Positive Lyme disease test

1168 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by srelizabeth, Jun 15, 2016

Vane82

Discussion Starter · May 30, 2016

Hello, new to this forum. I have three dogs that we take out regularly on hikes or backpacking trips. We always check for ticks during and after every trip.
My mother in law also lives out in the country.
Well, last week we took all 3 of our pups for their annual vaccinations and blood work and put Catahoula Leopard came back positive for Lyme disease as well as for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We called out Vet and are taking her in on Tuesday.
She has no symptoms and the last time we took her on a backpacking trip was last year in the fall and to my mother in laws in January.

I am worried, she is only 4 years old. I know the vet will let us know what actions to take but anyone have any advice or info they can share
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srelizabeth

· #2 · May 30, 2016

Vane82 said:
Hello, new to this forum. I have three dogs that we take out regularly on hikes or backpacking trips. We always check for ticks during and after every trip.
My mother in law also lives out in the country.
Well, last week we took all 3 of our pups for their annual vaccinations and blood work and put Catahoula Leopard came back positive for Lyme disease as well as for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We called out Vet and are taking her in on Tuesday.
She has no symptoms and the last time we took her on a backpacking trip was last year in the fall and to my mother in laws in January.

I am worried, she is only 4 years old. I know the vet will let us know what actions to take but anyone have any advice or info they can share
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It's very easy to be worried and confused about this disease in pets. When caught early, it is mostly treatable and a lot of dogs never even show symptoms. My beagle tested positive 6 months ago. Your vet will likely prescribe antibiotics as a precaution despite being asymptomatic. What I found to be helpful is doing a urinalysis to check for any protein in the urine that can arise from kidney problems - a "silent" killer of lyme disease. Again, when caught early, you can treat this... I am still learning about the process as well and have a check up apt for my dog tomorrow - I will let you know if I find anything else out.

Just want to emphasize that, as the vets tell me, testing positive for lyme only means your pet was exposed to a tick carrying the disease, it doesn't necessarily mean your pet is infected with it.

I recommend the Seresto collar for flea and ticks if you don't already use a preventative. My dog was on K9 Advantix II and he got bit anyway, just be cause of how rampant they are and how much we frequent the woods. I think the oil wore off quickly due to frequent swimming as well, which is why I love the collar right now.

Good luck, hang in there, and don't get too worried about this. 4 years old is young, I am betting your pet's immune system is pretty well in tact.

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LoveMyDog52

· #3 · Jun 15, 2016

It is a good idea to take your dog into the Vet, and having been diagnosed with Lyme disease, I fear that this post is not accurate because a positive test means that your dog has been infected and will need to receive antibiotic treatment as soon as possible.

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Thisisme19

· #4 · Jun 15, 2016

LoveMyDog52 said:
It is a good idea to take your dog into the Vet, and having been diagnosed with Lyme disease, I fear that this post is not accurate because a positive test means that your dog has been infected and will need to receive antibiotic treatment as soon as possible.

A positive test does not mean your dog is infected and needs antibotics asap. I'm going through this with my pup currently. Lyme affects dogs and humans in different ways. A positive initial test just means that they were bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease and have produced Lyme antibodies, often times this is a false positive and only 10% of dogs that have been exposed to the disease actually have it. Until further test are done you can't know if you pup has Lyme disease or fought off the infection after it was bit.

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srelizabeth

· #5 · Jun 15, 2016

I'm not sure if the original poster even is checking on this thread. but like I said above, my dog tested positive 6+ months ago. Upon my dog's check up a few weeks ago, his blood test came back and he is 110% healthy. People really need to stop thinking that a positive lyme result (in dogs) is a death sentence and do a little more research.

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