Limping Dog

[rocko]

Yesterday, I noticed when my dog got up from his bed, he was limping on his front paw. I checked to see if there were any thorns in his pads and everything seemed alright.
When he woke up in the morning, everything was fine...no more limping. Then, this afternoon....he starts limping again, for no reason.....?
I can't figure it out. But when I was petting him this evening, I pull off a tick?!!:angry: So, I googled "ticks" and they said that dogs can get lymes diease from them and one of the symptoms is stiff joints and limping around. Now am I just being paranoid??? Has anyone heard of dogs getting lymes diease up in this area??

[verno]

I'm really no expert but I would think that it would take a while for the symptoms to develop? I know if we over do it during a run sometimes the dog gets a bit stiff if he's laying down and limps when he gets up. There should be some people on here that spend time down south that will be more knowledgeable about ticks and lyme disease

[Anna Scott]

Sorry to say I know of one case of lime desease in our area, however the dog picked the tick up in the States. If the symptoms persist I would have my dog checked out. There is usually an underlying cause for lameness.

[verno]

I did a bit of reading and I saw one article that said the tick needs to be attached to your dog for a day or two to transmit the disease.

"The Tick:
Remember that the tick is simply a method by which the bacteria gets around. It does not play a part in the disease. The most likely time to be bitten by an infected tick in the USA is April through November. At least three species of tick are known to transmit Lyme Disease. However, the great majority of transmissions are due to the bite of an extremely small (poppy seed sized) tick called the deer tick or black-legged tick. Although it is called the deer tick, it feeds on many animals including birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums dogs and cats. Its scientific name is Ixodes scapularis and it is so small that it can be easily overlooked. The infected tick must remain attached to the dog or human for a day or two before it can transmit the disease. The tick obtains its infection by feeding on a white-footed mouse (Paramyscus) which is itself infected with the disease. This tick is now being spread rapidly on infected migratory birds and coming into our home environment more as we build our homes in an urban sprawl that penetrates the countryside. "
http://www.2ndchance.info/lyme.htm

Another article said it could take months for the symptoms to occur.

"Signs and Symptoms

Many dogs that test positive for Lyme disease have no external signs that they have contracted the disease. Fortunately it sometimes takes months for a dog to start to experience the arthritic changes, which the disease is most noted for causing. Also, many dogs that are experiencing mild joint pain will be able to cover it up at first.
The first sign of Lyme disease in people is often a round blotchy skin rash. This does not happen in dogs, and makes diagnosing Lyme disease difficult in its early stages.
Dogs, who have had the disease for some time, will show permanent arthritic changes. Sometimes we will see kidney failure and neurologic damage as well. We have had one dog here that has died of kidney failure which we believed was the result of Lyme disease. We have a number of dogs on permanent pain medication as well"

http://www.swancorner.com/lyme.html

I would think if you found the tick in his coat and not buried under the skin, you are probably safe from lyme disease. Wouldn't hurt to talk to the vet to be sure though

[sterregold]

Lyme's is active up here, and there have been cases, both canine (as Anna mentioned) and human. However, as you are also dealing with a pup, panosteitis is something that can pop up during a growth spurt in large breed dogs and is essentially "growing pains" that will manifest with those kinds of come and go aches and pains, and out of which the dog will eventually grow. The symptoms are very similar, which makes it difficult!

But a preventive is now a serious consideration up here, and having had a friend recently lose a wonderful dog to complications of this disease:sad1: , it is something I will be using on my working dogs. Check yourselves and your dogs after you've been in the fields--the Lyme's carriers are the tiny little deer ticks, that can look as small as a flake of pepper. And there are other tick borne diseases like Ehrlichia that can also be devastating. Make sure whatever preventive you choose is effective against a variety of ticks.