Can you recognize the Lyme Disease symptoms in dogs? Lyme Disease in puppies is dangerous and at times life threatening. If you have a dog that frequently goes outside where it can pick up deer ticks, you need to recognize the conditions to get your dog treatment as soon as possible.
Lyme Disease Symptoms in Dogs
Lyme Disease symptoms in dogs come in two phases - early and late. In the early phase, before your dog is even diagnosed, you'll note a number of or all these symptoms:
Muscle and Joint Pain - Lyme Disease usually causes lameness due to muscle and joint tenderness. Your dog may have many of the same symptoms as arthritis and have enlargement in the joints. You'll notice this because your dog will have difficulty walking, walk laboriously or not want to walk around much at all.
Enlarged Lymph Nodes - If your dog is limping and showing pain when it moves or walks, check the lymph nodes to see if they are swollen. Lymph nodes are little glands that assist the immune system function. Check for the lymph nodes in your dog's neck and the joint of their legs (similar to the armpits and groin in humans). If you feel swelling or enlargement this is a sign your dog has some type of infection, illness or possibly Lyme Disease.
Chills and Fever - Dogs can have fever and chills just like humans. Some dogs with Lyme Disease develop fevers anywhere from 103 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fatigue - You may notice your dog acting tired and sleeping a good deal more than usual.Lack of appetite - A sudden loss of appetite is another sign of Lyme Disease.
Depression - Lyme Disease affects the nervous system and can cause depression in dogs. Suddenly, your happy and playful dog is acting sad or wants to stay away from family members.Necessarily
Bad Breath - Breath with a strong ammonia-like smell is a good indication your dog has Lyme Disease.If your dog shows any of these signs or symptoms, you need to take him to the vet for a checkup. Bear in mind, your dog will ordinarily have a number of of these symptoms -- not just one. And just because your dog has one or more of these symptoms doesn’t absolutely suggest your dog has Lyme Disease.
Your dog is valuable to you and is part of your family. To be absolutely sure whether your dog has Lyme Disease, you need to get a positive prognosis from your vetrinarian. Only then can you begin therapy for your dog to put a stop to long-term injury or even death. Familiarize yourself with these Lyme Disease symptoms in dogs and be able to know them to keep your dog out of harm's way.
Showing posts with label dog ticks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog ticks. Show all posts
Dog Ticks - Illnesses Caused by Dog Ticks
There are several varieties of dog illness caused by ticks and some of them can prove to be fatal if not treated. The secret to a good prognosis is much the same as with any infection... early diagnosis and treatment. If you feel that your dog is unwell or is showing signs of fever, having trouble walking or seems to be in pain, you should seek medical attention for him as soon as possible. Other symptoms to look out for include a loss of appetite or any swelling around the joints. If you have been in an area that you think may be a prime ground for ticks, such as areas of long grass, woodland or scrubland areas and your dog seems unwell, please get him checked out and make sure that the medical staff are aware that you suspect a tick bite. Ticks are not always easy to see.
One very worrying dog illness caused by ticks is Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The symptoms to look out for are those above but may also include a swelling of the face. You may also notice that your dog is unsteady and seems to be suffering from dizziness. This is a sign of neurological problems and could be accompanied by depression or seizures. A good many dogs suffering from the disease will show signs of blood in their eyes and could develop nose bleeds. Blood may also be present in their stools. These symptoms will appear anytime from a couple of days to two weeks after infection by the tick. Your pet could go on to suffer from other more serious problems if he does not get rapid treatment. Your veterinarian can diagnose the disease by blood test and if confirmed then he will treat it with antibiotics, usually successfully.
Lyme disease is another problem that is transmitted by tick. The symptoms can be very similar to those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever but there is often more of a chance of lameness with Lyme disease. The disease is often very difficult to diagnose so if there is any possibility that the symptoms present may be due to a dog illness caused by ticks, make sure you let the veterinarian know. Any time saved in the diagnosis of Lyme disease will help the prognosis for your pet.
A tick will draw blood from your dog, but, when you look at the size of a tick the amount it can take seems minimal. If, however, your dog were to have an infestation of ticks all having a free meal, there is a possibility that your dog could suffer from anemia. This is not a common problem as you would probably notice that amount of ticks on your pet. It is more a dog illness caused by ticks that would affect stray dogs or perhaps working dogs that live outside and do not have much human contact.
Tick paralysis is not an infection caused by ticks but a problem caused by toxins in the tick's saliva. Onset of the paralysis could be between 5 and 7 days after the tick has started to feed. Once it is becoming gorged some of the saliva containing the toxins may enter the dog's blood stream and cause the problem. It would normally take quite a few ticks to be present to cause this paralysis. Tick paralysis may affect just the hind limbs or right the way through the body to the front limbs. The problem becomes potentially fatal if it remains untreated and affects the respiratory system. The paralysis will used abate and things return to normal after the tick has been removed. Take your dog straight to the vet if you notice any paralysis as this is a dog illness caused by ticks which can be treated easily but can be fatal if left undiagnosed.
Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about tick problems, please visit Tick Treatment Site for current articles and discussions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Pennington
One very worrying dog illness caused by ticks is Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The symptoms to look out for are those above but may also include a swelling of the face. You may also notice that your dog is unsteady and seems to be suffering from dizziness. This is a sign of neurological problems and could be accompanied by depression or seizures. A good many dogs suffering from the disease will show signs of blood in their eyes and could develop nose bleeds. Blood may also be present in their stools. These symptoms will appear anytime from a couple of days to two weeks after infection by the tick. Your pet could go on to suffer from other more serious problems if he does not get rapid treatment. Your veterinarian can diagnose the disease by blood test and if confirmed then he will treat it with antibiotics, usually successfully.
Lyme disease is another problem that is transmitted by tick. The symptoms can be very similar to those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever but there is often more of a chance of lameness with Lyme disease. The disease is often very difficult to diagnose so if there is any possibility that the symptoms present may be due to a dog illness caused by ticks, make sure you let the veterinarian know. Any time saved in the diagnosis of Lyme disease will help the prognosis for your pet.
A tick will draw blood from your dog, but, when you look at the size of a tick the amount it can take seems minimal. If, however, your dog were to have an infestation of ticks all having a free meal, there is a possibility that your dog could suffer from anemia. This is not a common problem as you would probably notice that amount of ticks on your pet. It is more a dog illness caused by ticks that would affect stray dogs or perhaps working dogs that live outside and do not have much human contact.
Tick paralysis is not an infection caused by ticks but a problem caused by toxins in the tick's saliva. Onset of the paralysis could be between 5 and 7 days after the tick has started to feed. Once it is becoming gorged some of the saliva containing the toxins may enter the dog's blood stream and cause the problem. It would normally take quite a few ticks to be present to cause this paralysis. Tick paralysis may affect just the hind limbs or right the way through the body to the front limbs. The problem becomes potentially fatal if it remains untreated and affects the respiratory system. The paralysis will used abate and things return to normal after the tick has been removed. Take your dog straight to the vet if you notice any paralysis as this is a dog illness caused by ticks which can be treated easily but can be fatal if left undiagnosed.
Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about tick problems, please visit Tick Treatment Site for current articles and discussions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Pennington
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