Lymes Vaccination

Does your dog have the Lymes Vaccination?

If so, do you have your dog tested for Lymes an a regular basis?

Message edited 11/4/2007 9:24:21 PM.

Re: Lymes Vaccination

Funny you ask this!

I just got my dog tested for lyme the other day, b/c he is young and has been limping for no real reason.

He has not been vaccinated. So I asked my vet why. He said having the vaccine makes it very hard to test a dog for exposure should he become suspectedly exposed. B/c then the docs can't tell if they have been exposed or just the vaccine at work. And the vaccine doesn't always work...soo.....

Frontline and the tick collar are probably our best bets, as well as inpsecting our pets and keeping them out of areas in high risk. Vet also said dogs are much easier to treat than humans should theyr become infected.

So funny you ask this, I have been so worried about my dog. Luckily he came back negative so the limp is due to sprain most likely.

Message edited 11/5/2007 12:39:06 AM.

Re: Lymes Vaccination

I give Misty all vaccinations including Lyme. I know that the dog can test false positive when they get the vaccine, but I walk her every day in woods and parks where there are deer and raccoon. She has picked up enough ticks for me to be concerned about Lyme disease. So, I use the vaccination along with Frontline.

Remember, although Lyme is easier to treat in a dog - it's almost impossible to tell they have it until it's very advanced. A dog isn't like a person who will tell you he/she doesn't feel good - the dog will hide symptoms as long as it can.

My opinion is that if you are going to expose the animal to the woods or other animals it's safer to do the vaccines than not. I know of one person who didn't give their dog the kennel cough vaccine and their dog died of kennel cough.

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we used to get all our dogs thier annual rabies& leptosperosis shots. Never got them thier Lymes disease shot. One day my sheltie was limping around, we thought she jumped off the deck instead of using the staris and landed wrong. I immediately took her to the vet. She had 103 fever. My vet tested for Lymes and she had it. I ofund a tick on her about a year before this and my vet said that could have done it. Lymes disease can harbour in the body for a long time before revealing any symptoms. SO now all my dogs get every shot imaginable and Frontline

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No my breeder asked me when I got her not to give her one. My vet doesn't really push it either.

Message edited 11/5/2007 8:31:36 AM.

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Message edited 11/5/2007 8:32:29 AM.

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Message edited 11/5/2007 8:43:01 AM.

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Message edited 11/5/2007 8:39:23 AM.

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This is definitely a vaccination to do your research on. Here's a link to an interesting article. This is nothing against anyone that has given their dog the vaccine already. Just another perspective....

Lyme Disease and Vaccination


The Lyme vaccine can cause an untreatable form of Lyme disease and, like all bacterial diseases, provides short term immunity. It is not recommended at any of the vet schools in the United States. The human Lyme vaccine was withdrawn from the market. For all the reasons, I think that it's best avoided. But I have one more, very compelling reason.

There are other tick borne diseases that are much more serious than Lyme, for which we have no vaccines. So even if a very safe and effective Lyme vaccine were developed for dogs, having your dog vaccinated for Lyme isn't going to lessen the need for tick prevention. So it's hard to make the risk vs. benefit analysis for Lyme vaccination come out on the benefit side, no matter how you work the math.

Message edited 11/5/2007 8:45:55 AM.

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She has the vaccination but has never been tested for it.

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Posted by luckysmom

Just be careful. Keep a watch on your dog if she is still limping and she seems to get a little moppy, make sure she doesn't get a fever. We don't live in a high risk area either and as soon as i brought her into the vet she said she either has mountain fever, or something like that or lymes disease. She felt stronger about the lymes disease and she was right. I am sure your baby is fine. But better to be safe than sorry

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Posted by Goobster

Posted by luckysmom

Just be careful. Keep a watch on your dog if she is still limping and she seems to get a little moppy, make sure she doesn't get a fever. We don't live in a high risk area either and as soon as i brought her into the vet she said she either has mountain fever, or something like that or lymes disease. She felt stronger about the lymes disease and she was right. I am sure your baby is fine. But better to be safe than sorry

Thank you. I will. He was tested for Rocky Mtn, Lyme, Erlichiosis, etc. All negative. All other things normal (no fever) so it is likely a sprain but it did get me thinking. I agree.

Did the treatment cure your sheltie? How long of tx did she take?

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Thanks Everyone.

I spoke to the vet - usually when dogs have the vaccination they do not have to be tested on a regular basis.

They usually only test if they have signs of something wrong.

We just found out that Casey's best friend Maggie has Lymes Disease and in the highest stage

So now she will be put on antibotics and she will be watched now to see if she is getting better

Now I just want to do research on it - but I don't even know where to start

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Our vet recommended it since we have a small dog and she can fit under bushes, brush where ticks normally hide, so she's fully vaccinated on everything.