# I guess it was inevitable



## Titan1 (Jan 19, 2010)

Total bummer and that is what scares me most.. Keeping fingers crossed that you only have the 4 weeks..Make sure you keep a extra couple on hand to start if you ever start getting the symptoms on a weekend..


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm so glad to hear you caught this with routine testing and it didn't go too long. Should the 4 week round take care of it?


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Aww, geez. So sorry. Hoping it will resolve quickly since you caught it early.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Darn ticks  4 weeks is the norm for Doxy here too. Glad he is not symptomatic and you caught it before that was the case.


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## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

Darn! So glad you caught it early! I hope Tito never has any further issues with it.


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

I am so sorry, but like the others said, you caught it early.


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## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear this, Barb. Sending healing thoughts for Tito. Do you vaccinate for Lyme's?


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I'm very sorry Barb--hoping Tito recovers quickly with the doxy and he's 100% very soon. 

I looked up the purpose of ticks and clicked on this link: What Purpose Do Ticks Serve in the Ecosystem? | eHow.com I'm sorry, but I disagree totally with the premise that ticks have a purpose in our ecosystem. Being food for birds is not good enough! IMO, ticks and cockroaches have no place here.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm so sorry Barb... 

I hope he gets over this fast.

You have him on Vectra too, right?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Glad you caught it quickly.

We found a tick on Emi. The next day I called my vet, asked for doxy, she got it for 30 days, and is to be tested in 6 weeks. It is an awful year for them, we NEVER have had an issue with them here before.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Wow, I never hear about Lyme down here but it seems to be a real problem up there. That's how they lost Flip's grandma(Towhee's mom). Scary stuff. But I guess it's a tradeoff, you guys don't have to worry about gators!


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

So sorry to hear the news about Tito. Hopefully it was caught very early and will never impact Tito in any way. Ticks are really bad here, too, and about 22% of dogs in my area are positive for Lyme.


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## 2golddogs (Oct 19, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear this and I worry about one of the dogs getting Lyme here as ticks are awful. I hate ticks.


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Push to keep him on the doxy for the 6 weeks. I have too many friend's dogs who got it, only the got the 4 week course and then had flareups/ You want to knock those suckers OUT!


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

I'm so sorry to see this news, but glad that you caught it early. 

Our vet points out that dogs that have had the vaccine can test positive without really having the disease. Even so, we have treated Joker to the 6-week course of doxy three times now and I suspect this year will bring another. Lyme is just too vicious not to treat aggressively.

Holding Tito and you in my thoughts and prayers,
Lucy


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I am really sorry...very glad they caught it!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks for the good thoughts. Yes, we use Vectra 3D. The scary thing is that I haven't found any ticks on him, and I really do check him pretty carefully. So obviously, he has had some.
What scares me about Lyme is if it goes into the kidney disease. I think (hope) that if you catch it early like this, it's not an issue.
He was vaccinated for Lyme as a puppy, but not since. 
I hate ticks. I am thinking I should probably get myself tested, too.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I feel for those of you who live in high tick areas. We have them here in Maine but they are the worst South of me.


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## luvgld7 (Jan 23, 2008)

I'm sorry to read that Barb. One of the most informative sites about tick disease is Anne McGuire's (she posts frequently about it on Work_Gold). She went through this with one of her goldens.

Tick-Borne Disease FAQ


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Yes if you have any questions I would contact Anne. She's the TBD expert!


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## hubbub (Jun 28, 2011)

Goodness, when it rains it pours (just read the thread about Tiny)! Many positive thoughts heading your way. I know 2 separate people who've had Lyme disease and they both said it was awful. All my fingers and toes crossed that Tito tolerates the doxy well and that 6 weeks of it will kick the "you know what" out of those buggers!


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## *Laura* (Dec 13, 2011)

What a worry. I hope Tito is okay. That's great that you caught this


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

Sending many, many positive thoughts and prayers for sweet Tito.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks, Ann, I have spent a lot of time on her site in the past and it is excellent. It was there that I originally got the information that the treatment time should be 6 weeks, not just 30 days.



luvgld7 said:


> I'm sorry to read that Barb. One of the most informative sites about tick disease is Anne McGuire's (she posts frequently about it on Work_Gold). She went through this with one of her goldens.
> 
> Tick-Borne Disease FAQ


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I suspect that in the future none of my *friends* will think I'm crazy sending out a full tick panel to MSU on Tito every 6 months. His last one was actually 4 months ago, and it was negative, so IMO it's worth every penny I spend on it.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Oh Tito, Those ugly, blechy ticks got to you. It's such a bummer. All my dogs have tested positive at one time or another, and would have to change my whole life with dogs to avoid ticks, and never get them out in the woods. The good thing is that the response to doxy is usually awesome. The main worry I have about Lyme is nephritis sneaking up, so I check that every 6 months on every dog. On the other hand, my Joplin lived to be almost 16 testing Lyme positive and Raleigh to 13. I think it is the unusual case in which something goes wrong, not the norm. Doxy is a condiment here.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Oh no poor Tito! I hope all goes well! So glad we have hardly any ticks here, and the ones that do almost never carry Lyme. Not common thank goodness!


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

I am sorry to hear that Glad you had the panel done on him, and caught it early. I hope he has a speedy recovery!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I sent tick panels too through the new Cornell lab systems. It is interesting bc they can say when a new infection is coming, when an infection has been persisting and is now chronic, and how strong a dog's individual vacination/ antibody response is separate from the disease.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

I hope he recovers quickly. Last year had both Cookie and me popping Doxycycline due to those rotten ticks. This despite her having the Lyme vaccine and being on Frontline along with my religious tick inpections. I considered adding a tick collar to the mix this summer, but haven't yet.


