Lyme Disease Concern for Simba

[NTrivento]

Hello everyone. We recently found a raisin looking gray tick attached to Simba on November 9th and removed it promptly. This was such a shock to us since we are so late into the fall. My wife did remove it from Simba with no resistance from the tick which was surprising. The tick wasn't moving at all after it was removed which was also suprising. Any articles or videos we've see about tick removal the little buggers are always moving when you take them out. We don't know how long the tick was in Simba and are scared to death of Lyme Disease now. This one managed to hide itself under his fur right behind his front leg on the side of his body.

Simba is on Frontline Plus religiously. It just so happens he was 9 days overdue from his scheduled monthly treatment. Of course we immediately started Frontline again to prevent anyting else.

There are a million things going through our minds now.
- How long was the tick inside? Being it was gray it must have started feeding
- Why was it not moving when it was removed? Could there have been some Frontline left inside of Simba's blood which caused the tick to die while feeding?
- Was this a deer tick? We do live in NY where deer ticks are high
- If it was a deer tick was it infected? No way of knowing until he is tested.

Anyway I called several Vets we currently visti who were almost all in agreement regarding testing.
- We need to wait at least 4-5 weeks to get Simba tested. This will allow for an accurate positive test if in fact Simba contracted this. One of the vets also suggested they will be screening for heart worms which makes me even more scared. Simba has been on Interceptor forever and never missed a treatment. I guess the Vet will be using the SNAP test which screens for everything.

The vet who removed Simbas mast cell tumor suggested maybe starting antibiotics now which I don't agree with. This poor dog has been on so many antibiotics after surgery I don't want to pump him full of more if he doesn't have anything.

We are also really concerned he might be infected because he wants to sleep more than usual now. This could of course be a coincidence since he is currently on prednisone and Benedryl to treat his skin allergies. Simba is always a bit knocked out with either of these medications.

This is the first time Simba has ever been bitten by one off these things and of course we are panicking. Thanks for letting me vent. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Nick

[shaynapug]

I have to admit that I would be too!!!!!

You know, you're doing everything right...........

As far as him sleeping.....benadryl does that.

Take a deep breath (easy for me to say) and test when the time is right!

See everything being fine!

[Buddy's Mom]

I also live in NY, upstate though. Our backyard is tick heaven in the spring and fall. I also use Frontline Plus. Our two boys, Buddy and Oscar both tested positive their last test. Buddy a strong positive and Oscar a weak positive. Buddy has gone through a month and a half of antibiotics and will be retested soon. Oscar went through a month of antibiotics and also will be retested soon. I was devastated at the news! But not totally surprised because in the spring and fall I have to do a complete tick check on all of them before letting them inside after even the shortest of potty trips. They always have one on them during those times. Sophie has only had one crawling on her once and has never had one attached but I can't count how many times Buddy and Oscar have had them attached and feeding! Even with a thorough tick check, some must have been missed. Honestly I can't wait to move out of my house and that has a lot to do with it. I have lived a bunch of places in this area and have never even seen a tick until we moved here. We have a neighbor that bring in log wood, chops it up and sells it from his house. I assume he is bringing in all of the ticks. They are deer ticks.

Anyway, it is treatable. Humans mostly have the side effects with Lyme, not as much with dogs. If he turns out positive, go through everything your vet recommends and then get him a Lyme vaccine once he is clear. That is my plan with all three of mine. You can't possibly find all of the ticks that may hide in the fur so don't blame yourself. Let us know how the test turns up when you can get it done. My fingers are crossed for you that he will be negative.

[NTrivento]

Will let you know the update in a few weeks... Thanks!

[Boldie]

There is no "strong positive" or "weak positive" on the SNAP 4DX test which tests for Lyme, heartworm, and 2 other tick-borne diseases (but not "everything"). A SNAP test is like a pregnancy test.....simply positive or negative (qualitative, not quantitative). If there is a positive test for Lyme, the next step is to do a Quantitative C6 from Idexx. If that number is over 30, the dog should be treated with doxycycline 5-10 mg/kg for 6-8 weeks. The higher doses for longer are believed to best eradicate this disease, but it is hard on some dogs, causing GI upset and elevation in liver enzymes. 6 months after completion of the antibiotic course, the C6 should be rechecked. It should be declined by at least 50% from the initial value. It is unlikely a "raisin" sized tick is a deer tick and transmits Lyme disease, but other tick-borne diseases are as bad or worse than Lyme and are tested for and treated somewhat differently; confections are not uncommon. Last year, my 10 month old pug contracted Lyme complicated by uveitis (successfully treated). The best advice on tick-borne diseases can be found on the "Tick List" (google Tick links and look for TICK-L @APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM). Most vets are not current in diagnosing/treating tick-borne diseases so you must do research and be your dog's advocate. Good luck.

Denise

[Buddy's Mom]

There is no "strong positive" or "weak positive" on the SNAP 4DX test which tests for Lyme, heartworm, and 2 other tick-borne diseases (but not "everything"). A SNAP test is like a pregnancy test.....simply positive or negative (qualitative, not quantitative). If there is a positive test for Lyme, the next step is to do a Quantitative C6 from Idexx. If that number is over 30, the dog should be treated with doxycycline 5-10 mg/kg for 6-8 weeks. The higher doses for longer are believed to best eradicate this disease, but it is hard on some dogs, causing GI upset and elevation in liver enzymes. 6 months after completion of the antibiotic course, the C6 should be rechecked. It should be declined by at least 50% from the initial value. It is unlikely a "raisin" sized tick is a deer tick and transmits Lyme disease, but other tick-borne diseases are as bad or worse than Lyme and are tested for and treated somewhat differently; confections are not uncommon. Last year, my 10 month old pug contracted Lyme complicated by uveitis (successfully treated). The best advice on tick-borne diseases can be found on the "Tick List" (google Tick links and look for TICK-L @APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM). Most vets are not current in diagnosing/treating tick-borne diseases so you must do research and be your dog's advocate. Good luck.

Denise

I was quoting my vet. They explained like a pregnancy test one positive was stronger than the other. Maybe they don't know what they are talking about... Who knows.

[cellophane]

Well, for the heartworm-only SNAP test, the results are comparative (meaning that the darker the spot, the higher the antigen levels/ a more "strongly positive" result. This may not apply to the Lyme and other combo SNAP tests.
Just a few things on Frontline: it is not absorbed into the bloodstream, rather it stays in the oil glands of the skin and is distributed through the oil secretions. So that's why you should not bathe the pet right before or after applying Frontline, and why frequent bathing can strip out the oil secretions and reduce the effectiveness. Also, this is the reason on treated dogs, ticks can (and ideally will) be killed even before they feed, since the product is not dependent on a bite to work.
Until he gets tested, good luck and try not to worry too much!

[NTrivento]

Well the results are in and luckily Simba did not contract lyme disease from that tick. Thanks everyone for your well wishes