My little girl has Lyme disease.
By mentalward
@mentalward (14690)
United States
November 9, 2010 9:30pm CST
My little Lilly, the youngest and smallest of my two Maltese babies, has Lyme disease. I just found that out today.
I took her to the vet's to get her vaccinations and to have her eye checked out because she has been favoring one eye, keeping it closed more than the other one. It looked fine, not swollen or red but there was something going on so I made the appointment to have that checked and to get her vaccinations at the same time.
She has a very slight case of conjunctivitis, nothing serious, and needs eye drops in that eye for five days.
But, in doing her blood work as part of her checkup, they told me she had a very slight positive for Lyme disease. I'd love to know when that happened because I've NEVER seen a tick on her, at least not one embedded in her skin. I've seen a few crawling through her hair, very tiny and obvious that they had not sucked any of her blood because they were so small. I guess that one was pretty well hidden from my scrutiny because I always check my girls often for ticks, just to be sure.
Those deer ticks can be awfully tiny! From what I've read, they can be no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. That's TINY!
Well, she'll have Lyme disease for life now. She's being treated with antibiotics and, once this course is finished, she can get her Lyme disease vaccination to, hopefully, prevent what they called a "re-infection".
I can't believe how guilty I feel that she has this! I feel like I haven't been as vigilent as I should have about making sure no ticks were on her. They tried to reassure me at the vet's office that these ticks can often be overlooked because they are so small and I shouldn't feel so bad but, well, you know how it is, our pets are our kids. And this one, my little Lilly, is the baby.
Do you or have you ever had a pet who had Lyme disease? How did it affect your baby? I have no clue as to what to watch out for.
8 people like this
13 responses
@AmbiePam (92994)
• United States
10 Nov 10
I hope you don't feel too bad. I mean, even parents can't blame themselves when their child gets Lyme disease. They can check their child all they want, but all it takes is one bite. I am very sorry that Lilly got sick. I've never seen a tick on my Sherlock. I use Frontline on him, but usually during the winter I stop because ticks and fleas don't anywhere near him in the winter. But after reading your post, maybe I will comtinue it all year.
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
10 Nov 10
Yes, you should use it year-round. I was doing the same thing, putting Frontline Plus on my girls from Spring through Fall but didn't see a need in the Winter. I guess I was wrong to do that or maybe it was a tick that got on her near the end of the month, right before she was due to have it put on her again.
It's so odd, too, because my girls are pure white with no undercoat and their skin is light pink. It's very easy to see anything black on them but I suppose it is easy to miss these deer ticks since they are so tiny.
She'll be getting her vaccination for Lyme disease in two months. She's on a 28-day course of antibiotics right now, then they wanted to wait a month before giving the vaccination, I suppose because the antibiotics could affect the vaccine if they are in her body so they want to give them time to be flushed out first.
At the moment, she's snuggled up against me, sound asleep. What a day she had! 
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
10 Nov 10
From what I've read, Lyme disease can only be gotten from a tick carrying this specific bacteria. It cannot be passed from human to human except by blood transfusion so anyone who has Lyme disease should not donate blood.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
11 Nov 10
i didnt know that pets could get that!! poor thing!! now im gonna be paranoid about mine especially since i had to rush both dogs to the after hours vet/animal er for things last week.. i thought i was going to get an ulcer from worry!
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
11 Nov 10
Oh, man! I feel for you, I really do! I've had times like that. When my kids were little, I had to take two kittens plus one of our dogs to the vet's on an emergency basis within a week. I thought I was going to lose my mind! I felt like putting all the animals in really thick cocoons and keeping them there! (They all had issues with their legs or joints.)
From what I've been told plus all I've read about it, we can do everything possible to prevent Lyme disease but they (and we) can still get it.
I'll be adding one more thing to my regimen of TRYING to keep the deer ticks away, I'll be spraying the yard with an insecticide that claims to kill ticks among other bugs. It's the only thing left that I haven't done. My girls get their vaccines, they get Frontline Plus every month (which I'll be switching over to Advantage as I've heard that will repel ticks instead of just killing them once they've already bitten), plus I check them often for ticks and/or fleas.
My husband, well, I don't know if he's just too lazy or he simply doesn't care but every month I hand him one of those little packets of Frontline Plus for him to put on his cat, the really mean cat that I won't go near, only to find the packets sitting somewhere collecting dust. So, his cat is probably the one bringing any fleas or ticks into the house. 
Sometimes I just feel like pounding on him, you know? 
Sometimes I just feel like pounding on him, you know? 1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
11 Jan 11
thankfully i dont have the tick problem although if i take them to my parents its bad there.. that frontline stuff is great although it worries me since my dog shook right after we put it on her and it got on the laptop which was silver painted and it ate through the paint! it makes you wonder what it does to the pet...
