Borreliosis in dogs: symptoms and signs of the disease, treatment and prevention

Borreliosis, or, as doctors also call it, Lyme disease, is a dangerous disease characterized by severe development and serious complications. The causative agent of the disease is a spirochete (bacterium), which infects the body of a dog or other animals after an ixodid tick bite. According to statistics, every second insect can be a carrier of infection, but these data vary depending on the habitat of the tick. Borreliosis in dogs is a specific disease that manifests itself in the form of unpleasant and sometimes dangerous symptoms. Read more about it in our article.

Borreliosis in dogs: symptoms and treatment

Description of the disease

This is an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system and negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system. In addition, in the absence of timely medical care, the dog may experience problems with the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

Methods of infection

As noted earlier, ticks may not always be carriers of the disease, since spirochetes can live in the tick’s intestinal cavity for many years and be inherited.

Description of Lyme disease

The main methods of infection through which dogs can develop borreliosis include:

parasite vector bite. If the pet has a strong immune system, then all spirochetes that enter the wound will be destroyed. But it is worth noting that against the background of the development of concomitant pathologies or poor nutrition, a pathogenic microorganism can enter the circulatory system and spread throughout the body;
course of pregnancy. The fact is that when infected with Lyme disease, a pregnant puppy dies while still in the mother’s womb. But after birth, puppies cannot become infected from their mother, even through milk;
blood transfusion. Since Borrelia can survive in blood that is taken for transfusion, the risk of contracting Borreliosis during surgery is quite high.

Note! To remove a tick, you must use gloves and do not crush it. In medical practice, there have been cases when, when crushing a tick, a person can become infected, since the causative agent of the disease came into contact with the mucous membrane of the eye.

The bite of a parasite vector is one of the causes of Lyme disease

Stages of development

Lyme disease can be asymptomatic for a long time, but after the incubation period is over, the dog develops characteristic symptoms, the intensity and nature of which directly depends on the protective functions of the pet, the type of virus and, of course, on the stage of development of the disease.

Doctors divide three main stages, the first of which lasts no more than 90 days from the moment of infection. At this stage, the infection is not accompanied by any external manifestations, but the virus begins to actively develop. The duration of the second stage is from 3 to 6 months. During this time period, the first symptoms of the disease appear. Depending on the strain of the virus, the rate of development of pathology may vary.

Signs of advanced Lyme disease

At the third stage, the disease becomes chronic. This means that the pathological process has spread to many vital organs (the skin and nervous system are damaged, joints are damaged, etc.). Since the owner can simply forget about the tick, the pet often sees a veterinarian with already pronounced symptoms and severe joint disorders. In such cases, only symptomatic therapy aimed at alleviating the unpleasant symptoms of Lyme disease can help.

Associated symptoms

Initially, the disease does not manifest itself, but in approximately 10% of clinical cases, symptoms appear in the early stages of development. The acute form of borreliosis is accompanied by the following symptoms:

febrile state, fever;
painful sensations in joints and muscles;
stiffness of movements;
inflammation of the synovial membrane (synovitis);
enlarged lymph nodes;
wandering or migratory arthritis.

Arthritis is a consequence of borreliosis

As the disease progresses, new symptoms appear, including:

neurological disorder;
heart failure;
increased pain syndrome;
decreased muscle tone.

On a note! Ignoring the symptoms of borreliosis in dogs at an early stage of development will lead to its progression - the pathological process will eventually affect all the main organs of the animal and negatively affect their functioning.

Signs of borreliosis

The disease is characterized by the absence of specific symptoms. This is due to the fact that spirochetes can infect different organs and systems of the body, as well as their “preference” for a certain type of tissue. The incubation period of borreliosis can last up to 2 months. During this time, owners sometimes forget about the fact of a tick bite, which significantly complicates the diagnosis, especially when they forget to tell the veterinarian about the bite.

The course of the disease is characterized by the presence of three stages:

Stage I is the period from the moment of the bite to 30 days (in rare cases, up to six months), when active reproduction of spirochetes takes place. It is asymptomatic, but may be accompanied by swelling and redness at the site of the bite.
Stage II – the manifestation of clinical symptoms (from a month to six months), when borrelia spread throughout the body and cause disturbances in the functioning of various systems and organs.
Stage III - 6 months after the bite - is characterized by serious damage to the nervous system, skeletal muscles and skin, joints and bones of the dog.

