Lyme disease

Keymaster

Jen,
I am sorry to read this. You must be very worried about this news. I have information for you so you can understand what is happening.

I have been on a tick disease forum since 2007. Any of the many tick diseases can make a dog very sick and often, when one disease is found, there can be other tick diseases or co-infections as well because ticks tend to carry many different diseases. Lyme is not directly related to anemia, but other tick diseases can and will lead to serious anemia. You will often find me here on this forum asking specifically if a vet did a SNAP 4DX+ test right from the start.

If you can find the time, there is a lot of reading you need to do so you can understand Lyme disease, and in general tick diseases. I have a good friend who has developed a complete website devoted to dogs and tick disease. The information is well researched and is kept current. I am going to have you read two pages in particular but when you have time browse the site and read more.

So the first page you should read is the one on Lyme disease.
https://sites.google.com/site/tickbornediseaseindogs/lyme

Please especially read about Lyme nephritis or glomerulonephritis. There is a side bar article on the right side. Protein in the urine is a direct sign of this condition. However, since I have not seen your labs, I don’t know how advanced this is. This particular condition associated with Lyme is not something I like to see on any test. I need to know more about how far advanced it is. Essentially what has happened is the Lyme spirochetes have infected the kidneys and are damaging important cells.

The second page I would like you to read is about treatment. But I am also going to paste the very important information you need to read here so you will have it immediately. I highly recommend that you insist that your vet treat Maggie with this high, prolonged dose. I have experience from many years on the Tick list to know that this is essential to helping her get better. If your vet is reluctant to try this higher dose, then you must convince them or find a vet who will do this for you. Please stay in contact with me and ask questions about what you are reading. I am here to help you with this
My best
patrice

https://sites.google.com/site/tickbornediseaseindogs/treatment
“Doxycycline
A semisynthetic tetracycline, doxycycline is the drug of choice for ehrlichiosis (including Anaplasma phagocytophilum and platys), Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The dosage we recommend on Tick List is an aggressive one: 5 mg. of doxy per pound of body weight given every 12 hours for 8 weeks. For those who prefer to figure body weight in kilograms, this is approximately the same as 10 mg per kg, the difference being not enough to mention.

This is twice as high as the dose that is generally recommended – and here I should probably remind you that I am not a veterinarian or a medical professional. Well, that’s true. At the same time, I should tell you that your vet is the one to decide what dosage to use. Well, I would concur if your vet is familar with tick-borne disease and knows it inside out. If not, he or she should consult with a colleague who is before deciding on the dosage.

In my opinion and that of everyone on Tick List, to my knowledge, ehrlichiosis and Lyme must be hit hard the first time out, if at all possible, and lower doses and/or shorter treatment times all too often mean recurrence. Unless your dog is one of the few that cannot take doxycycline or take it in this higher dose, my best advice to you is to insist on it. In the experience of a great many of us on Tick-L, each time ehrlichiosis or Lyme recurs, it’s harder to stop or contain it. “

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