Where is Lisa, Queen of tick diseases?
Lyme Disease Treatment? (Non gsd)
I'm posting this for a friend who has a pittie mix who just tested positive for lyme disease. She is asymptomatic--this was caught through the regular heartworm/tick disease test.
The vet prescribed a month of doxycycline and then said she should have a urine test for nephritis (kidney infection) because the vet said this sometimes occurs with lyme disease.
Does this sound like the proper protocol? Any other comments or suggestions?
Thanks!
The vet prescribed a month of doxycycline and then said she should have a urine test for nephritis (kidney infection) because the vet said this sometimes occurs with lyme disease.
Does this sound like the proper protocol? Any other comments or suggestions?
Thanks!
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don't know where the "queen" is,,but her servant will answer LOL..
When I'm treating for tick disease,,(mine are constantly coming up high positive for anaplasmosis),,,I have been treating it hard and long...I normally treat two-3 months,,with a high dose of doxy,,unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working with my gsd, since he's on his 3rd course of treatment,,I'm thinking of trying some other antibiotic on him...
Anyhow,,yes I do a kidney liver function test/urinalysis about 1/2 way thru treatment just to make sure things are normal..(which they've always been even tho the darn dog keeps getting it!)..
just my experience
diane
When I'm treating for tick disease,,(mine are constantly coming up high positive for anaplasmosis),,,I have been treating it hard and long...I normally treat two-3 months,,with a high dose of doxy,,unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working with my gsd, since he's on his 3rd course of treatment,,I'm thinking of trying some other antibiotic on him...
Anyhow,,yes I do a kidney liver function test/urinalysis about 1/2 way thru treatment just to make sure things are normal..(which they've always been even tho the darn dog keeps getting it!)..
just my experience
diane
Hi there. I've had this rotten disease for more than a decade...if the dog has it, the human is at great risk also. It tends to start slow, with feelings of fatigue, headache, "flu", and aching joints.
Dogs tend to recover from uncomplicated lyme disease better than humans, and the approach above might work -- if the problems is Lyme/borrelia alone, and if the dog has not been infected long.
One of the problems with "Lyme" disease is that it is usually a cluster of tick-borne diseases -- babesia, Lyme (borrellia burgdorferi), erlichia, bartonella, and various viruses. For this reason, one antibiotic is usually insufficient -- the different bacteria need different treatment, and viruses need, of course, antivirals.
Treatment time is often measured in many months to years and multiple antibiotics. Many folks use additional measures -- Rife, herbal treatments, homeopathics -- to speed up healing.
It can progress to seizures, heart block, muscle weakness (it's often misdiagnoses as ALS or MS -- yes, it really does get that bad), and ultimately complete disability.
Depression, anxiety, anger and cognitive deficits like memory loss and the inability to find words often accompany the mid and late stages of the illness.
Treatment is often very, very difficult once you progress past the first few months--so if you suspect Lyme disease, don't wait! Find a lyme-literate doctor or vet immediately. Most doctors, especially those that specialize in infectious disease, are still in denial or ignorance about this illness and neither diagnose nor treat it correctly. The people in our local Lyme support group usually travel at least 4 hours out of our small town to get treatment.
For some reason this has become a highly politicized disease -- very similar to HIV in the 80s -- and it's difficult to get clear answers about it from the standard medical sources. Feel free to PM me if you need more help.
There is probably a Lyme support group in your area, and the folks there can point you to the vets/doctors they use.
Here are some links that might help:
For dogs:
http://www.acvim.org/uploadedFiles/Consensus_Statements/Lyme%20Disease%20in%20Dogs.pdf
http://www.canlyme.com/animals.html
For humans:
Great online information resource: http://www.lymeinfo.net/patients.html
National online forum:
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=1
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society
http://ILADS.org
Support groups
http://www.lymenet.org/SupportGroups/
Good luck
Dogs tend to recover from uncomplicated lyme disease better than humans, and the approach above might work -- if the problems is Lyme/borrelia alone, and if the dog has not been infected long.
One of the problems with "Lyme" disease is that it is usually a cluster of tick-borne diseases -- babesia, Lyme (borrellia burgdorferi), erlichia, bartonella, and various viruses. For this reason, one antibiotic is usually insufficient -- the different bacteria need different treatment, and viruses need, of course, antivirals.
Treatment time is often measured in many months to years and multiple antibiotics. Many folks use additional measures -- Rife, herbal treatments, homeopathics -- to speed up healing.
It can progress to seizures, heart block, muscle weakness (it's often misdiagnoses as ALS or MS -- yes, it really does get that bad), and ultimately complete disability.
Depression, anxiety, anger and cognitive deficits like memory loss and the inability to find words often accompany the mid and late stages of the illness.
Treatment is often very, very difficult once you progress past the first few months--so if you suspect Lyme disease, don't wait! Find a lyme-literate doctor or vet immediately. Most doctors, especially those that specialize in infectious disease, are still in denial or ignorance about this illness and neither diagnose nor treat it correctly. The people in our local Lyme support group usually travel at least 4 hours out of our small town to get treatment.
For some reason this has become a highly politicized disease -- very similar to HIV in the 80s -- and it's difficult to get clear answers about it from the standard medical sources. Feel free to PM me if you need more help.
There is probably a Lyme support group in your area, and the folks there can point you to the vets/doctors they use.
Here are some links that might help:
For dogs:
http://www.acvim.org/uploadedFiles/Consensus_Statements/Lyme%20Disease%20in%20Dogs.pdf
http://www.canlyme.com/animals.html
For humans:
Great online information resource: http://www.lymeinfo.net/patients.html
National online forum:
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=1
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society
http://ILADS.org
Support groups
http://www.lymenet.org/SupportGroups/
Good luck
Here's another, very extensive, post on Lyme disease and dogs by a friend who lost her dog to LD, and who has LD herself:
http://flash.lymenet.org/scripts/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=040295#000000
Also -- the changes in temperament and cognitive function are just as valid for dogs as they are for humans. So if your dog is at possible risk of LD -- and most dogs who go outside are, since LD has been reported in almost all states -- your first clue might be unusual expressions of rage, anxiety, or depression, along with lethargy and limping.
Many people with LD go to a psychologist or psychiatrist before going to the doc, because the mental effects of LD are so pronounced. See http://www.thehumansideoflyme.net/
http://flash.lymenet.org/scripts/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=040295#000000
Also -- the changes in temperament and cognitive function are just as valid for dogs as they are for humans. So if your dog is at possible risk of LD -- and most dogs who go outside are, since LD has been reported in almost all states -- your first clue might be unusual expressions of rage, anxiety, or depression, along with lethargy and limping.
Many people with LD go to a psychologist or psychiatrist before going to the doc, because the mental effects of LD are so pronounced. See http://www.thehumansideoflyme.net/
actually my male gsd has suffered alot of neuro effects from the anaplasmosis,,tick diseases are nothing to fool around with,,and unfortunately parsifal is correct,,tough to really diagnose, tough to treat,,and long lasting effects..
diane
diane
Thanks for your responses everyone. Hopefully this is a recent infection and the lack of symptoms mean the disease will be easy to treat!
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