Lyme Disease Vaccination

Lyme disease is a causative tick-borne agent. While tick removal and control is an important part of the prevention of the disease as well as tick paralysis, so is vaccination. Our veterinarian at Georgetown Animal Hospital can help you decide whether or not it’s best to vaccinate your pet.

Testing for Lyme Disease

Testing for Lyme disease is done with a blood test at your veterinary clinic or a blood sample that can be sent to an outside lab for testing. There are two different types of testing. A Snap 4DX is offered as part of a package of tests that also looks for other tick-borne diseases such as tick paralysis. If the test comes back positive then a plan and options to treat the Lyme disease can be discussed since many dogs don’t show any signs of the illness.

Lyme Disease Vaccination

Vaccinations should be done, especially in endemic regions even if your pet has tested negative. One infected tick can easily cause infection. In these same regions, even positive dogs with no clinical signs of the disease should be vaccinated because the risk of reinfection is quite high. There is no immunity due to a previous infection, which means another infection is possible.

Currently, there are two types of vaccines but both are only 80% effective in preventing Lyme disease. Both help prevent the transmission of Borrelia bacteria from a tick to your dog during a bite. These vaccines don’t cause Lyme disease and also don’t prevent any development of the disease if your dog is already infected.

NexGard

Vaccinating is only about 80% effective. It’s also important to prevent the infection as much as possible. It’s also not a straightforward answer to whether or not vaccinating is best since Lyme disease vaccines are not a part of a core group of vaccines that are necessary for every dog. NexGard is the only flea and tick medicine that has received FDA approval for preventing infections that can cause Lyme disease.

Contact Our Veterinarian

Our veterinarian in Georgetown, OH at Georgetown Animal Hospital can discuss your options when it comes to the prevention and vaccination of your pet. Make an appointment today by calling us at (937) 378-6334.