New Customers Save 40% With Autoship:
Use Code:
NEW40
(Up to $30 Max Savings. Exclusions Apply.)
Symptoms of Dogs and Cats with Lyme Disease
Ask the Vet
Lindsay Butzer, DVM
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Enter Your Information All fields are required
While efforts are made to answer all questions as quickly as possible, if an immediate answer is required or if your pet is in need of urgent or emergency care, contact your pet's veterinarian immediately.
Ask the Vet
Lindsay Butzer, DVM
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Thank you! Your question has been submitted.
You will receive an answer from Dr. Lindsay and our vet/tech team as soon as possible, usually the same day.
All answers are provided for informational or educational purposes only, and are intended to be a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise and professional judgment of your pet's veterinarian.
It may be necessary to consult your pet's veterinarian regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your pet's symptoms or medical condition.
CloseAsk the Vet
Lindsay Butzer, DVM
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Oops! Your question has not been submitted.
An error has occurred, please reload the page and try again.
CloseAsk the Vet
Got questions? Ask Our Vet Team:
While efforts are made to answer all questions as quickly as possible, if an immediate answer is required or if your pet is in need of urgent or emergency care, contact your pet's veterinarian immediately.
Do these answer your question?
Showing of | See All
Have another question, or can’t find your answer?
Submit your question
We're Sorry!
There is no answer related to your question
Can’t find your answer?
Submit your question
Back
How to Treat Lyme Disease in Dogs and Cats
Following a tick bite, symptoms of Lyme disease and/or illness may not develop for several weeks or months. Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs and cats include limping and intermittent, wandering arthritis that affects one joint one day, and the same or another joint the next day. The painful arthritic joint may be hot and swollen so that pets walk stiffly and arch their backs. Some pets are lethargic and anorexic, and have fevers
After having Lyme disease for some time, pets may develop kidney problems because the white blood cell antibodies that attach themselves to the Lyme spirochete form clumps (antigen-antibody complex) that plug up the kidney filtering unit, the glomerulus. With glomerulonephritis, the pet loses the ability to prevent molecules like sodium from being lost in the urine. These lost sodium molecules pull water into the urine and the pet urinates large quantities. This makes the pet thirsty and drink to replenish what is lost in the urine. The tendency to urinate large quantities (polyuria) and drink large quantities (polydipsia), or PUPD, is characteristic of chronic kidney failure.
Heart and nervous system disease is also possible, but rare. Lymph nodes may swell as the white blood cells multiply to produce more immune soldiers to fight the infection.
How is Lyme disease in dogs and cats diagnosed?
Lyme Disease in pets is diagnosed by blood tests that show an increase in antibodies to the Borrelia organism. The amount of antibodies must increase four-fold to prove your pet has an active infection.
Live Chat