Symptoms, routes of infection and treatment methods for borreliosis (Lyme disease) in dogs

Content

1. Spread of the disease 2. Methods of infection 3. Characteristic features of the course of the disease 4. Symptoms accompanying the disease 5. Methods for identifying the disease 6. Basic methods of treating dogs 7. Is there a threat of infection for people 8. To summarize

Our pets, just like people, are susceptible to various ailments and diseases. One of the fairly common and very serious diseases is tick-borne borreliosis (encephalitis). A small bacterium with a specific twisted shape turns out to be the main causative agent of a serious disease. The consequences of a bite pose a particular threat to life, because a harmful microorganism is capable of penetrating inside a cell and quietly remaining there in an inert state; the incubation period is practically unlimited in time. But at any moment, regardless of external conditions, the pathogen can wake up, go outside the cell and begin to actively reproduce.

Spread of the disease

Rheumatoid and other borreliosis in animals is recorded throughout the world. But the dog most susceptible to the disease is those living mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, in regions with a temperate climate. This is where most pets get sick with borreliosis, and each bite has the most severe consequences. The disease is quite common in Russia, where it has to be treated using different methods.

Borreliosis, a dangerous infectious disease, primarily affects the central nervous system of the animal’s body and has an extremely negative effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. If timely qualified medical care is not provided, borreliosis can manifest itself in various disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

As noted earlier, the disease is transmitted in the vast majority of cases by ticks. It is in them, in the intestinal cavity, that these harmful spirochetes can persist for many years, and can also be inherited.

Briefly about the main thing

1. Borreliosis is an infectious disease transmitted by ixodid ticks; it can be contracted during the warm season.
2. The disease in 70-80% of dogs occurs in a latent form (hidden).
3. A person cannot become infected from their pet.
4. Diagnosis based on clinical signs is difficult and requires a number of tests.
5. With timely treatment, your pet will not have any signs of the disease, but if you contact a specialist late, some symptoms may remain - arthritis, paralysis.

Methods of infection

In a dog, borreliosis disease can develop in the following main areas (risk groups):

Size matters?

The company took care of both the smallest dogs and large dogs. There are six different tablets, depending on your pet's weight. Simparika can be given starting from a weight of 1.3 kg, and the maximum tablet for dogs weighing 60 kg. Today's popular breeds, such as Toy Terriers, Spitz, Chihuahuas and Yorkshire Terriers, which can weigh very little, will not be left without protection. This is the only drug from the group of antiparasitic tablets on the market today for such dogs. What if you have a giant breed, such as a Great Dane or Central Asian Shepherd, weighing more than 60 kg? Then you need to combine 2 tablets. For example, your dog weighs 85 kg. Then you need to take 1 tablet for 40-60 kg, and 1 tablet for 20-40 kg. The dog will taste 2 times better, because he will receive 2 whole pieces of treats!

If you doubt whether the tablets were calculated correctly by weight or not, it is better to contact a veterinarian.

Characteristic features of the course of the disease

Lyme disease poses an additional danger because it can last for quite a long time without any symptoms. At first glance, there is nothing to treat; the animal is healthy, active, and its appetite is normal. However, as soon as the incubation period ends, characteristic rheumatoid symptoms appear, the degree of manifestation of which directly depends on the following criteria:

• protective functions of the pet's body;
• type of virus;
• stages of the disease;

Experts identify three main stages of the disease, each of which has its own symptoms.

First stage

Lasts up to 3 months from the moment of infection with ticks. This period is similar to the incubation period and is not accompanied by any deviations or external manifestations.

Second stage

Lasts from 3 months to six months. And here the first obvious symptoms appear, including signs of rheumatoid arthritis. If the bite is not treated here, the negative consequences will continue to accumulate. The different pathologies of Lyme disease can manifest in different ways.

