Back in October 2019 I found a stray.

Thread from back then

He had ticks on him which I removed. After we couldn't find an owner for him I took him to the vet to get checked out.

At that time they did a lyme screen, he got a lyme vaccine, and they also did additional bloodwork. All of his tests came back normal including his kidney function (more on that later).

This year at his annual physical they did routine testing including for lyme and he came back positive.

We had to collect a urine sample for analysis (no easy feat with a skittish pup) and the results of that came back negative. Which means no "active" infection.

When we first found him. The first few months we had him he had some weakness, and pain in his hind quarters. We gave him some cherry supplements to see if they helped and whether because of them or not the pain and stiffness went away.

Also about a month after having him he also had pain / stiffness in his neck. He would sometimes yelp when he lifted his head quickly, and you could tell he had stiffness by how he turned to look at things. I assumed he'd just played too rough or something. We kept an eye on it and it too went away.

Since we've had him he's always been "sleepy" he plays, and likes to go for walks, but he sleeps most of the day when he's in the house with us. This is not typical of an Aussie in my experience, but we just thought he's a bit different.

Talking with the vet today She had a few different suggestions. She said lyme is a fickle thing to deal with in dogs as symptoms can come and go. She also said that the vaccine itself could give a false positive for antibodies. She said typical treatment stems from both symptoms and a positive antibody test.

So we're at a crossroads now in that we could do

• do nothing unless he exhibits symptoms
• do a doxycycline treatment
• have his bloodwork done to see if his kidney function is still good (we have baseline from 1st test)

So I was just wondering if anyone else here has dealt with this and if so what you did.

Thanks,

Don

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ubelongoutside,

My dog tested positive for exposure when he was about one year old. The vet said said positive but not symptomatic. He now tests negative at the age of 5. For him, it was a non-issue. I'm not quite sure how the disease works in dogs compared to humans, but he is fine now. We basically did nothing because he had zero issues.

My dog has had Lyme disease since he was 2 when he was a stray. He is 12 now and I can’t say I could tell he had it as he has had no real symptoms. He is on anti inflammatories now but he is also an older big dog(120lbs)

I had a 3 year old Boxer that one morning couldn't get up due to his back legs being weak. I took him to the vet and as I was helping him walk back to the exam room, the vet told me without even examining him that she thought he had Lymes. Did the test and it was positive. Gave him antibiotics and 1 and a half days later he was back to his old self. She also told me that 53 percent of the ticks tested in the area were Lyme carriers.

I am so sorry your fur baby isn't feeling well.

I don't know if this will help at all but some of what you describe reminds me of our Buddy and some of the things he went through. So maybe something we experienced with our dog will maybe give you a little more direction on the possibility of what might be happening.

Years ago my husband and I rescued a pit bull puppy. At about 2 or 3 years old he suddenly had a big weight gain. He also would hang his head like his neck hurt, was lethargic and just not acting like the dog he was the first couple years and acted like a much older dog. I am not 100% positive, but my husband remembers him testing positive for lymes and us going through an antibiotic treatment with no change. A few other symptoms we started to notice was dryness on the edges of his ears and some hair loss at the base of the tail.

After no luck with the antibiotics the vet was convinced he had a genetic rottweilers disease that restricted something in his neck. We said he was a pit but he said since he was a stray we adopted that he might have Rotty in his genes. We treated him with stuff for pain and steroid but still no luck and no change.

We were so scared he was not going to live long. We ended up adopting a second pit, Belle, thinking maybe a companion would maybe perk him up a little and give him a friend. The first few days he was like a puppy again, but quickly reverted.

We finally went to a different vet at the urgency of a friend. From across the room the vet said he had a hormone or thyroid issue. I was shocked. It cost us about $800 in blood work but our Buddy had a thyroid problem. We put him on a thyroid medication that cost us about $25 a month back then and within 3 days he was a whole new dog. Energetic, he lost weight, and he gave Belle a run for her money chasing her all over the house and yard.

I hope our story helps. Best of luck.

Few years ago I did. My vet put her on some medication and we did the titer test yearly. All came out fine with no issues.

I would have his blood tested.

Just today my friend took her 11 year old lab-border collie mix to the vet because he hasn't been acting his normal self. It turns out he has Lyme along with complete kidney failure. I'm at her house now sitting beside and petting Kricket. He had been exhibiting similar behavior to your dog including a tender neck, yelping the other day when she put his collar on. Most recently diarrhea as well. The vet put him on doxycycline and wouldn't say for sure but she inferred he probably won't survive this.

Follow up as information for others with dogs, in case it might help.

As I typed my response here last Friday it occurred to me that my dog Sophie (and Kricket's best dog friend) has been slightly limping when walking over the last 7-8 days. It comes and goes and doesn't affect her running but it changes from leg to leg. I probably wouldn't have thought much of it and wouldn't have taken her to a vet unless it worsened or continued for a couple more weeks. But since I just learned that sore joints are one symptom of Lyme I called my vet right away and took the soonest appointment Wednesday afternoon.

Saturday; Kricket is worse he can't hold down food and barely any water and is too weak to get up. We give him his doxycycline and as much water as he will sip and hope the antibiotic kicks in. Sunday morning he's even weaker and after a couple little sips of water threw it up. With our ever so slight hope for him now gone the decision was made to take him to the "emergency off hours vet" to be euthanized. Sophie came along with him for company and as it turned out they made time to test Sophie. She was led away as we remained with Kricket as he was put to sleep.

Sophie indeed tested positive for Lyme and her kidney number was elevated above the normal range (not nearly as far as Kricket's though). The vet was wonderful and spent time explaining that Lyme can be difficult to treat. In Kricket's case she said it had already caused kidney failure. Further while the doxycycline kills the Lyme bacteria, in doing so neurotoxins are released which themselves cause sometimes more damage.
She put Sophie on doxycycline (Kricket's unused pills) with instruction to have our regular vet check her blood in a week to 10 days. But if she exhibits any symptoms such as lack of energy, soreness, lack of eating get her to the vet immediately. She said the antibiotic should relieve Sophie's sore joints almost immediately, like within three days. Now after two days her limp has all but gone away.
She also told us Lyme is MUCH more prevalent than it was just a couple years ago and its effect on dogs is more severe now. She used to see maybe one dog a month with complications whereas now it's one dog every shift. Lyme vaccine is around 75% effective. The most active time for ticks with Lyme attaching to animals is Spring and Fall. I made the mistake of thinking after Sophie's Seresto collar expired in early November she could go without protection until Spring. She has a new on now and will for 12 months of the year from now on.