Most often, dogs experience disorders in the following body systems:

From the cardiovascular side: tachycardia, myocraditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), which in themselves are often invisible to the pet owner. But against the background of these disorders, weakness of the animal, cyanosis or pallor of the mucous membranes may appear.
From the musculoskeletal side: lameness and changes in gait are the most pronounced symptom of borreliosis, which is preceded by an increase in temperature to 40°C. It can develop within 2-5 months after the bite. A swelling is felt on the affected joint, and the palpation process itself causes pain to the animal. In addition, arthritis appears, which without treatment becomes chronic.
From the urinary system: frequent or painful urination, the appearance of blood in the urine, pain when palpating the kidney area. If left untreated, glomerulonephritis and renal failure may develop.
From the nervous side: encephalitis, meningitis, which can lead to partial or complete loss of limb function.

In each individual case of infection, these symptoms can occur either individually or in combination. In addition, borreliosis is characterized by lack of appetite, weight loss, increased fatigue, and inflammation of the lymph nodes.

Can you get infected from a dog?

At the first manifestations of the disease or at the sight of a tick that has dug into the back of their dog, many people immediately panic: is the animal contagious to people, especially if there is a small child in the house? To this question, all doctors unanimously say: you cannot get borreliosis from a dog.

Tick on a dog

There is one way to get an infection, which was mentioned earlier. This can happen if the tick is not removed carefully. But, in addition to the conjunctiva, Borrelia can also enter the human body through skin wounds.

Causes

You can't always get Lyme disease from ticks. But there are areas where almost 90% of these parasites are contagious. Penetrating into the dog's skin, and then into the bloodstream through tick bites, spirochetes multiply very actively and spread throughout the body.

Look at the description of the Schipperke dog breed, and also learn about the features of keeping a small Belgian Shepherd.
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Transmission routes

A dog can become infected with a pathogenic bacterium in several ways:

With a direct bite from a tick carrying borreliosis. He becomes a direct carrier of the disease.
Intrauterine infection - the infection is transmitted to puppies through the placental barrier if the bitch is already infected. As a rule, infected puppies die in the womb.
During the process of blood transfusion from a sick animal to a healthy one.

Many medical sources claim that you can become infected through contact through animal excretions (feces, saliva, urine). Infection can occur not only from dog to dog, but also from other animals. The only animals that are not susceptible to borreliosis are deer. They have natural immunity.

Danger for the dog

When bitten by ticks, other invasions (erlichiosis, piroplasmosis) can be transmitted along with Lyme disease. In such cases, the symptoms will be more pronounced and the risk of complications is higher. The formation of antibodies against the causative agent of borreliosis often leads to immunological reactions in various organs (kidneys, joints). As a result, arthritis, nephritis, and kidney failure develop.

Risk of infection for humans

A dog itself that has been bitten by an infected tick is not dangerous to humans. But the infection can enter the human body when an insect is caught on the body of an animal, as well as if the dog’s blood gets on an open wound. Therefore, after contact with a pet, you must treat your hands with an antiseptic.

Diagnostic features

The difficulty in making an accurate diagnosis of Lyme disease in dogs is that its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. Only animal owners can suspect borreliosis by paying attention to signs of depression, increased body temperature and lameness. After this, the pet is taken to a veterinarian, who, after conducting a visual examination, will prescribe certain diagnostic procedures.

If you suspect borreliosis, your dog should be taken to the vet immediately

Table. Methods for diagnosing borreliosis in dogs

Procedure name	Description
X-ray examination	An effective diagnostic measure that allows you to identify or exclude the presence of organic pathologies of the joints
ECG	Borreliosis is often accompanied by heart rhythm disturbances, so during a diagnostic examination, the doctor examines the functioning of the heart
Analysis of urine	Laboratory testing will help detect urinary tract infections. Also, if Lyme disease is suspected, a urine test for the presence of protein is performed.
Stool examination	Typical symptoms of borreliosis may coincide with signs of helminthiasis, so the doctor conducts a laboratory test of stool to identify intestinal parasites
Blood chemistry	Prescribed for examining the pancreatic gland, liver and kidneys of a dog. During the analysis, the specialist determines the amount of sugar in the blood

Note! Immunochemical analysis methods are an integral part of diagnosis, since with their help it is possible to identify possible borrelia in the animal’s body, as well as determine the presence of their metabolic products.

