Discuss Lyme disease with vet

Recently, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine collaborated with its members and released a “Consensus Statement on Lyme Disease in Dogs: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention.” This statement was released to aid veterinarians on establishing protocols relating to canine Lyme disease and to bring some continuity of care to the veterinary community.

Changes in management that may affect your dog involve dogs that test positive for exposure to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Positive-testing healthy dogs that have no signs of Lyme disease need not be treated with antibiotics. This is the vast majority of dogs that are exposed to the bacteria. Some owners may still opt to treat with antibiotics, and this can be an individual decision.

• Dogs that are positive testing and have signs of Lyme disease, such as fever, swollen and painful joints, should be treated with 30 days of antibiotics.

• All dogs that test positive should be followed closely for protein in the urine, an early sign of a more serious kidney form of Lyme disease.

• Dogs that test positive also may not benefit from vaccination. These dogs have already been infected and will remain so for life. Since most dogs show no signs of illness once exposed to the bacteria, vaccinating to prevent re-infection, although possible, has not been studied and its benefits at this time are unknown.

If your dog has tested positive for Lyme exposure in the past, vaccination is not advised at this time. Urine samples should be brought to routine exams to evaluate for protein content. If protein is found in the urine, further tests may be needed. Dog owners need to discuss this with their veterinarians.

As noted, these are only guidelines and may change over time with further research and medical developments. Your veterinarian can help keep you informed of changes in the management of canine Lyme disease. Be sure to discuss this with your veterinarian as it applies to your dog’s health care.