Ask Doctor Swingle – Lyme Disease

Q.   My dog, Marigold is a 7-year-old Golden Retriever/Lab mix.  Marigold tested positive for Lyme Disease at her annual vet check.  Should she be treated with medication for Lyme Disease?

A.   I’m sorry to hear that Marigold tested positive for Lyme Disease.  This means she was bitten by a tick carrying the infection.  To decide if she needs antibiotics, more information is needed.   Dogs that are infected with Lyme Disease can have two outcomes.  Their body can defeat the infection or the infection can continue to be active.  In both cases – even if the body has defeated the infection, the dog can continue to be positive for the screening tests for years.

At Countryside, dogs that test positive for Lyme on the 4DX screening test have a second blood test run.  This test is called the C6 Lyme Antibody Test and gives us the specific Lyme antibody level.  This is a number from zero to 600.  Dogs that have a C6 Antibody level greater than 30 are said to be actively infected with Lyme Disease and we recommend treating them for 3 weeks with antibiotics specifically recommended for lyme disease treatment.  We also use the C6 test to track treated dogs to see if the treatment is successful.

If Marigold has not had a C6 Lyme Antibody Test, I would recommend she have one.  This will allow you and your veterinarian to make a decision on what is best for Marigold.

At Countryside Veterinary Clinic – our Lyme Control Plan consists of 3 parts:

1)      We recommend all dogs be vaccinated against Lyme Disease annually.

2)      We recommend all dogs be treated with high quality tick control products monthly.

3)      We recommend all dogs be tested annually for Lyme Disease and positives be confirmed with the C6 Lyme Antibody test.

At Countryside Veterinary Clinic – we recommend Frontline Plus topical, NexGard chewable and Vectra 3D topical.  All three of these products provide high levels of tick control and which one you choose depends greatly on the lifestyle of you and your pet.  Our staff is happy to answer any questions you may have about these products.  Feel free to call us any time.

Best wishes to you and Marigold for a complete recovery!

 
Dr. Swingle
Countryside Veterinary Clinic
715-246-5606
24/7 Emergency Services 715-246-2619
www.countrysidevet-nr.com
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