Found a tick on my dog. What Lyme disease symptoms should I watch for?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on

  There's alway a concern about Lyme disease transmission, but you did the right thing by removing the tick right away. Symptoms to look out for include a fever between 103F-105F, lameness, swelling in the joints, lethargy, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes. If you see any of those signs, take your pup into the vet. Lyme disease can be treated with doxycycline.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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  Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on November 1st, 2017

  Clinical illness typically occurs 2-5 months after infection, however only about 10% of positive dogs will ever develop clinical illness from infection. So your dog may not become clinical even if the tick was carrying Lyme. The best thing is to screen for the disease with a yearly test, especially if you live in an endemic area for Lyme disease. Also, make sure to use a flea and tick prevention, like NexGard, Frontline, Bravecto, etc. Also, talk to your vet about vaccinating for Lyme disease if your dog is not already protected.

  

  3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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  Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

  Veterinarian

  Published on April 6th, 2017

  I'm glad that you were able to remove the tick from Tom. Deer ticks need to be attached for about 24 hours in order to transmit Lyme disease. Other types of ticks can transmit other tick borne diseases, such as Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. In many cases, it can take up to 6 months for antibodies to develop and register on ELISA blood tests. As long as Tom is doing well, there is no need to take him to his vet at this point. Make sure that he is receiving a high quality flea and tick preventative once a month year round (examples include Nexgard, Bravecto and Adantix), and be sure to mention this tick exposure to his vet at his next exam.

  

  2Pet Parents found this answer helpful