Causes of Lyme Diseases in Poodles
Lyme disease is transmitted to poodles through the bite of a tick. The type of tick that causes Lyme disease in poodles (dogs in general) is the deer tick. The deer tick is also called the black-legged tick. When your poodle is bitten by a deer tick, the deer tick transmits bacteria into the bloodstream of your poodle. The bacteria is called Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacteria is carried to many parts of your poodle`s body. However, this bacteria is more likely to stay in your poodle`s bone joints or in your poodle`s kidney.
Lyme disease can also be transmitted to humans, if they are bitten by a deer tick.
How can I tell If my Poodle has Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-transmitted diseases in dogs, but only 5 – 10 % of dogs show symptoms of the disease. Moreover, it takes up to one year for some poodles to show symptoms of Lyme disease after infection. The disease may be widespread throughout the body by this time. The following are the symptoms of Lyme disease:
- Fever
- Swollen joints and limping
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy and/or depression
The following are also symptoms of Lyme disease, although, these symptoms are less common in poodles with Lyme disease:
- Depression
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Sensitivity to touch
- Difficulty in breathing
- Kidney failure
Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. If you observe unusual behavior in your poodle, like those listed above, then talk to your vet. But be aware that these symptoms could be due to other conditions and not necessarily Lyme disease.
To confirm that your poodle has Lyme disease, your vet will do a blood test to see if there is evidence of the presence of the bacteria that causes Lyme diseases in the bloodstream of your poodle.
Can I Get Lyme Disease from my Poodle?
Although humans can get Lyme diseases, however, humans cannot get Lyme disease directly from dogs. Therefore, you cannot get Lyme diseases from your poodle. However, if you get bitten by the deer tick which transmits Lyme disease, you can get Lyme disease. The same deer tick that transmits Lyme disease to your poodle can transmit Lyme disease to you if that tick bites you.
How Common is Lyme Diseases in Poodles?
Deer ticks, that cause Lyme diseases are common in the Midwest and the Eastern States of the United States. Deer ticks are also common in Canada, especially in Ontario. See the graph below to see the distribution of Lyme diseases in the US and in Canada.
Lyme disease is not very common in poodles. However, poodles that live in places with a high prevalence of Lyme disease are more likely to have it that poodles that do not live in those areas.
How do I prevent my Poodle (and me) from Getting Lyme Disease?
You need to be proactive to prevent tick-borne diseases in yourself and your poodle. Here are some tips to prevent you and your poodle from getting Lyme disease:
- Immunize your poodle against Lyme disease. (No shot is available for people. The manufacturer that made human vaccination for Lyme diseases discontinued production in 2002)
- Use a topical tick-repellant that your vet recommends.
- Check your poodle and yourself after every foray into the yard (especially, if you have deers coming into your backyard)
- Use Damminix® tick tubes or another tick treatment in your yard. You toss a tube every 15 feet or so around the perimeter of your property. Field mice and other small rodents remove the treated cotton balls to use as nesting material. The permethrin kills ticks in the mice’s nest but does not harm the mice or their offspring. You can probably find Damminix® at your local agricultural supply store. You can also find it online.
- Wear clothing treated with permethrin if you are an avid gardener. Treat all your gardening clothes with Sawyer’s Military-Style Repellant soak. It lasts through a half-dozen washings. You can also spray your clothing with Sawyer’s aerosol spray. You can purchase these repellants at camping stores as well as online.
- Have your vet do the SNAP 4Dx blood test during annual wellness visits, if you live in an area where deer ticks are common. Visit IDEXX Laboratories to learn more about this test.
How is Lyme Disease Treated in Poodles?
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. When your vet diagnoses your poodle to have Lyme disease, your vet will put you poodle on the right antibiotic regimen to fight the Lyme disease.
How to tell the difference between a Deer Tick and a Dog Tick
Below is the picture of a dog tick and a deer tick above. This pictures provides you a visual guide to tell a dog tick from a deer tick.
Dog Tick Deer Tick
References
https://tickencounter.org/tick_identification/deer_tick
https://tickencounter.org/tick_identification/dog_tick
https://www.petsandparasites.org/parasite-prevalence-maps#2020/all/lyme-disease/dog/united-states/
https://www.petsandparasites.org/parasite-prevalence-maps#2020/all/lyme-disease/dog/canada/
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_dg_lyme_disease
