Lyme Disease: Fact from Fiction

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Lyme Disease: Fact from Fiction

M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.

Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-transmitted diseases in the world.

There

is much that is known about it, but also a tremendous amount that still is

unknown.

There are many varied opinions regarding symptoms, diagnosis, vaccination

controversies and treatment options. Where I live, there are horse barns I visit

where

almost every person, horse and dog have contracted Lyme disease. It is epidemic.

Being

in the middle of such a hotbed, I have seen many diagnostic and therapeutic

approaches

that have and have not worked. Today I will share my opnion on this debilitating

disease. Lyme disease is caused by an organism known as a spirochaete and named

Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted by tick bites. It has been found

worldwide and

in ancient chinese medical literature they actually describe a syndrome very

similar

to Lyme disease, thousands of years before Lyme, Connecticut was named! In the

United

States, more than 90% of the cases occur in the Northeast, with California and

Missippi second. It is fairly common in dogs, but rarely seen in cats, although

I have

seen some cats with it.

The main clinical signs include a sudden yet recurring lameness that may shift

from

leg to leg. Sometimes this lameness is associated with a fever and depression.

Occassionally you will see swollen lymph nodes. Sometimes the joints may be

swollen,

warm and painful and they usually walk stiffly with a hunched back. Animals with

Lyme

disease really look painful and stiff and commonly are very sensitive to touch

and may

cry out with even the slightest touch. I have seen dogs that were diagnosed with

slipped discs in their neck and crying in pain and it was actually lyme disease

causing muscle spasms in the neck and they only improved when they were

administered

the appropriate antibiotic. Sometimes you will see the classic red round target

lesion

around a tick bite on your pet and within a few days they may show the signs of

lameness, fever and sensitivity to touch. I saw this on my own golden retriever

and

within a few days he woke like a stiff 90 year old man that could hardly make it

to

his food bowl. I immediately treated him and he improved within twenty four

hours.

If your pet is not diagnosed and treated immediately, the disease can spread to

the

heart, kidneys and the nervous system including the spinal cord and the brain,

showing

signs associated with these organs. The organism has been found in connective

tissue,

in joints, muscles and lymph nodes. It is one nasty bug! Besides these classic

symptoms, how can your veterinarian diagnose it? If suspicious, it is very

important

to run a special blood test called a Lyme titer. Now, there are two types known

as the

test and the western blot test. My particular preference is to run the

western

blot test. It may take a bit longer to run, but I find it much more accurate. It

is

not uncommon that the test is negative and your dog still has Lyme

disease. If

your dog or cat or horse has many of the symptoms of Lyme disease and the test

is

negative, do not be fooled. I still recommend treating the animal aggressively

with

antibiotics. Often, I will not even wait for the test to comeback to treat my

patient

if enough of the symptoms are present to suggest Lyme disease. Believe me, I

like to

be as natural as possible and use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary,

but this

is one time when they are neededfast! Often times the response to appropriate

antibiotics is quite rapid. In horses, I have developed an acupuncture

diagnostic exam

that I have found to be as diagnostic if not better than the standard laboratory

tests

and I will be publishing on that shortly.

Lyme disease has often been nicknamed the great imitator. This is because many

of the

symptoms can mimic symptoms of many other diseases because it can effect so many

different organ systems. I remember one gordon setter puppy I saw and the first

symptom of Lyme disease that showed up was lack of appetite and an arrythmia in

the

heart that I picked up on my exam. It only got stiff and lame three days later.

Fortunately I knew the heart problem wasn't there a few weeks prior on a normal

exam

and was suspicious of Lyme and we treated it successfully and the heart problem

resolved. When considering Lyme disease as a possibility, one must also think

about

other tick-transmitted diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever or canine

erlichiosis. Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, other joint diseases as well as

kidney

failure or heart problems from other causes need to be considered as well.

What is the best treatment? As I mentioned previously, this is one place where I

feel

strongly that immediate antibiotic therapy is imperative. It appears that

doxycycline

and amoxicillin seem to be the best antibiotics against Lyme disease. I suggest

staying on antibiotics for a minimum of a month, sometimes even longer. I have

seen

dogs that were only on antibiotics for two weeks and then it comes back with a

vengeance and does not respond as well afterwards. A holistic approach would

also

include using probiotics such as acidophilus to keep the healthy bacteria alive

in

your pets gastrointestinal tract. In addition, it has been found that the

organism can

actually further suppress the immune system. So I usually recommend nutritional

and

herbal support to boost the immune system as well. This would include echinacea

and

garlic as I have mentioned in previous columns of the Healing Arts. Sometimes I

see

chronic Lyme disease in a dog or cat and I will also use acupuncture to boost

the

immune system and relieve the pain and inflammation. Homeopathic remedies have

also

appeared to be helpful. The most successful of these incltloong@...

ude

homeopathic Ledum and a Lyme nosode. Lyme nosode is a homeopathic remedy that is

made

from the killed organism, diluted, successed and potentized to the point that

nothing

of the original organism remains. For appropriate dosages of these remedies, you

should contact a homeopathic veterinarian.

As far as prevention goes, this is a sticky wicket. There is a great deal of

controversy concerning the dog Lyme vaccine. There is a great debate about how

well

they actually work as well as potential side effects. There are publications

concerning its safety, but the researchers only look 24 hours after the vaccine

reaction. Research at Cornell University veterinary school brings up some

suspicion

that there may be potential long term side effects of the vaccine, though

nothing is

certain. These side effects may vary from rheumatoid arthritis and all the major

symptoms of lyme disease to acute kidney failure. Though nothing is definitively

documented, I personally am very cautious and do not recommend vaccinating for

Lyme

disease even though it is so epidemic here. Many veterinary schools and major

veterinary centers do not recommend the vaccine for the same concern regarding

potential side effects. I have seen all the symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs

four to

eight weeks after the vaccine and when I sent the western blot test to Cornell,

it

shows no evidence of the disease, only evidence of the dog having been

vaccinated, yet

the dog shows all the classic symptoms of the disease. There is a new dog

vaccine out

that claims that it does not have any of the side effects, however, I still

remain

cautious and will wait for a year or two to see. I personally would rather treat

my

dog for Lyme disease rather than risking the potential side effects of the

vaccine. In

addition, there is a question of actually how well it works. Until more safety

and

decreased risk of side effects and efficacy are demonstrated, I recommend

holding off.

The best prevention still is checking your dog carefully and removing any ticks

at

least once a day. Collars do not seem to work that well, although some of the

topical

insecticides do seem to work well, but then one has to weigh the potential toxic

effects of these insecticide from the beneficial effects of preventing ticks.

Again, I

tend to compromise and only use the topicals during the greatest incidence of

tick

usually in the spring and fall. It is all a balance! Keep your pets away from

tick

infested areas, check them daily and stay healthy and happy and tick free!!