Third stage

The stage is the most dangerous. All symptoms become more pronounced, pathological processes affect many internal organs (skin, joints, nervous system function deteriorates, etc.). If the owner has not paid due attention to the pet’s health, the dog is taken to the veterinarian with obvious symptoms, damaged skin, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Treating a bite in such a situation is, of course, much more difficult, and relieving the symptoms that appear as borreliosis progresses becomes much more difficult. It will take longer for the animal to cope with the consequences of such an illness.

Consequences

When contacting a veterinarian in the early stages of the disease and proper treatment, in 85% of cases the pet makes a full recovery. If the animal is in the advanced third stage, then serious consequences are possible:

• heart failure;
• arrhythmia;
• arthritis;
• paresis of limbs;
• complete immobility due to paralysis;
• jades;
• kidney failure and even death.

Can you get infected from a dog?

Borreliosis is not transmitted to a person when caring for a sick dog. However, it should not be ruled out that an infected tick can also bite a person when it is removed.

Symptoms accompanying the disease

Damage to a dog's body by tick-borne borreliosis can be detected by paying attention to certain dysfunctions in the functioning of the animal's body. Treatment practice shows that approximately 10% of all cases of disease begin to progress almost immediately, without an incubation period. But already in the acute form, the symptoms characteristic of Lyme become more and more pronounced. Usually this:

• the appearance of fever, fever;
• pain in joints and muscles;
• as a result, deterioration of coordination, stiffness, retardation of movements;
• numbness of motor skills;
• inflammation of synovitis;
• rheumatoid symptoms;
• swollen lymph nodes;
• effect of wandering arthritis.

As a rule, the progression of tick-borne borreliosis is accompanied by a neurological disorder, heart failure appears, pain increases, and muscle tone gradually decreases.

Symptoms at different stages

At the first stage, the disease can be suspected only by redness at the site of the bite. If your pet has long and thick hair, then it is almost impossible to notice such a minor change.

The more obvious symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs appear in the second stage. These include:

• loss of activity and appetite;
• lameness and aching joints;
• low-grade fever (slight deviation from the norm within 1-1.5 °C);
• increased heart rate;
• swelling of the paws;
• delay of urination and defecation.

In the third stage, constipation gives way to diarrhea. Vomiting, cough and fever appear. Breathing becomes heavy and hoarse. The mucous membranes turn blue, and urine comes out along with blood. Partial or complete paralysis of the paws is possible.

The main sign of infection is enlarged lymph nodes. It manifests itself increasingly. Initial changes affect only the bite site, and then the inflammation spreads to the entire lymphatic system.

If the kidneys are affected, the patient is diagnosed with glomerulonephritis - damage to the nephrons. This pathology is often complicated by renal failure.

Methods for identifying the disease

On numerous forums you can find out exactly how tick-borne borreliosis manifests itself; people tell you diagnostic methods that allow you to identify the disease. Here you will be told what consequences may occur if a dog is bitten by a tick infected with lime and whether an antibiotic will help in treating the dog.

In fact, trusting the advice from the forum, every dog ​​owner should know the correct procedure. You can only pre-diagnose the likelihood of the disease by signs such as rheumatoid symptoms, problems associated with arthritis, stiffness, lameness, fever and signs of depression in the general condition. All other testing activities, and especially the prescription of treatment, are the task of medical specialists and veterinarians.

What diagnostic and other tests should the doctor conduct? As a rule, the dog is prescribed:

• Electrocardiogram.
• Taking a urine test.
• Stool delivery and examination.
• Blood test (biochemical).

Usually this data is quite enough to determine the dog’s disease. Well, then, regardless of the stage of the disease or the presence of a sluggish incubation period, it is necessary to organize and carry out a full-fledged comprehensive treatment.

Preventive actions

It is possible to avoid developing Lyme disease. To do this you need:

• regularly examine the animal after each walk;
• if the dog itches, pay attention to this symptom;
• check your things after your walk.

After each walk, the dog must be examined.

