Took my "little" (he will always be little to me, even if he does weigh in around 80 lbs these days) Moose in this morning for a routine visit: exam, vaccines and standard tests. During the examination the vet commented that he was in really good health and excellent shape for a dog who is nine years old. It is unusual for a dog of his size to stay so fit, but he has always been very enthusiastic and active.
I was fixing lunch for Babygirl and I when the vet's office called. I figured it was just the routine call to tell me that Moose had tested negative for heartworm, but something in her voice made me apprehensive. She told me that he had indeed tested negative for heartworm and I said "Ok, great! Thanks!" figuring that was it. Then came the but: he tested positive for Lyme Disease.
We don't find many ticks on him. We live in a wooded subdivision near a lake and have a fenced back yard. It is unusual for us to find any ticks around home. We do take the Moose with us on our annual visit up North to Minocqua, WI, and he does tend to pick up a lot of ticks there (probably around 15 or so over the course of a week. This is actually much lower than most people I know who take dogs up there--he stays on a yo-yo leash unless he is swimming and we keep him out of tall grass as much as possible.) The vet also said that he tested negative last year, so I think he picked this up around home.
It does seem to be pretty common in our area, particularly when owners live in more rural areas. My brother's dog was treated last year, and I have known other people as well. (My brother does live in a more rural area and his dog is allowed to roam much more than my Moose.) My brother and his girlfriend had noticed that their dog was lethargic and seemed very achy and had taken her to the vet, at which point the vet diagnosed Lyme Disease. My Moose does not show any symptoms. He is very energetic and doesn't seem to be in any pain.
They will be running further tests to see where his levels are. I am guessing that his levels will come back relatively low due to the lack of symptoms, but I won't know until the tests come back. Meanwhile Moose gets started on a 28 day antibiotic regimen: three pills a day. Total cost of antibiotics and further testing: $260. If it makes my Moose better it is very much worth it.
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