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
16 Jan 11
Hopefully things are a little better for your dog now. This discussion was started 3 months ago, but I know how precious owning a dog is, and when they have problems that can really turn your life for a bit upside down. Trying to keep them protected especially the smaller dogs is a chore, but glad to hear that things should look better from here.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
16 Jan 11
Things are Crazy around here but Good. Just trying to get some stuff organized around here, and such. We lost a 7 month old Puppy just over a month ago. Not sure what from, but boy do we miss having one around. (It was a Pomeranian.) So much is happening around here in my life still I really need to start a couple of discussions and update everyone.
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
16 Jan 11
Thank you, Tina. It has been a crazy three months, that's for sure. I had taken her in when I did specifically because something was wrong with her eye and it was also time for her vaccinations. The Lyme Disease shots are over with now and she's fine with that but we JUST got her eye fixed!
I can't believe these vets and will be changing to a new one right away. They put my dog on steroid eye drops initially and she was on them for about 6 weeks. They did absolutely nothing. The last time I had her in there, they FINALLY put her on antibiotic eye drops and that has finally fixed her problem... just 2 days ago she stopped closing her eye all the time. It cost me two extra trips to the vet's and over $200.00 more than I would have had to pay if they had just put her on antibiotic eye drops the first time.
But, the relief I felt when I realized she was no longer holding that eye closed! Of course, she's terribly spoiled right now because she has been getting treats each time she gets her drops (three times a day). The funny part of it was all I have to do is say "time for your eye drops" and she trots on over to me, plunks herself down in my lap and wait for her drops. It is so precious! She puts up with those drops so she'll get a treat. 
I'm still giving her the drops, until they're used up but I'm wondering how she's going to act when she doesn't need them anymore. She actually looks forward to them!
So, how are things going for you? I'm glad to see you back! I hope you are well.
I'm still giving her the drops, until they're used up but I'm wondering how she's going to act when she doesn't need them anymore. She actually looks forward to them!
So, how are things going for you? I'm glad to see you back! I hope you are well.1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
11 Nov 10
Oh Marti! I'm so sorry to hear this!! Look, I found this article on Lyme disease in dogs and it should answer any questions you might have. You shouldn't feel guilty for anything because you were doing the best that you knew how. Nothing wrong with that at all. It was the right thing at that time.... even if it is wrong now, it was right at the time so leave it at that. Ok? HUGS!!
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
12 Nov 10
Hey Cats! You didn't leave the link. 
I'm feeling better now because Lilly seems to be feeling better now. 
She seems to be a bit more playful than she was but that could be because her vaccinations caused her to not feel well but she's over that now. Whatever the reason, I'm very happy to see her being very playful. Of course, that means that she's busy squeeking her squeeky toys quite a lot but that's to be expected when you have dogs.
This weekend, I'll be spraying the yard with an insecticide that is supposed to kill ticks. I'll spray again in the Spring. I'm thinking that maybe the cats are picking the ticks up and bringing them in because the dogs rarely go in the yard, only when I take them for walks around the property. (We don't have a fully fenced-in yard yet.) Of course, I put Frontline Plus on them but will be switching over to Advantage. I heard that was better for repelling ticks, not just killing them after they've bitten.
Anyway, my little girl is her happy, playful self again so I'm very happy. 
I'm feeling better now because Lilly seems to be feeling better now.
She seems to be a bit more playful than she was but that could be because her vaccinations caused her to not feel well but she's over that now. Whatever the reason, I'm very happy to see her being very playful. Of course, that means that she's busy squeeking her squeeky toys quite a lot but that's to be expected when you have dogs.
This weekend, I'll be spraying the yard with an insecticide that is supposed to kill ticks. I'll spray again in the Spring. I'm thinking that maybe the cats are picking the ticks up and bringing them in because the dogs rarely go in the yard, only when I take them for walks around the property. (We don't have a fully fenced-in yard yet.) Of course, I put Frontline Plus on them but will be switching over to Advantage. I heard that was better for repelling ticks, not just killing them after they've bitten.
Anyway, my little girl is her happy, playful self again so I'm very happy. 1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
12 Nov 10
MY blonde moment. Sorry! Here's the link I forgot.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/lyme.html
You know, hubby and I don't spray any insecticides on our lawn but we do spread ant poison which is called diazinon and it's in a red bag at Walmart, in the gardening section. It kills ticks, fleas and all kinds of other insects and it's never harmed any of our pets. Not one. You can buy one of those spreaders and walk up and down your whole yard (getting exercise, lol) in rows to ensure that you get it everywhere.
