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Lyme Disease signs & symptoms · Lyme Disease diagnosis · Lyme Disease treatment · Lyme Disease related articles
Lyme Disease Medical terms: Arthritis, Doxycycline, Tetracycline, Antibiotic, Chondroprotective, Omega 3 fatty acid, Ixodes tick, Borrelia, Cardiac arrhythmia, glomerulonephritis, Spirochete
Lyme Disease is an infection that causes arthritis and lameness. If it is untreated, canine Lyme Disease can cause heart, kidney, and neurologic problems. It is a zoonotic disease, which means it can be spread from dogs to people if the ticks that are on the dogs bite humans. Lyme Disease is named for the Connecticut town, Lyme, where it was first reported. Lyme Disease continues to be a problem in the Northeast US because that's where the Ixodes tick that carries the disease has natural hosts, such as deer and deer mice to prey upon.
What Causes Lyme Disease And What Tick Carries It?
The spirochete (a microorganism that looks like a tiny strand of crimped hair) that causes Lyme Disease is Borrelia burgdorferi. The tick that commonly transmits it in the East and Midwest is Ixodes scapularis; in the West, it's Ixodes pacificus.
Does Lyme Disease Affect Pets The Same Way It Affects People?
No. Lyme Disease is a more serious problem for people than for pets. In pets the biggest problems are with the joints, and possibly with the kidney filtering unit, the glomerulus.
Lyme Disease Symptoms in Pets |
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Lyme Disease Symptoms in People |
No obvious skin rash
No obvious flu symptoms
No obvious nervous system disease
No obvious cardiac arrhythmia
Arthritis
Damage to kidney filtering system
(glomerulonephritis)
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Circular skin rash
Flu symptoms
Nervous system disease
Cardiac arrhythmia
Arthritis
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Who gets Lyme Disease?
Humans, cattle, horses, cats, and dogs can develop Lyme Disease. It occurs worldwide, but the highest incidence occurs where ticks have susceptible hosts like deer and deer mice to feed on. In the US, the concentration of ticks and their hosts is greatest in the Northeast, upper Mississippi River valley, California, and some Southern states. In these areas pets should have protection from ticks. The states with 95% of human Lyme Disease cases (the incidence in pets parallels that in people) are New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Maryland, New Hampshire, Maine, and Delaware.
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The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians
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Arthritis
Limping
Stiff back
Swollen joints
Fever
Lethargy |
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Zoonotic disease is transmitted through ticks to people
Many pets clear infection without treatmentPets with poor immune response may have lingering illness |
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Outdoor pets
Pets with no protection from ticks
Pets sharing fields with mice and deer
Pets in Northeastern US and the upper mid-west. States include; Connecticut Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin
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Protects Cartilage
Repairs Joints
Prevents Further Damage
Helps Lower Pain-Medication Dosage
See Joint Supplements |
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