Lyme Disease and your Goldendoodle
Lyme disease can occur in dogs if bitten by a tick. Lyme disease was first discovered in 1975 by Allen Steere, here in the United States. There had been a mysterious outbreak of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis near the community of Lyme, Connecticut. In 1982, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease was discovered by Willy Burgdorfer, who isolated spirochetes belonging to the genus Borrelia from the mid-guts of Ixodes ticks. Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne illness in the United States.
As we near the warmer months, Goldendoodle owners need to pay special attention to ticks. Some topical treatments like "revolution" will help prevent ticks, but we also have come to know that Goldendoodles can sometimes have organ failure from these topical treatments, over a long period of usage. You have to remember that these topical treatments are toxic chemicals that can cause health problems with your Goldendoodle.
So what to do? Veterinarians have a vaccine to help prevent lyme disease in dogs. We highly recommend that all Goldendoodle owners, as well as other dog owners, vaccinate their canine to help protect them against lyme disease. Another tick illness is called "Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever". I can personally relate to this particular illness since many years ago, I had contracted "RMSF" after being bitten by a tick that had fallen out of a tree when my husband and I were clearing trees out of our back yard near a wooded area. Symptoms for "RMSF" are very similar to Lyme disease. Joint pain, fatigue, feeling flushed, fevers, chills, swollen lymph nodes, severe headache and muscle pain. Many people assume they are coming down with the flu but find out through a blood test that they have contracted one of these tick-borne illnesses. Your Goldendoodle can show the same symptoms including redness or rash around the area bitten by the tick.
Without treatment, a person or a dog can die. Symptoms can appear anywhere from 1 day to 1 month after the bite. This is why diagnosing a tick borne illness can be quite difficult, especially in dogs. There are stages to the disease itself. The first stage being redness or a rash surrounding the bitten area.
The second stage, once the bacteria begins to spread, begins to affect bodily functions. Problems can be any of the following:
*Meningitis * Numbness in the arms or legs, including pain. *Paralysis of the facial muscles which usually only affects one side of the face. * Abnormal heart beat.
The third stage can occur weeks, months or years after the original bite from the tick. Without antibiotics to treat the disease, lyme disease will progress and cause damage, if not death.
Chronic Lyme arthritis—brief bouts of pain and swelling usually occurring in one or more of the large joints, especially the knees
Nervous system problems, including memory loss and difficulty concentrating
Chronic pain in muscles and/or unrestful sleep
If a blood test has confirmed lyme disease or rocky mountain spotted fever, antibiotics will be prescribed. Treatment can last from 2 - 6 weeks depending upon the severity of the illness. Tick prevention will also help reduce the chances that your Goldendoodle will contract either tick born disease, but it is important to know that a lyme vaccine is available for your doodle dog and its very important as we near the summer months, that your canine obtain this vaccine.
If you feel comfortable giving your Goldendoodle vaccinations, a lyme disease vaccine can be obtained by visiting either "Omaha Vaccine" or "Revival Animal". The vaccine is given intra muscularly and is very easy to give to your Goldendoodle.
More information about Lyme disease can be obtained here: http://www.acponline.org/clinical_information/resources/lyme_disease/patient/diagnosis.htm
*About the author: Dee Gerrish has been a private, professional, hobby breeder since 1996. She has owned dogs all of her life. Visit her website at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com/ for more doodle information, photos and videos. Dee Gerrish is one of the original founders for the Goldendoodle dog in the southern region of the United States. She was the first breeder to register the Goldendoodle dog with a ligit kennel club, in the United States.
As we near the warmer months, Goldendoodle owners need to pay special attention to ticks. Some topical treatments like "revolution" will help prevent ticks, but we also have come to know that Goldendoodles can sometimes have organ failure from these topical treatments, over a long period of usage. You have to remember that these topical treatments are toxic chemicals that can cause health problems with your Goldendoodle.
So what to do? Veterinarians have a vaccine to help prevent lyme disease in dogs. We highly recommend that all Goldendoodle owners, as well as other dog owners, vaccinate their canine to help protect them against lyme disease. Another tick illness is called "Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever". I can personally relate to this particular illness since many years ago, I had contracted "RMSF" after being bitten by a tick that had fallen out of a tree when my husband and I were clearing trees out of our back yard near a wooded area. Symptoms for "RMSF" are very similar to Lyme disease. Joint pain, fatigue, feeling flushed, fevers, chills, swollen lymph nodes, severe headache and muscle pain. Many people assume they are coming down with the flu but find out through a blood test that they have contracted one of these tick-borne illnesses. Your Goldendoodle can show the same symptoms including redness or rash around the area bitten by the tick.
Without treatment, a person or a dog can die. Symptoms can appear anywhere from 1 day to 1 month after the bite. This is why diagnosing a tick borne illness can be quite difficult, especially in dogs. There are stages to the disease itself. The first stage being redness or a rash surrounding the bitten area.
The second stage, once the bacteria begins to spread, begins to affect bodily functions. Problems can be any of the following:
*Meningitis * Numbness in the arms or legs, including pain. *Paralysis of the facial muscles which usually only affects one side of the face. * Abnormal heart beat.
The third stage can occur weeks, months or years after the original bite from the tick. Without antibiotics to treat the disease, lyme disease will progress and cause damage, if not death.
Chronic Lyme arthritis—brief bouts of pain and swelling usually occurring in one or more of the large joints, especially the knees
Nervous system problems, including memory loss and difficulty concentrating
Chronic pain in muscles and/or unrestful sleep
If a blood test has confirmed lyme disease or rocky mountain spotted fever, antibiotics will be prescribed. Treatment can last from 2 - 6 weeks depending upon the severity of the illness. Tick prevention will also help reduce the chances that your Goldendoodle will contract either tick born disease, but it is important to know that a lyme vaccine is available for your doodle dog and its very important as we near the summer months, that your canine obtain this vaccine.
If you feel comfortable giving your Goldendoodle vaccinations, a lyme disease vaccine can be obtained by visiting either "Omaha Vaccine" or "Revival Animal". The vaccine is given intra muscularly and is very easy to give to your Goldendoodle.
More information about Lyme disease can be obtained here: http://www.acponline.org/clinical_information/resources/lyme_disease/patient/diagnosis.htm
*About the author: Dee Gerrish has been a private, professional, hobby breeder since 1996. She has owned dogs all of her life. Visit her website at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com/ for more doodle information, photos and videos. Dee Gerrish is one of the original founders for the Goldendoodle dog in the southern region of the United States. She was the first breeder to register the Goldendoodle dog with a ligit kennel club, in the United States.
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