Lyme Disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi. This bacteria is carried by some species of ticks, most commonly the “Deer Tick” also called the “Black-Legged Tick”. This tick can be extremely small in size, often times being no larger than a poppy seed. This is one of the main reasons why many pet owners may not even know that their dog has been bitten by a tick before symptoms of Lyme Disease develop.
The Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria has a distinctive tightly coiled spiral shape that can be identified under a microscope. Many veterinary experts are still baffled by Lyme Disease, since it has the uncommon ability to affect many different organs. This is one of the reasons why Lyme Disease is so difficult to diagnose, since the symptoms tend to be very general in nature.
It is common knowledge among most pet owners that Lyme Disease is most frequently transmitted to a dog from a bite by an infected tick. Ticks use their forelegs to attach to a passing host, and then proceed to penetrate the skin in order to obtain a blood meal. A common infected host that could possibly pass Borrelia Burgdorferi to a deer tick is the white-footed mouse. It is possible for a tick to retain this bacteria for its entire lifetime without becoming sick itself.
When an infected tick attaches to your dog, it needs to prevent the blood from clotting in order to keep feeding. To do this, the tick injects special enzymes on a regular basis into your dog's body to prevent clotting. By 24-48 hours, the bacteria from the tick's mid-gut is transmitted into the dog through the tick's mouth. If the tick is removed before this time, the chances of a dog being infected by Lyme Disease are relatively low.
It's possible for any dog to become infected with Lyme Disease. This disease does not distinguish between breeds, maturity or other factors.
With current veterinary medical research, there is now a vaccine available to help lower the chances of a dog contracting Lyme Disease by exposure to an infected tick. There are currently three different vaccine formulas available. It's advised to speak with your veterinarian before choosing the right vaccine against Lyme Disease for your dog. Another effective way to prevent Lyme Disease is to constantly administer an anti-tick treatment to your dog.
These are usually topical treatments, and involve the application of a formula to a spot high on a dog's neck or back. The treatment is then absorbed by the dog's skin, which causes any tick that bites the treated dog to die within approximately 24 hours. This treatment is usually administered on a monthly basis, as is the case with medications such as Frontline.
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