Video - Borreliosis (Lyme Disease)

About borreliosis in dogs

If in the 20th century borreliosis was widespread throughout the United States, then in the 21st century domestic animals (and sometimes people) suffer from the disease throughout Europe. Our country has not been spared the infection either. At particular risk are owners and their dogs living in the Moscow, Leningrad, Yaroslavl, Perm, Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad regions, Altai, Primorsky Territories and other regions of our Motherland. Even residents of the cold Arctic are not protected from borreliosis!

Photo: Mite | Dreamstime.com

It would be unfair to blame ticks alone for being infected with borreliosis, since they only act as carriers of bacteria of the genus Borrelia, which are the true culprits of the disease. These small harmful agents enter the dog’s bloodstream, passing through the skin tissue, and literally attack the entire body of the unfortunate animal. Borreliosis in dogs “hits” the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, heart, blood vessels, and kidneys.

Typically, Lyme disease develops in dogs after contact with an infected ixodid tick, and people who can also be bitten by the bloodsucker are not immune from this bacterial disease. Animals also have a risk of infection through the transplacental (from a sick mother to puppies) and nutritional routes (drinking from a puddle from which a dog with borreliosis recently drank, drinking milk from a cow or goat that was bitten by a “dangerous” tick). In rare cases, borreliosis passes from a sick dog to a healthy individual through blood contact (during a blood transfusion).

How to treat?

If the disease is detected in a timely manner, you can count on a complete and rapid recovery of the animal. Throughout the entire therapeutic course, you must strictly follow all the veterinarian’s recommendations. It is good if the tick is identified and safely removed on the first day after the bite. This will significantly speed up the healing process. Therefore, if you cannot or are afraid to remove the tick yourself, entrust this matter to doctors.

Treatment of borreliosis involves long-term use of antibacterial drugs. The doctor may prescribe tetracycline or penicillin drugs, cephalosporins. Immediately after starting a course of medication, the dog’s condition may worsen, since antibiotics provoke an exacerbation of the symptoms of the disease, but they cannot be stopped. Exacerbation of the disease is associated with the death of spirochetes. At the same time, various toxins can enter the animal’s blood, which also worsens its condition.

Often, to alleviate the animal’s condition, the doctor prescribes Catozal, which helps normalize metabolic processes. If there is serious damage to the joints, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. During the treatment period, it is advisable to place the dog in a warm room, and the pet must be protected from all kinds of stress.

Treatment of borreliosis involves long-term use of antibacterial drugs

On a note! Despite the many medications used, Lyme disease cannot always be completely cured. Painful sensations in the joints persist even after successful completion of the therapeutic course. If the disease has damaged the dog’s brain, then paralysis or paresis may be added to the pain syndrome.

Diagnosis of borreliosis

Considering that Lyme disease does not manifest itself with specific specific manifestations, dog owners often go to the veterinary clinic when the dog shows clear signs of deterioration in its general condition.

An accurate diagnosis of borreliosis can be made after serological and biochemical blood tests. A characteristic feature is the appearance of virion cells around red blood cells.

In addition, the diagnosis of borreliosis is made based on the results of differential diagnostics - PCR, indirect immunofluorescence. When diagnosing borreliosis, X-ray data, ultrasound of the sternum, ECG, and tomography results are taken into account.

Possible complications

If treatment is untimely or completely absent, parasites can spread throughout the animal’s body, and then serious complications arise:

diseases of the cardiovascular system;
failure of the central nervous system;
violation of digestive functions;
diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
the appearance of neoplasms;
lethal outcome (can occur with an advanced form of borreliosis).

If not treated promptly, serious complications may occur.

All disorders of a pet’s organs and systems can manifest themselves to varying degrees of severity. But in order to avoid undesirable consequences, it is necessary to contact a specialist in a timely manner.