I'm so glad to hear your baby girl is doing better!! You're a good fur mommy!! 
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
10 Nov 10
Awww I'm sorry. My daughter's kittens got sick too and she is really torn up about it. I'm not sure what they got, but she can't get them back and she just keeps crying over it. I told her to go ahead and cry. Those were her babies and she deserves to grieve.
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
10 Nov 10
Awww, I'm so sorry to hear that! What happened to the kittens that she can't get them back?
I know what that's like. I've had a few pets that got so sick that the best thing to do was to have them euthanized. I had one kitten who got an infection in both of his eyes and, even though I was treating him with antibiotic eye drops from the vet, he went blind. I was so heartbroken over that because he was just a baby.
You're right about crying. It's best to just cry and get it out. Holding it in will only cause more problems down the road.
@Cutie18f (9551)
• Philippines
11 Nov 10
Oh boy. I've never heard of this kind of disease. I also have three pet dogs and now I am scared of this because I do not really have that much time to bathe them regularly and they might get that. I notice that one of them is now itching and scratching every part of his body. Is this perhaps a symptom of it? I hope not.
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
11 Nov 10
I don't think you have anything to worry about in your part of the world. I don't think you have deer ticks there.
The itching and scratching sounds like it could be fleas or just a skin allergy. I had a dog once who was allergic to flea bites. Whenever a flea bit him, he would scratch so bad he'd lose hair in the spot where the flea bit, sometimes causing it to bleed. I had to give him allergy medication I got from the vet.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
11 Nov 10
I am so sorry about your baby. I am glad that it is not bad enough to make her really sick. Hopefully you won't have any more problems with it.
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
12 Nov 10
Thank you, Thoroughrob. Maybe it's my imagination but she seems to be a bit more playful since she started on her course of antibiotics. What is more likely is that she reacted a bit to her vaccinations and slowed down a bit but is now feeling better.
Whatever the reason, I'm so glad to see her being very playful. She's my little darlin. My other dog, Penny, isn't much of a cuddler while Lilly is always happiest when she's in my lap or squished up against me at night.
All I can hope for is that she doesn't get bitten by another tick infected with the Lyme disease bacteria. I've bought some insecticide to be sprayed on the ground that is supposed to kill most bugs, ticks included. I'm going to be spraying this weekend, then again in the Spring. It's the only thing I haven't done to try to keep these creepy bugs at bay. I don't like using any kind of chemicals but it's obviously necessary around here. I've shooed deer out of our yard more than once and, where deer are you will find the deer ticks.
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
11 Nov 10
Hi Elic. I hope that none of your animals have it! I've heard that the symptoms for animals is the same as it is for us but it doesn't get as bad in them because they just don't live long enough to have the really bad symptoms.
I'm so sorry to hear that your cousin and his son got it. I have a friend with it but she's not doing too badly. She went on antibiotics for quite awhile and managed to get rid of the worst of the symptoms. She has flares but they're not too bad... yet, anyway. Lyme is a scary disease, for sure.
Years ago, I heard that there was a vaccine for humans but it's nowhere to be found now. Maybe the side-effects from the vaccine were worse than the disease itself. I really don't know. I just wish they'd come out with some kind of preventative measure for humans! I use Frontline Plus on my animals (will be switching over to Advantage) but that doesn't prevent them from bringing ticks in with them when they come in.
Eeeeek, I HATE those creepy bugs!!! 
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
10 Nov 10
None of my pets has ever had Lyme disease but don't beat yourself up about it. You live in a place where the ticks have plenty of cover and they're so small that it's impossible to see them coming in the house or crawling in your dog's hair. By the time we see them they've had a feast!
Cookie got Valley Fever years ago--it's a horrid respiratory disease that lives in the soil and all the construction in Arizona set the spores free. Meds for a little over a year and that horrible cough was so painful to hear. She's fine now but I felt guilty, too--with as little reason as you have! It's not your fault so quit beating yourself up and just take good care of Lilly. I know how you feel!
Cookie got Valley Fever years ago--it's a horrid respiratory disease that lives in the soil and all the construction in Arizona set the spores free. Meds for a little over a year and that horrible cough was so painful to hear. She's fine now but I felt guilty, too--with as little reason as you have! It's not your fault so quit beating yourself up and just take good care of Lilly. I know how you feel!@mentalward (14690)
• United States
10 Nov 10
Hi dragon. I'm doing better today in dealing with it. My baby is back to her own sweet little self today.
I've been reading up on Lyme disease and, from what I've read plus what they told me at the vet's, there's not much that can be done other than what I've been doing to prevent it.
