Hi all -
Usually I lurk but am in need of some Berner-L
wisdom. Our Aussie pup has had some limping
problems and we checked him for lyme back in June
when he was about 8 months old - results negative.
Decided not to vaccinate him for lyme as I felt
it wasn't that effective and had heard of vaccine
induced lyme disease. We always used the Frontline
and don't live in a wooded area but evidently Lyme
is endemic for both humans and dogs in our neighborhood.
Recently, at 15 months, the vet did another lyme
test (in the clinic antibody test) which came back
positive. He was treated with the 3 weeks of doxy.
and improved greatly, but we're about to go back in
for a followup test since it's been 2 weeks since his
last doxy.
The vet wants to do another titer then vaccinate
him for Lyme, but I'm still not convinced it does any good,
may cause problems, and actually will make future detection
of lyme problems more difficult. Am I mistaken ??
Why not just continue the Frontline and have him
tested every 6 months or so to insure he hasn't been
reinfected?? (testing immediately if limping or other
typical symptoms)
The vet indicated that now that he has antibodies
we'll have to do multiple tests and compare the titers
each time to see if he has contracted the disease again.
I guess I'm wondering what those that have had some
Lyme experience think (I remembered Pat had, but a search
of the archives was VERY extensive and I never found recent
posts). Of course I only want the BEST for my pups!!
Thanks for your time.
Barb in Maryland with Aussie Twister and BC Lizzie
http://polaris.umuc.edu/~bflook/index.htm
