"Lyme disease dog treatment is effective, but may have long term effects."
Lyme disease dog treatment is usually with antibiotics such as doxycycline (tetracycline) for adult dogs and for younger or for growing dogs amoxicillin. Symptoms should start to disappear in 24 to 48 hours and the drugs should be taken for a month.
Studies have shown that Prednisone (corticosteroid) should not be prescribed and may even cause the Lyme infection to reappear in dogs where the disease was not completely eliminated.
Unfortunately, many studies show that while dogs respond immediately to antibiotics, the disease may affect the long-term health of the joints that were originally affected. Note that Lyme may also affect the kidneys in Labs and Golden retrievers.
Removing a Tick From A Dog
The best Lyme Disease Dog Treatment is to remove a tick within the first 24 hours. If you do this your dog's odds of getting Lyme is almost 0! This is because the tick has not had a chance to dig in and pass the infection on. Once blood begins to enter the tick, your dog can become infected. This is why it is worth repeating that every owner should check their your dog daily for ticks.
When removing a tick be sure to kill it. Since it has a hard shell just stepping on it may not work. Also if you crush it, it may be difficult to test for disease and your skin could come in contact with it during disposal.
One tip is to put it into a sealed plastic container filled with rubbing alcohol. Bring the container to the Veterinarian so it can be tested for disease.
The best way to remove a tick is to visit the Veterinarian. This way you are sure to get the entire tick removed, including the firmly attached head. If you don't have access to a Vet, then remove the tick with tweezers, and kill it by dropping it in a container of rubbing alcohol. Bring the tick to the Vet for testing. Try to avoid touching the tick yourself because contact could cause a human infection.
If your approach to Lyme Disease Dog Treatment is to smother a tick in Vaseline or nail polish. Unfortunately these methods do not remove all of the oxygen and tend not to work. Burning or killing the tick with something sharp such as as a hot needle on its back may not work since you could release more of the fluid inside the tick if you cut it open.
If you do attempt Lyme Disease Dog Treatment by removing the tick, grasp it as close to the skin as possible with a pair of tweezers. Pull the tick away slowly and firmly. Place into a container with rubbing alcohol and seal it. Mark the container with time, date and where on the dog it was found. Bring it to the Veterinarian for testing. It goes without saying that you should wash your hands and the tweezers to avoid contact with the Lyme bacteria.
Read more about Lyme Disease Dog information, symptoms, diagnosis, vaccines and prevention.
