Lyme disease is a chronic disease in humans and animals caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterium is transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes. Under natural conditions, free-living and domestic birds, dogs, cats, horses, cattle and humans are susceptible to infection.
How can you get infected with borreliosis?
Approximately every third tick carries Lyme disease. Ticks are not only found in forests and meadows but increasingly also in city parks and lawns. The source of infection is exclusively ticked. Ticks become infected by taking blood from infected animals. These are most often rodents, rabbits, deer, roe deer and birds, which can transmit the germ over long distances.
All stages of the tick (larva, nymph and adult) are transmitters. Transmission occurs via the saliva of the tick when it bites the host. The germ enters the blood from the site of tick entry and continues to the internal organs, the nervous system and the joints. The bacteria can survive for a very long time in the synovial fluid of the joints and the central nervous system. This is why dogs often have asymptomatic long-term infections.
Signs of Lyme disease
The first symptoms may not appear in a dog until 2-5 months after infection. The dog may develop pain in one or more joints. The affected joint is often swollen, warmer and tender when touched. As a result, dogs may limp and not want to go for a walk. There may be a lack of appetite, sadness and an elevated body temperature. Secondarily, hepatitis, nephritis, meningitis and epilepsy may occur. Very rarely do dogs develop erythema migrans, which is characteristic of Lyme disease in humans.
How to protect yourself against the disease?
The treatment of borreliosis is difficult and long-lasting. It consists of administering suitable antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
We should remember that we can protect our dogs against this disease. It is worth protecting dogs against tick infestation with collars, tablets or spot-on preparations. Due to the warming climate, we should protect our dogs for most of the year.
There are also vaccines against Lyme disease. Usually, dogs can be vaccinated at 9-12 weeks of age with two doses of the vaccine at a three-week interval. After that, the vaccination should be repeated once a year.