What kind of disease is this?

This name - borreliosis - is adopted in domestic practice by the name of the bacterium that causes it. The American variant is Lyme disease (this is the name of the city where the pathogen was first discovered).

Wherever ixodid ticks live, infection with this disease is possible. The causative agents of infection are already contained in the bodies of tick larvae. Not every insect is a carrier of the disease, but the risk of getting it is greater where there is a high level of coverage of this infection.

The disease can be “caught” in urban conditions, but the “wild” (i.e. natural) environment creates much more preconditions for infection.

From 5 to 10% of the entire dog population is able to resist the dangerous bacterium. The risk of infection is less the sooner the tick is removed from the animal. In addition, urgent intervention has a positive effect on the manifestation of symptoms of the disease.

The severity of the clinical picture is directly related to the concentration of the pathogen entering the blood. If you manage to remove an adult tick from the bitten area within 24 hours, you can prevent the transmission and development of infection.

Prevention measures

In order not to encounter borreliosis, you need to engage in prevention, and it is recommended to do this in the first half of spring, even before ticks become active. Among all prevention methods, the most effective is the use of insectoacaricides. Insectoacaricides are medications against mites and harmful insects that can be of both biological and chemical origin.

Drugs can be used in several forms:

spray for application to the skin. They have a short action, which is why this product needs to be used several times a day;
drops. For maximum effect, the drops should be carefully applied to the dog's back along its spine. The drug is potent, so one application is enough for a month;
collar. Such collars should be worn on an ongoing basis, and not just when walking. Their advantage is their low cost, but because of this, the products may lose their medicinal properties after just a few weeks.

In order not to encounter borreliosis in the future, you need to engage in prevention

When using various tick repellents, you need to remember that none of them can protect your pet 100%. Therefore, veterinarians recommend regularly examining your dog. The ears, neck and armpits are a sweet spot for parasites, so they should be inspected first. This is the only way to protect your dog from such diseases.

about the use of one of the drugs against ixodid ticks, Advantix, for dogs on our website.

Treatment methods

When treating borreliosis in dogs, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. Not all antibiotics act on Borrelia, and not all are able to penetrate into the joints or into the membranes surrounding the spinal cord and brain. Therefore, the earlier the disease is detected and treatment is prescribed, the greater the chances of getting rid of the pathogen.

Borreliosis is prone to relapsing, so the course of treatment can be long and include several types of antibiotics. It is also important to treat secondary diseases with specific symptoms. The use of analgesics, painkillers, immune stimulants, protective medications, vitamins, and agents providing infusion support may be prescribed here. If there are signs of concomitant diseases (arthritis, neuralgia), treatment becomes more complicated.

How to organize treatment correctly

If your four-legged pet has been bitten by a tick, it is necessary to contact a veterinary clinic when the first characteristic symptoms appear for an examination, testing and establishment of a substantiated diagnosis. Antibiotic therapy is effective. As a rule, the doctor prescribes drugs for a sick animal from the following group: penicillins, tetracyclines, cephalosporins and amoxicillin.

In order to completely get rid of the infectious agent, you need to undergo a full course of treatment, which lasts more than a month. Quite often, when using antibiotics, the symptoms of the disease can become significantly worse. The reason for this condition is the large-scale death of the source of infection. As a result, toxic substances enter the circulatory system in large quantities. Along with antibiotic treatment, the doctor prescribes therapy that normalizes metabolism and corrects impaired organ functions.

Dog breeds such as Labradors and Retrievers do not tolerate antibiotic treatment well. Therefore, medications that have analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects are used as therapy for them.

In order for a sick dog to recover as quickly as possible, drugs that stimulate metabolic processes are additionally prescribed. Many veterinarians use the drug Catozal in their practice. With its help, the animal's body's defenses are quickly restored, and the dog is on the mend.

A sick pet needs careful care. The dog should be kept in a warm and dry room. During the illness, the dog must be protected from vigorous physical activity until all symptoms of the disease completely disappear (that is, until complete recovery). Veterinarians recommend following a gentle regimen for 4-5 weeks.

