As the weather warms up, deer ticks that have been lying dormant over the winter are beginning their nymph life stage. This means they’re at the prime stage to bite and potentially transmit Lyme disease to you or your dogs.^{1, 2} Adult deer ticks can be active in the fall, winter, and early spring when ambient air temperatures exceed 40 degrees, so it’s important for your dog to be protected year-round.³

How Do Dogs Get Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is passed to humans and animals through a bite from the small black-legged deer tick infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, a type of bacteria. Deer ticks can be found in forests, leaf covered perimeters, grassy areas, and even the typical landscaped back yard. People or animals may be bitten by deer ticks during regular outdoor activities such as hiking or camping, or even while spending time in their backyards.⁴

Unfortunately, Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. Infection can result in a range of clinical presentations, including no symptoms at all, mild to severe lethargy (appearing tired), mild to severe joint pain, and even kidney failure.⁵

Ideal treatment would be soon after infection, however dogs often remain undiagnosed for many months if their symptoms are mild. Thus, prevention is key. The cornerstone of prevention of Lyme disease includes effective, year-round tick preventative, annual vaccination against Lyme disease, and routine disease screening to ensure no 'breakthrough' infections have occurred. Manual tick removal is not considered an effective prevention plan in itself as tiny juvenile ticks typically evade detection by owners.

If you live in certain areas of the United States, your pet is at higher risk for Lyme disease. According to the CDC, 95% of Lyme disease cases were reported from 14 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. A small number of cases have been reported along the West coast in California, Oregon, and Washington. Additional emerging areas include Tennessee, Virginia, the Carolinas, and the Ohio River Valley.^{5, 6, 7, 8}

If you live in these states, your pet is at increased risk for Lyme disease. And don’t forget about when you travel with your pets — you may be visiting a location where Lyme-carrying ticks are more common. Because of all of this, it’s important to talk with your veterinarian to see exactly what your pet’s risk is, and how they recommend protecting your pet from the disease.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs

Symptoms of Lyme disease may not be obvious in many cases. Be on the lookout for these symptoms:⁵

• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Joint swelling
• Lameness
• Decreased activity
• Signs of kidney failure, such as excessive drinking or urinary accidents

If you notice any of these symptoms, see your veterinarian so your dog can be tested for Lyme disease.

How Can You Protect Your Dog from Lyme Disease?

Dogs can pick up ticks while outside and bring them into the home, putting indoor pets and your family at risk. You can protect your dog from Lyme disease by having them on a year-round parasite preventative that protects against deer ticks. You can also talk to your veterinarian about a Lyme disease vaccine that protects your dog from getting the disease in the first place. Your veterinarian can advise if the vaccine is a good fit for your dog based on their lifestyle.

How To Remove a Tick from Your Dog

It would be ideal for your veterinarian to remove any attached tick from your dog to ensure complete removal. However, Lyme disease can be transmitted to your dog as soon as 24 hours after the tick starts feeding. Thus, if time is of the essence, you can remove an embedded (feeding) tick from your dog. Be aware though that the tick may have already transmitted Lyme to your dog if the tick has been attached long enough.

Always remember to check your dog for ticks after time spent outdoors (even if your dog is on a preventative), especially after spending time in the woods or thick grassy areas. If you spot a tick, never remove it with your fingers. Follow these steps for tick removal:¹⁰

• Step 1: Use fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible (don’t squeeze don't squeeze the tick's body as this could push bacteria and other components of the tick’s saliva into your pet in the process).
• Step 2: Using steady and even pressure, pressure grab the tick's head with the tweezers, and pull the tick straight up. If the mouth breaks off, try to remove with tweezers or, if you’re unable to remove it, leave it and let it heal.
• Step 3: Clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water or rubbing alcohol.
• Step 4: Dispose of the tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
• Step 5. If the tick appeared inflated at the time of removal, and was possibly attached longer than 24 hours, let your veterinarian know and they will instruct you when is a good time to test for Lyme infection.