Darcy asks:  “Can you give me your opinion on all things 'Lyme'? I.E. Shots, drops, rubs...  I don't think people realize how debilitating it can be. I'm using Frontline currently.”

Lyme disease is tick borne zoonotic illness.  While its effects on people can be quite severe, dogs seem to tolerate it better.  More serious tick borne diseases are Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis.  Anaplasmosis and Lyme are common in Maine.  All three are potentially fatal in people and dogs.

Of the three, Lyme is the only one that has a vaccine.  Dogs can be boosted against Lyme with a single dose annually after a two dose series the first year.  It isn't the most popular vaccine available as it is one of the most expensive, and in the noncore category.  The vaccine also was onc e among the least effective on the market, although a more effective formula has been recently introduced.

I recommend the Schering - Plough Lyme vaccine for all dogs that come into contact with ticks.  I believe the Schering - Plough is the best available today but there could easily be a better one tomorrow.

The only way sure to prevent tick borne diseases is to prevent ticks but 100% success is nearly impossible.  There are some environmental changes you can make to reduce the local tick population.  These run the gamut from managing vegetation to keeping free-ranging chickens to treating your property with insecticides.  At Marshfield Farm, we cut back vegetation that holds ticks, but keeping chickens would be impossible with the dogs, and spreading poison doesn't jibe with our values.

There are several products available to ward off ticks.  Some products work in certain areas better than others, and once the ticks in that area become resistant to one product, another might be better.  So although flea and tick medications are often available without a prescription, I recommend you consult with your local veterinarian for a flea and tick protocol.

Since we don't generally have any trouble with fleas on our pets, we have found the Preventic Collar to be the most cost effective and tick-effective product.  There are a lot of inexpensive and /or "natural" products on the market.  Many of these contain dangerously high levels of poison and I advise against them.  It doesn’t matter if a poison is natural or synthetic.

There are also a lot of flea products that don't ward off ticks and many have similar names.  All vaccines and tick prevention products pose a risk of side-effects.  Considering the diseases ticks carry are potentially fatal to your dog and your family, and most products are very safe, the risk/reward ratio is strongly in your favor.  Again, since these products might not suit your local / personal / family situation, please consult your veterinarian.  I don't know of any good veterinarian who won't advise a client even if they purchase the product elsewhere.

Let's assume your dog is infected by a tick.  You take your dog to the veterinarian for either an annual exam, or because he is in pain.  We diagnose these tick borne illnesses and heartworm with a simple blood test.  At my hospital we use a 4DX Snap test made by Maine's own IDEXX.  The test looks for antibodies in the dog's blood - the dog's body trying to fight the disease.  Depending on which disease we detect, our standard recommendations and treatments will be different.

Lyme Positive - If the symptoms are sub-clinical we generally leave it up to the family of the patient to treat or not treat.  If the dog is sore we recommend antibiotics.

Anaplasmosis Positive - We recommend a course of antibiotics be started immediately even if your dog shows no outward signs of the disease.  If there are symptoms, we are going to recommend a Complete Blood Count and Chemistry to see if your dog is healthy enough for a more aggressive treatment, or if organ failure has already begun. If the dog is asymptomatic, outpatient treatment is usually sufficient.  Dogs that are symptomatic may need to be hospitalized for intravenous medications.  If he is healthy enough for aggressive treatment, we treat aggressively, which includes hospitalization.  Otherwise, we prescribe medications to keep the dog comfortable while you say good-bye.  The most common issues we see associated with Anaplasmosis are problems with the production of platelets and red blood cells.

Ehrlichiosis Positive - We recommend an immediate course of antibiotics and a CBC/Chem to see if your dog is healthy enough for a more aggressive treatment, or if organ failure has already begun.  If he is healthy enough for aggressive treatment (hospitalization, IV drugs), we treat aggressively.  Otherwise, we prescribe medications to keep the dog comfortable while you say good-bye.

And for anyone who thinks this can’t happen to them both of these things happened to us last year.  We went through the devastation of having to euthanize our foster dog after he was found to have organ failure secondary to Ehrlichia.  Just a few weeks before that we had to hospitalize a nursing bitch so I could aggressively treat her Anaplasmosis, she was already anemic and suffering from low platelets.