I'm going to spray the yard with an insecticide that is supposed to kill all bugs, including ticks and their eggs, before winter sets in and then do it again in the Spring. If I can kill even one of these nasties, I may just prevent my other pets from getting Lyme disease. Heck, I could even prevent myself from getting it!
From what I've read about it, I may just have to move to the southeast because deer ticks haven't been seen there (yet!). I despise these nasty bugs! They're so creepy!!!
I'm so sorry to hear about Cookie but glad to hear she's all better now. I've heard of that Valley Fever and know it's not nice and certainly nothing to fool around with. I remember learning about it in school (I believe it was biology class). I thought it's real name, coccidioidomycosis, was the coolest word I'd ever heard but the disease itself is not cool at all.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
11 Nov 10
there must be an outbreak of this disease lately. my friends friend got it lately. my sons gf in NY got it right after she went home. now, im getting worried. even though ive been told there are seldom ticks in arizona because its so dry and deserty. gee, i better have coco checked. i have no idea how they react or how it works
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
11 Nov 10
I'm not sure if this is everywhere but here at least the ticks have been especially bad this year. I have no idea what caused the tick population to explode because we had an especially snowy winter last year and an extremely hot and dry summer this year. I've seen more ticks than ever this past year and all of them have been deer ticks. (They're very small with reddish, uhh, bottoms... the females, anyway.)
I've always been afraid of getting Lyme disease myself because I'm outside so much. I knew that dogs could get it but wasn't too worried about my girls because they're pure white with no undercoat so it's easy to spot something black on them, even if it's tiny.
My other girl, Penny, is going in for her vaccinations next month and I have my fingers crossed that she doesn't also have Lyme disease. (I have to "stagger" my girls going in for their shots because they're so darned expensive!)
They are affected the same as we are, with flu-like symptoms, extreme fatigue and painful joints. Humans normally have worse symptoms down the road but only because we live longer. Dogs don't get the worse of them (swollen internal organs, etc.) because they simply don't live long enough to have them.
I hope you find that Coco is fine. You're right about the deer ticks not being prevalent in your area so Coco probably won't get Lyme disease... you, either!
@leenie50 (3992)
• United States
10 Nov 10
Marty,
I think you feel guilty because there is nothing you can do to take the disease away. Like everyone has said, it's not your fault. Besides the ticks being so small, they could have easily have bitten Lilly and fallen off or she could have knocked it off herself. Sweetie, you just can't control everything in your babies lives. So now it's up to you to care for her and let your love do the rest.
Your girls are so adorable. How old are they?
Just try not to let this overwhelm you.
Hugsss
Leenie
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
10 Nov 10
Hi Leenie. You're probably right about why I feel so guilty. Lyme disease is a forever thing and there's nothing I can do about it except do everything I can so she hopefully won't get bitten by another one.
Penny is five and Lilly is three, still kinda young. Lilly is not just MY baby, she is THE baby. She's the youngest of all the animals here and I've spoiled her rotten because she's the baby. She soaks it all up, too. Penny is too independent to be spoiled rotten, although she's not far behind Lilly. lol
I'm going to try to concentrate on what happens now and not think about how Lilly got Lyme disease because no good will come from me feeling guilty.
How've you been? I haven't seen you around for awhile, although I haven't been here much since my surgery. I hope you're as well as possible!
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
10 Nov 10
What a couple of little sweethearts! I am sorry in regards to your fur baby’s diagnosis! I had not heard of Lyme disease before...I can appreciate you feel responsible but you must understand that it is not your fault this has happened to her…It sounds as though the condition can be managed so focus on that and don’t blame yourself. I did that when my 13 year old cat passed away form cancer; I kept telling myself that if I had fed him a better diet he may still be with me but I am never going to know that for sure...
@amg5009 (62)
• United States
10 Nov 10
I have a Sheltie who was bitten by a tick with Lyme Disease. We always used Frontline on him and we thought it worked. One day he was very mopey and we thought he was sick. We waited it out for a couple of days. by day three he was so sick and not moving much we took him to the vet. We found out he had Lyme Disease and it was awful. He went through treatment and seemed to be doing great. Winter came and he was limping. We thought he had arthritis so we took him back to the Vet. The vet told us that he developed arthritis from the Lyme Disease. He is doing fine other than the occasional liming when it gets cold outside. We now use Advantage on him instead of Frontline and it seems to be working.
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
10 Nov 10
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog but I want to thank you for suggesting Advantage. I've been thinking about looking into it ever since I found out that the ticks have to bite before the Frontline will kill them. I always thought they were repelled by it. How wrong was I?!?
Anyway, I'll be switching... NOW. It's time for them to get another dose so I'll be trying the Advantage this time. I'll even get it for my cats.