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## Sydney's Mom (May 1, 2012)

I'm so sorry - I hope he recovers quickly with no symptoms. 

I pulled a dozen dog ticks off Sydney over the past week. Should I be concerned?


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Sydney's Mom said:


> I'm so sorry - I hope he recovers quickly with no symptoms.
> 
> I pulled a dozen dog ticks off Sydney over the past week. Should I be concerned?


I would be getting Sydney tested if you have found that many--and on a preventive! The ticks are bad in Ontario this year after our mild winter. I have a friend who works at the animal health labratory at the U of G and they had already tested ticks that came up Lyme carrying in March.


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## Sydney's Mom (May 1, 2012)

sterregold said:


> I would be getting Sydney tested if you have found that many--and on a preventive! The ticks are bad in Ontario this year after our mild winter. I have a friend who works at the animal health labratory at the U of G and they had already tested ticks that came up Lyme carrying in March.


She was already on revolution when this happened. She got her first dose of it in mid-May and then the vet recommended a second dose June 1. I haven't found any on her since then.

Since she was on the preventative could she still be infected?


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Were any of them attached? That is when transmission occurs. A SNAP test is a pretty easy initial screening to do just for peace of mind.


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

I'm so sorry to hear this...fortunately you caught it early. And thankfully it sounds like the treatment is very effective. Ticks in this area rarely show up but in the Bay Area, Marin County, they were terrible. But none of our dogs ever tested positive for Lyme. We'll be sending posisitive thoughts your way.

Pete


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## Sydney's Mom (May 1, 2012)

sterregold said:


> Were any of them attached? That is when transmission occurs. A SNAP test is a pretty easy initial screening to do just for peace of mind.


Virtually all of them were attached -- and one was engorged not sure how I missed it on her I was checking all the time. 

We have a vet appointment next week, I will ask about it. Thanks for the feedback!


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## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

What kind of symptoms do they have to make you suspect Lyme's? Where is the most common places to look for them on your dog? We will be going up north in a month or so and I'd like to know as much about them as I can. Thanks in advance...


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Poor guy! I am so glad you caught it early though, I hope everything goes well with the treatment!


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

Cathy's Gunner said:


> What kind of symptoms do they have to make you suspect Lyme's? Where is the most common places to look for them on your dog? We will be going up north in a month or so and I'd like to know as much about them as I can. Thanks in advance...


Not sure about the symptoms but as far as location we seemed to find most of them on the head around the ears and eyes.

Pete


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Head, ears, armpits seem to be common locations, but they can be anywhere. The biggest problem is that the very small ones, no bigger than the head of a pin, can transmit the diseases just as well as the big ones can. So you may think you found them all, but you didn't.
Cathy, the symptoms are so vague most people don't even notice them. That's why we do a tick panel every 6 months. Tito has no symptoms at all.
He is on a preventative (Vectra) and obviously it didn't matter.


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## luvbuzz (Oct 27, 2010)

We have a major problem with Lymes in PA...both dogs and people. I get the vaccine, use Vectra, and spray him with a natural bug repellant every time I go into the woods. Buzz still contacted the disease. I did a 4 wk course of Doxy when a routine screening was positive, (no symptoms). I do those screenings every 6 months and watch for any symptoms of lameness. He tests a faint pos on all screenings except the one that he was treated for (was a significant positive).
Both my neighbors are positive. My one neighbor was dx when she had pain in her knee (a common area for pain with Lymes). The other neighbor developed Bells palsy...cause of this was Lyme disease.
Sending you and Tito positive thoughts; he will be fine.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks!
He has tested low positive before, and we just rechecked it in I think it was 6 weeks and at that time he tested negative. But this time the antibody titer was pretty high (640, I think) and the vet said that, while we could wait and see if his body fought it off again, it would be prudent to go ahead and treat it. He said that in goldens and labs the risk of lyme nephritis is higher, so you want to be ultra careful with those 2 breeds.
I'm glad, I'd hate to think of this smoldering around in his body and me not doing anything about it.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

I have had 2 dogs test positive for lymes. Both showed leg stiffnes. In fact Mikado could not walk it was like he was drunk. I hate to say this Barb but my boy died from kidney failure. He had lymes at age 3yrs and died at 6yrs. Vendetta my other pit bull had lymes I had her on doxy for 4wks she seemed good but had a horrible relapse 3months later she couldnt walk at all I had to carry her I thought I was going to loose her. I got her back on doxy and we did 6 wks that time around and she seems fine now. This was aout 6mos ago. 
my sister has vaccinated 3 of her dogs and 2 of them have had lymes. Her dogs faired much better than mine. No relapses and no signs of kidney trouble.


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## JDandBigAm (Aug 25, 2008)

Barb, I hope you will get tested too. Humans can have very severe symptoms and it can be so debilitating that they can be bedridden due to fatigue and joint pain.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I do plan to get tested. I see my specialist in July anyway, and I thought I would talk to him about it.
Sharon, I am hoping we caught it real early and it won't become a chronic problem. He hasn't had any symptoms, and had a negative test 4 months ago. It's why I test him with a full panel ($150) every 6 months at the longest, this stuff scares me.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Barb*

Barb

Sorry to hear that Tito tested positive for Lyme disease. Will be praying for you, too!!


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