Isis is suffering from a brutal case of Lyme disease. She has spent the last two days living under the young’un’s bed. She can’t use her left front paw at all, and it’s obvious that her other legs are in a great bit of pain as well.
She’s been on antibiotics since her trip to the vet 2 days ago, and she’s shown some mild improvement. As you can see, she’s moved from under the bed to on the bed.
According to the CDC:
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of disease. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. Steps to prevent Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, landscaping, and integrated pest management. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tick-borne diseases as well.
Hopefully we’ll be seeing more improvement over the next few days. It breaks my heart to see her struggle like this. She’s such a good girl.
See also, Lyme Disease Foundation, and some FAQs on Lyme Disease. You can also enter the term in your favorite search engine, of course.
2004–2008
10 responses so far ↓
1
fmragtops
// Jun 1, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Get well soon Isis!
2
von
// Jun 2, 2006 at 7:04 am
Awww. I hope she feels better quickly.
I also see that your daughter has the “Stuffed Animal Disease” as well.
3
Mike
// Jun 2, 2006 at 7:12 am
Now you’ve got me scared. We took my dog camping this weekend and ever since we got back she doesn’t want to get off the couch. She just sleeps all day. When she isn’t sleeping, she’s licking her paws. I just wrote it off to her getting up there in age (6 years old now), but maybe I need to take her to the vet.
4
FIAR
// Jun 2, 2006 at 9:07 am
It proably can’t hurt to see, Mike. Basically, the vet took her temperature, she had a fever, so he ran the test, which cost about $50.00 more. If you take your dog to the vet, no fever means no probable cause to test for lyme. So it’s just the cost of a check up in that case. ($20 at my vet) The meds were about $50 for 2 weeks. She needs 6 weeks of meds (go back 2 more times).
Thanks for the sentiments, FM and Von. She has a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals. Every once in a while, I give one to Scout. Oops, sorry. It’s all chewed up now.
5
Sssteve
// Jun 2, 2006 at 10:42 am
Dang, that sucks!! I hope she gets better! I like Oops its all chewed up idea!! used myself a time or two!
6
kate
// Jun 4, 2006 at 10:44 am
Poor little luv bug. I hate to see any animal suffering. I hope she gets better soon. Please keep us up to date with her progress.
7
FIAR
// Jun 4, 2006 at 3:33 pm
She’s starting to act almost normal again.
8
Insolublog
// Jun 5, 2006 at 3:48 pm
I am glad to see one of your two best friends, recovering from this illness.
9
Janet
// Feb 19, 2007 at 9:21 pm
hope she’s feeling better!
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