Regular inspection after walks is especially important for those who live in a wooded area. Finding a tick on a dog's body is quite easy. To do this, you need to blow the fur with a hairdryer, first switching to cold mode.

You need to check your things because the tick is able to move freely around the house until it burrows into the pet’s body.

Basic dog treatment methods

If the symptoms of tick-borne borreliosis were identified in a timely manner, it is likely that the animal will not have to be treated for a long time. After completing a course of treatment for a dog for a bite and subject to strict adherence to the procedure established by the veterinarian, you can count on a speedy recovery and full recovery without any consequences for the body.

The best option is if the tick is found on the first day after the bite, before the incubation period begins. In this case, it will almost certainly be possible to avoid rheumatoid symptoms and close the topic of the incubation period, returning to a full healthy life.

The treatment of the identified disease with tick-borne borreliosis involves long-term use of special medications:

- tetracyclines;

- penicillin;

- cephalosporins.

The owner must understand that tick-borne borreliosis is cured gradually; immediately after the start of the treatment process, the animal’s condition may worsen to a certain extent. The body begins to fight. The load is increasing. But as the therapeutic course prescribed after or during the incubation period continues, a fracture gradually occurs, the spirochetes die and the body begins to recover. While undergoing treatment, it is advisable to keep the dog in a heated and ventilated room.

How to treat borreliosis

With timely detection of borreliosis, veterinarians give a favorable prognosis for recovery. During treatment, it is necessary to provide the animal with rest and lack of stress. Complete elimination of spirochetes is achieved with long-term (up to 4 weeks) use of the following antibiotics:

• amoxicillin;
• tetracyclines;
• penicillins;
• cephalosporins.

Due to the massive death of Lyme disease pathogens and the release of their toxins into the blood, the condition may worsen. According to existing data, antibiotic therapy is ineffective for Labradors and retrievers.

For the symptomatic treatment of damaged joints, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. It is recommended to take Catozal as maintenance therapy and improve metabolism. Using the drug will help the animal recover faster from illness. Treatment may also include taking nephroprotectors and hepatoprotectors and vitamin complexes.

Spirochetes can persist in a latent state in the body even after a course of antibiotics. This does not harm the animal, but can harm the dog's offspring and is dangerous for humans. A healthy tick, having bitten an infected animal, becomes a carrier and is capable of infecting people.

Is there a risk of infection for people?

Doctors declare with full responsibility: a person cannot become infected with tick-borne berroliosis from a pet. There is a chance of catching it only if the tick is carelessly removed from the dog’s body, in which trace elements of the harmful insect enter the blood or mucous membranes of a person. Wounds on the human body are also a source of danger. But in fact, observing basic hygiene and precautions will reliably protect a person from infection.

It's better to prevent than to treat later

Preventive measures make it possible to easily and quickly cope with such a dangerous disease. All necessary preventive measures must be started in early spring, long before ticks appear in nature. The most widely used means are:

Prevention

It is worth taking preventive measures in early spring, before ticks become active. There is no completely effective and safe vaccine. Currently, the use of insectoacaricides is recognized as the most effective method. The active ingredients are selected taking into account the characteristics of the animal’s body. Funds exist in various forms:

1. Skin sprays. It is recommended to use at the end of the dangerous season, as their effect is short-lived.
2. Drops on the withers. The duration of action is about 4 weeks, they act without absorption into the blood, so they do not harm animals.
3. Collars. There is a large selection of collars with a service life of 2 to 7 months and with various active ingredients in the base. They need to be worn continuously, and not just for walks.

No preventative measure can guarantee complete protection. From April to October, dogs should be examined after each walk, paying the most attention to the areas of the ears, neck and armpits. If the dog is acting restless and scratching in the same place, he could be bitten. At the first signs of lameness, fever and general weakness, you should immediately consult a specialist. Attention is the key to keeping your pet safe from unpleasant diseases.