Lyme disease help?

Help my dog might have lyme disease?

• Help!!! my dog mught have lyme disease. She wont eat out of her dog bowl, her nose is very dry, she wont move out of her dog bed, she wont go outside or come when u call her. We love her very much and anybody please help by telling me if or if she doesnt have lyme disease. If she does please tell me the a way to get rid of it please help my dog

• Answer:

  I'm not sure why you would single out lyme disease... there are any number of ailments that might give her those symptoms. The only way you will know, or get proper treatment, is by taking your dog to a Veterinarian. Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, usually transmitted by the Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis or Ixodes pacificus). The big problem is that most mammals who can contract this disease have insufficient natural defense against it. In other words, if your dog has Lyme disease, it's probably not going away by itself. The only way to tell, either specifically about Lyme disease, or in general what's wrong with your dog, is a proper Veterinary examination. A blood test (specifically, C6 ELISA, which is part of the SNAP3Dx kit) is necessary to determine if it is, in fact, Lyme disease. If so, the doctor would prescribe a strong course of antibiotics... you can't buy these over the counter, you have to see the doctor. Lyme disease symptoms vary quite a bit, that's one of the reasons it's considered dangerous. From what I've read, about 90% of the dogs diagnosed with it have swelling in the lymph nodes, leading to limping and eventually little or no movement. It's usually accompanied by a fever, too. But you're not a trained diagnostician, you need to go to the doctor with that dog. As well, even after treatment, a portion of dogs struck with Lyme arthritis develop a chronic condition.. they never recover, even after treatment. Lyme disease can also affect the heart, kidneys, and central nervous system. If you suspect Lyme disease, or ANY time your dog is that viably sick, take her to the Vet. TODAY. Please.