Lyme Disease -- It's Here!

After our record-breaking cold winter, the recent warm weather has been a welcome change. Unfortunately, along with increased opportunities to enjoy being outdoors, warmer weather also brings increased health risks for ourselves and our pets. In North Carolina tick-borne diseases are among the more significant summertime health concerns. That concern has increased for all of us this year with the report of confirmed human cases of Lyme Disease in Wake County. The cases involved people who had not traveled out of the county recently, so we know the disease is here. The question, then, is what can we do to prevent Lyme Disease in ourselves and our pets?

Lyme Disease in humans and dogs is caused by the same organism, Borrelia burgdorferi. Certain ticks can harbor the organism and transmit it when they bite. However, the infection in dogs manifests very differently. Over 90% of dogs that are infected never get sick, and the 5 to 10% that do usually respond to a short course of an appropriate antibiotic. (B. burgdorferi has also been found in cats, but so far it has not been associated with illness.)

A canine vaccine for Lyme Disease does exist. However, we do NOT recommend it at this time. As our clients know, we believe in vaccinating your pets as infrequently as possible. We vaccinate only for cases in which (a) the threat warrants the vaccine and (b) the vaccine has proven its effectiveness. At present there is a great deal of both ongoing research and controversy surrounding the need, effectiveness and safety of the Lyme vaccine. Rest assured that we will stay abreast of the current research so that we can change that recommendation if and when it is appropriate.

It is important also to note that there are other tick-borne diseases in North Carolina that infect people and dogs (notably Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis) and that are much more common and serious. Unfortunately, we are also seeing the emergence of a serious feline tick-borne disease, Cytauxzoonosis. There are no vaccines available for these diseases. Therefore, effective tick control is the key to prevention. While there are no canine or feline tick control products that prevent ticks from attaching, we recommend Frontline Plus because it kills ticks before they can transmit Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Ehrlichiosis. We see fleas and ticks throughout the year, so it is important to apply Frontline Plus every month, including winter months. It is also critical to check dogs, and cats that spend time outside, for ticks daily, making sure to remove attached ticks completely with tweezers, and then wash your hands after removal.

If you have any questions or concerns about tick control or Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases, please give us a call at Kildaire Animal Medical Center. The Center for Disease Control also has an excellent and up-to-date website on Lyme Disease at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm.


Dr. Teri A. Smith