Post-tick symptoms. Concerned.

[Anthony8858]

Hi.
A few weeks ago, I posted suggestions about removing a tick from Kira's neck.
I removed it, and appeared to have gotten all of it.
The area had an obvious lump, and a crusty feel to it. It's still crusty, and she still has a lump under her skin.
I see no signs of an engorged tick.

Anyway, because of hurricane Sandy, the only exercise has been daily walks, and fetching in my back yard. I mention this because there hasn't been any opportunity for injury.

On to my concerns....

Kira hasn't been herself for a number of days. She gets tired much quicker, and has an obvious limp coming from her rear left leg. It bothers her mostly after getting up from sleep, or laying down for an extended period. I've squeezed and poked around, but can't seem to located any soreness or obvious sore spots. Her paws are clean too.
Her gate is not smooth, she has a "skip" in her gate.

In your opinion, could these symptoms be related to that tick?

I'm thinking Lyme.

[qbchottu]

How old is she? Have you had hips/elbows done?

[kiya]

Honestly to put your mind to ease, if you can take her in for a test, do it. Otherwise everyone is just guessing.

[Anthony8858]

Originally Posted by qbchottu

How old is she? Have you had hips/elbows done?

Kira is almost 17 months.
Her hips were xray'd when she was spayed at 11 months. I posted images here, and some thought she may have a problematic hip. I sent the Xray to be OFA'd, and the report came back as inconlusive due to improper positioning.
So, in all honestly, the jury is still out.

Prior to this limp, I can say that she normally runs like heck. She's a lightning bolt, and has never shown any signs of pain in her rear.

I also want to add that 6 weeks ago, she made an unusual growth spurt for her age. She gained about 7 pounds, and a couple inches in height.
Afterwards, she had a slight limp in her front leg, and the vet dismissed as some pano.
I'm not sold. I have other suspicions.

Originally Posted by kiya

Honestly to put your mind to ease, if you can take her in for a test, do it. Otherwise everyone is just guessing.

Here's my question....
Could a limp in her rear be associated with lyme disease?

[Blanketback]

I was told to wait 6 weeks after the tick to run the blood test, because apparently it takes that long (or longer) for it to show up. However, they did do a Snap4 test to check against, this being the test that showed he was lyme-negative to begin with.

[Anthony8858]

Originally Posted by Blanketback

I was told to wait 6 weeks after the tick to run the blood test, because apparently it takes that long (or longer) for it to show up. However, they did do a Snap4 test to check against, this being the test that showed he was lyme-negative to begin with.

I heard same.
But I really don't know how long the tick was on her. It was engorged, and there is a lump.

[Zeeva]

It's hard to say and I've no experience with ticks or tick borne illnesses. Are they common in your area?

Just on a side note although it may not be the best advice but you say she hasn't been exercising a lot? I've noticed that when I don't exercise my pups they get tired easily as well. I think their stamina gets less if we don't keep up with their exercise.

[kiya]

Originally Posted by Anthony8858

Here's my question....
Could a limp in her rear be associated with lyme disease?

I normally saw lameness in front with my dogs whenever it turned out to be a positive result.

[Blanketback]

My puppy had his tick removed by the vet, and it came out whole (ugly little bugger!) and he had a lump too. My vet told me there would be a lump there for a while, so don't panic - that's normal.

[qbchottu]

If I were you, I would get some correct xrays done and have them evaluated. I would bet that your breeder has a 2 year guarantee - best to get some conclusive results on the hips, especially if there are suspicions already.

The rapid growth could have brought on pano and some growing pains. Xrays and vet visit will tell you more.

I would be more concerned about getting some xrays done on elbows, spine and hips at this point.