. Run a Quantitative C6 (titer) test: Our test is a yes or no test. In other words, it only tells us if
your dog is producing this antibody. Dogs with active infections have higher levels of this antibody. If
we measure the antibody, we can tell if we have an active infection that needs to be treated or a low
level of antibody that does not need treatment. We send out this test and usually have the results
within a week.
2. Treat your dog with antibiotics: We can place your dog on antibiotics. Our goal with this is to
kill any active bacteria that are in the system. We treat for four weeks, and it is very important to give
all of the medications until they are gone. In our experience, we have been very successful with
preventing active Lyme disease when we treat dogs before they have a chance to develop serious
symptoms.
3. Monitor your dog: We can watch your dog for signs of Lyme disease. Most dogs with Lyme will
show limping (usually in multiple joints, and the limping may come and go), high fever, lethargy,
decreased appetite, and occasionally vomiting. If your dog develops signs of Lyme, we can reevaluate
and decide what treatment would be best.
Many dogs that test positive for Lyme disease will continue to test positive in the future (the test we
use is very sensitive!), even after treatment. We usually do not recommend re-treating unless the
antibody level increases (we would see this on the quantitative C6 test) or if your dog is having
problems.
In order to prevent problems in the future, we recommend the following:
1. Place your dog on good tick control. We recommend monthly Frontline, avoidance of areas
known to be tick-infested, and inspection of your dog following outings so that any ticks found can be
promptly removed.
2. Vaccinate your dog for Lyme. The vaccine is good, but it is not 100%. In general, the vaccine
will prevent infection 70-75% of the time. This by itself is not perfect, but when you combine vaccination
with good tick control, you greatly reduce your dog’s risk of disease.
3. Keep your dog’s immune system healthy: Feeding a high-quality diet (dry, canned and/or raw)
with appropriate supplements will help keep your dog’s immune system functioning efficiently, greatly
increasing the chances that he will be able to fight off an infection if he is exposed.
With regular testing and proper steps, we can prevent Lyme disease in your dog. Please let us know at
any time if you have additional questions or concerns about Lyme disease and your dog’s symptoms or
treatment.
| Annual Canine Positive Lyme Results |