Lyme Vaccine vs Tick Prevention

Lyme disease is becoming a larger and more important topic in the veterinary community. Not only because of its risk towards our pets, but also for the rick it poses towards humans. Lyme disease is a bacterial disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) that is transmitted by the Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis). Most doctors will tell you that if an infected Deer Tick bites a human, the vast majority of people will become infected. However, the majority of dogs who get bitten by an infected tick will not become infected. This being said, we need to do our part to stop this disease from spreading. This disease can be prevented in a few different ways.

The first way Lyme Disease can be prevented is by vaccinating your animal. This vaccination is done initially with one injection followed by a booster vaccine in 3-4 weeks. After that, an injection that is given every year to protect your animal. However, it only protects against Lyme Disease, and not any other tick-borne diseases.

The second prevention method is to protect your pet against ticks all together. Our gold-standard and most recommended option is using a product called Bravecto. This is a tick and flea prevention that comes in a “chew,” meaning it is basically a treat! Bravecto lasts 12 weeks, and if you are making sure you give Bravecto every 12 weeks without missing any doses, you are ensuring that your pet is protected against all types of ticks (also fleas). That means Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, and a few others.

Not only is prevention important, but regular testing for Lyme Disease is also important. This can be done in-clinic using a 4Dx Plus Snap Test. This test will give us a positive or negative answer. If the test comes back positive, we then follow-up with another test called a Lyme Quantitative C6. This test gives us the level of antibodies in your animal’s blood for the Borrelia burgdorferi infection, and then gives us an idea of how far along the disease has progressed and how to treat going forward.

If you have any questions about Lyme Disease, call us at Bedford South PetFocus and we will make an appointment with you to talk about the best option for Lyme prevention in your pet!