Lyme Disease 

 

Pets & Lyme Disease
Torrington Area Health District, 350 Main Street - Suite A, Torrington, CT 06790
Phone: (860) 489-0436  

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PETS and Lyme Disease


Dogs (and far less commonly cats) can become infected with the Lyme disease bacteria. While many dogs are exposed to the bacteria through tick bites, relatively few actually become ill.

The most common signs of Lyme Disease in DOGS are:

  • Lameness
  • Swollen joints
  • Fever
  • Lethargy
  • Loss of appetite (usually accompanied by one or more of the other symptoms)

Lyme disease in dogs is usually successfully treated by a two to three week course of antibiotics.

Prevention

  • Vaccines are available to help protect dogs from Lyme disease but their use is controversial.
  • Avoid wooded, brushy and tall grassy areas where ticks like to live.
  • Use topical acaricides and effective tick collars.
  • Carefully remove any ticks found on pets on a daily basis. (Place fine point tweezers around the tick’s mouthparts and gently pull upwards until the tick detaches.)
  • Place tick on a piece of adhesive tape, fold over and discard.

    Prevention Tips from our "WEBSITE VIEWERS"

    1 - Flea combs are wonderful for helping locate ticks on short hair pets. 

    2 - Keep a jar of alcohol near the primary pet entry door to easily and quickly kill ticks as you remove them each time the dog or cat is let in.

    Please share with us some of your prevention ideas to be posted within the TAHD website.

For more information regarding what is best for
.   .   .  your pet
.   .   .  

Contact Your Veterinarian.

 

Information on Lyme Disease is based on scientific and medical sources including research done by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, the Connecticut Dept. of Public Health, and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

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Modified on 3/22/2008