Is Chronic Lyme different?

lacey9875

lacey9875

New member
So some of you know Maggie was diagnosed with Lyme the end of May. The vet doesn't want to treat her because she's not showing symptoms, and it's chronic not acute. She originally went in for a UTI, which now I'm thinking could be related, and yesterday she had the dire rear.

I left a message for the vet, and she let one for me saying she didn't understand why I wanted her on med's for the Lyme because it's Chronic, and didn't just occur, and they don't ever start anti-biotics for that, and if she's having a flare up or uncomfortable she wants to know to find out what that means, and what to do about it.

I am still not wrapping my head around Chronic and Acute, and why they don't want to treat her. If it's in her system, I want her treated. Help!! I need to call her back, but I also need to be armed with information.
 
charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
Dawn,
If Maggie's bloodwork #s aren't showing there's currently an 'active' infection, she may not see any value in treating with the antibiotic. There is a difference between 'exposure' and 'infection'.
 
lacey9875

lacey9875

New member
charlieinnj said:
Dawn,
If Maggie's bloodwork #s aren't showing there's currently an 'active' infection, she may not see any value in treating with the antibiotic. There is a difference between 'exposure' and 'infection'.
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That makes sense! She said exposure. ( I was actually going to PM you on FB, Charlie!) So I shouldn't freak out about the uti/dire rear?


:tequila:<------- Me.
 
DAWNMERIE

DAWNMERIE

Active member
Donna and Charlie are probably the ones to talk to about Lymes. I've never heard of that test (seems new, with what I could find)

Me personally and where I live, I'd run a tick panel to look at the actual numbers. My next visit to the vet I'll ask his thoughts about that test. Looked at one study/comparison about heartworm detection and snap seemed better but from what I read that test shows faster results compared to the snap when it comes to early detection of tick issues but again, I'd want to look at actual numbers. I'm sure others with more experience will chime in and I look forward to hearing what they say.

P.S. If they treated her with antibiotics for the UTI, that could be the culprit for the puddin!
 
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Bailey Boy

Bailey Boy

New member
I would find another vet and treat with doxy.

Coleman was tested and came up slight positive back in 03 the vet in VA. They put him on a weeks worth of antibiotics and that was that. We moved to WV at the end of 03 Coleman went in to his new vet in 04 for his annual visit he came up positive for lyme again, they refused to treat him stating he had had the vaccine? Coleman wasn't showing any signs either until a couple months later when I had to up his pain meds, he started gaining weight went up to 111lbs not good with a dog that has HD. He drank bowls full of water. I kept taking him back for blood work and urine tests always the same story every thing is fine, no we are not going to treat he had the vaccine. He developed lupus in the middle of my battle with getting him treated for lyme and still they would not treat him for lyme, the last straw was the fact he was on 100mg of pain meds a day that wasn't touching his pain, and his last urine test came back he was dehydrated. I asked how he could be dehydrated if he was drinking every bowl in the house dry. They didn't have an answer so we switched vets, as soon as she heard he had tested positive she immediately put him on doxy. By the end of 05 I thought I was going to lose my boy by the middle of 06 he was back down to 95lbs and on 50mg of pain meds every other day. We ended up loosing him to cancer in 08 and I truly believe it was because he went so long with out treatment compromising his system.
 
lacey9875

lacey9875

New member
Oh geez, Bailey Boy. I'm so sorry to hear that.


So I made Ashton peruse the medicine cabinet and I have some doxy from 9/12, 100 mg. How long are they typically on it, and would it be ok to give her that? I'm also going to call around to some other vets for second opinions.
 
Bär

Bär

Active member
Bär was diagnosed with Lyme in January. We did a quant c6 test for antibodies. He was at a 10, so the vet said no treatment until he shows symptoms.
 
charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
lacey9875 said:
That makes sense! She said exposure. ( I was actually going to PM you on FB, Charlie!) So I shouldn't freak out about the uti/dire rear?


:tequila:<------- Me.
Click to expand...
Dawn,
Feel free to message me on FB if you'd like. I can't speak to the UTI, etc. but if the only test that has been run is the Accuplex 4, it surprises me your Vet has not advised running a Quant C6 test.

The annual health analysis test includes a quick, in-house screening test (usually the SNAP 3Dx or 4Dx) for parasitic diseases. This test simply yields a positive or negative result for exposure, but does not distinguish between inactive or active infection. If a dog tests positive for exposure, then a second test is necessary to determine the level of infection, or to tell if the dog has possibly fought off the infection on its own. This second test is performed by an outside laboratory and is called the Quant C6 test. The Quant C6 test is the major diagnostic tool used in the human field. This quantitative test measures the level of C6 antibody produced by the immune system to fight infection against B. burgdorferi. If the test yields a response of >30 U/mL (units per milliliter), treatment is often recommended. However, if the dog is not showing any clinical signs of Lyme disease, then the treatment path is not so clear. It is very common for dogs to show no outward symptoms of the disease. After the antibiotic treatment is completed, there's generally a repeat of the Quant C6 test in six months to determine if their antibody level has dropped at least 50%. If so, the treatment will be considered effective and the disease rendered inactive.

They are usually on Doxy for 30 days. But trust me, Doxy is in short-supply and a month's worth of treatment will run about $400-$700 for this antibiotic that recently was dirt-cheap. If you go that route, let me know....I have some pills here and I'd gladly pass 'em on. I forget the name of the other antibiotic they're substituting now but it runs about $200 for a month's worth of treatment.
 
Bailey Boy

Bailey Boy

New member
Bär said:
Bär was diagnosed with Lyme in January. We did a quant c6 test for antibodies. He was at a 10, so the vet said no treatment until he shows symptoms.
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I can't imagine a vet not treating until they show signs. Some dogs don't show signs right away and when they do start to show signs the damage is already done.
 
charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
Bailey Boy said:
I can't imagine a vet not treating until they show signs. Some dogs don't show signs right away and when they do start to show signs the damage is already done.
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To an extent, depending on the #'s (from the test results), a dog's immune system can fight Lyme. Again, it goes back to the #'s and whether or not there's been 'exposure' vs 'actual infection'.

That's why routine testing should take place at least annually....and every 6 months if you're in a high-risk area. Having a Quant C6 run gives the Vet a baseline # for future test results to be measured against.
 
Bär

Bär

Active member
charlieinnj said:
To an extent, depending on the #'s (from the test results), a dog's immune system can fight Lyme. Again, it goes back to the #'s and whether or not there's been 'exposure' vs 'actual infection'.

That's why routine testing should take place at least annually....and every 6 months if you're in a high-risk area. Having a Quant C6 run gives the Vet a baseline # for future test results to be measured against.
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That is how our vet explained it too.
 
chumleysma

chumleysma

New member
Not showing symptoms of Lyme? Maggie's UTI is a sure symptom of Lyme disease so she needs to be treated. Argue that with your vet to get the antibiotic she needs. Tell her you don't have enough money for both the quantitative C6 (which is expensive) and the doxy....so you choose the doxy. If still no results, go to another vet who has no history on her. Tell them she's occasionally slightly limping for several weeks and not going away. They'll run the snap 4dx which will be positive and they'll need to treat given no prior history. Keep in mind the quant. C6 can be upward of 3 times (rough estimate) more expensive than the 4dx. Simply tell them you don't have enough $$ for the more expensive test which may end up suggesting no treatment for her when she DOES need it, given the UTI as a symptom.
 
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