Should antibiotic treatment be initiated on dogs found carrying Ixodes ticks?
The question is only relevant in endemic areas. If dogs are exposed frequently to ticks, treatment is impractical. Besides, infection of dogs only occurs after at least partial engorgement of ticks. The risk of infection, therefore, is greatly reduced if the ticks are removed from dogs on a daily basis. Because treatment in dogs is highly effective, many veterinarians initiate treatment only after the onset of clinical signs. What is the prognosis for dogs with Lyme disease? Dogs respond very well to antibiotic treatment. There may be recurrent disease, but dogs again respond well to treatment. Complete recovery can be expected in the vast majority of cases. As noted above, chronic disease, which can be devastating in humans, has rarely been seen in dogs. Furthermore, our studies have shown that dogs may recover spontaneously without antibiotic therapy. Can humans get the disease from dogs? Some have speculated that B. burgdorferi in the saliva or urine of infected dogs may be transmis