If the main symptom of the disease is joint damage, then the disappearance of its manifestations can be noticed already on days 4-6 of therapy. If there is no recovery from the treatment, it may be another disease. In some animals, manifestations of borreliosis can be observed throughout life. Even with successful treatment, many dogs still experience joint pain for a long time. In rare cases, complications such as paralysis or paresis remain with the pet for the rest of its life.

How to prevent infection

Since the ixodid tick is ubiquitous in nature, during a walk there is a very high probability that a dog will be attacked by parasites. To minimize the likelihood of infection, the owner must adhere to basic rules:

Every time after a walk, especially if it took place in close proximity to a forest, the animal must be carefully examined for the presence of ticks.
It is very difficult to look for parasites in thick dog fur. This can be done effectively using a regular hairdryer (important - it must work in cold mode).
After walking the dog, you need to pay attention to its behavior. If he behaves restlessly and scratches intensively in the same place, there may be a tick there.
When you come from the street, you need to shake out all the clothes you were wearing outside. Since an insidious parasite can find its victim even in an apartment.
There is a remedy for ticks. Before going for a walk with your dog, it is recommended to treat its fur with a specific composition. Sprays are the most effective; drops are the second most effective (they must be applied to the withers). The least useful are collars that are designed for blood-sucking insects.

All acaricidal preparations that are commercially available do not guarantee 100% protection of dogs from tick bites. Therefore, it is recommended that during the period from April to October inclusive (this is the time of special activity of parasites) to choose places for walking pets with extreme caution. After a walk, you should not forget to carefully examine the animal, especially the ears, neck, armpits and groin. The direct responsibility of the owner is to take care of his pet. If your dog is bitten by a tick, you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic for help.

conclusions

A dog can become infected only after being bitten by a parasite. A healthy dog cannot get Lyme disease from a sick dog. Once again, a few words about possible relapses of the disease: watch for alternating signs of lameness, which are accompanied by poor appetite, high body temperature and depression. Also the manifestation of partial or permanent paralysis.

If the disease is not advanced, treatment is started on time and medications are selected correctly, the prognosis for the dog’s recovery will be optimistic. The main thing is not to diagnose yourself and not to trust your pet to specialists with a dubious reputation. To ensure effective treatment, contact a veterinarian at a trusted clinic.

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Routes of transmission and forms of manifestation of Lyme disease in dogs

A dog can become infected with this serious disease after being bitten by a tick. It is worth noting that ticks more often bite into the body of animals than people. And this happens for a number of reasons:

Dog size. Favorite habitats of parasites: grass, piles of fallen leaves, fallen tree branches, stumps. These opportunists climb onto a blade of grass and freeze, waiting for their prey at a short distance from the ground. And since dogs are generally small in stature, their body is at risk, that is, at the level of the greatest concentration of infectious agents;
Hair covering. It is much more difficult to detect a parasite on the body of an animal than on the human body. Therefore, there is no way to remove a tick before it bites;
Restlessness. Pets run around a lot in large areas, which creates even more chances for a bite.

There are cases when the disease was transmitted even intrauterinely, in which case the death of the fetus is inevitable. Breastfed puppies are not susceptible to infection.

Veterinarians do not exclude another possibility of possible infection - in the case of dogs licking the remains of urine from infected individuals. Although until this time such precedents had not been recorded in practice. The disease is not transmitted through contact, so a person does not expose himself to danger when interacting with a sick pet. But in any case, you need to take all precautions, since the infected parasite can spread to another dog or its owner.

Worth knowing! Can cause damage if tick pressure occurs. In this case, its liquid gets onto the body, especially the mucous membrane of the eyes.

The virus remains in active form for a long time, and this is very dangerous in the case of donor blood transfusion. Having penetrated the skin of the animal, the spirochetes begin to multiply very quickly. They enter the blood and are carried by the bloodstream throughout the body and affect it. The latent period lasts from 1 to 2 months. In this case, much depends on the following circumstances:

from the strain of bacteria;
on the degree of pathogenicity of borrelia;
from the dog's immunity.

The disease can occur in protracted, acute and chronic forms. The most dangerous thing is the latent form of the disease, which lasts without any clinical signs.