Yesterday, Ayla started limping a bit on the walk. We blew it off as her acting for attention but now I’m not so sure that is the case.
Tick season is in full swing here. We had a very mild winter and they are out in force. We pull several ticks off Ayla every day and they seem to be all over the trails where we normally walk. Of course the trails are more or less in the country and surrounded by farm animals and farming fields so it’s not really much wonder that they would be everywhere. We’ve been keeping Frontline on her but had a week or so lapse when we didn’t have any on hand and I have to wonder if this is when one of those little buggers snuck in and got to her. Plus they are not always easy to find on her with all the thick fur which is a problem when dealing with Lyme Disease. Ticks that carry the disease have to be on the host for 1 to 2 days before they will be infected. Most of the ticks we find on Ayla may have been on her that long because they are usually pretty big when find them.
I took Ayla outside to play in the courtyard after it stopped raining here because she was wanted to play inside and there’s not really enough room for that. So I was tossing her ball but she wouldn’t go after it. She would try to catch it in her mouth when I bounced it for her, but running after it didn’t interest her at all.
When I was praising her for bringing me the ball, I noticed a tick on her leg. So I got my tick pullers and removed the tick. Ayla was incredibly docile during that procedure and usually doesn’t really like to sit still while I pull ticks or inspect her. I threw the ball a few more times for her and then she laid down…so I started thinking perhaps something really is wrong with her. She’s been a bit more lethargic can usual lately but I just blamed that on her going into heat soon (which we thought she was doing and would be right on schedule) but we haven’t seen any blood yet or signs of swelling.
I came in to look up if a tick on her leg could cause limping and stumbled upon tons of pages saying it could be Lyme Disease. Symptoms include:
- lethargy
- arthritis (displayed as joint pain, shifting from foot to foot, and lameness)
- loss of appetite
- fever
- fatigue
- kidney damage
- heart disorders
- neurological disorders (including aggression, confusion, overeating)
Symptoms can become chronic.
Joy. As I said, she’s been a little bit lethargic but not overly. She sleeps so much of the day anyway that it’s sometimes hard to tell. But pausing from playing right after she’d gotten up from a nap is a bit strange. She was definitely been limping since yesterday and I read that the arthritic symptoms tend to set in on one of the front legs versus the back…so check that one off the list also. Loss of appetite – not so much. She has been leaving a bit of her food in the bowl the past two mornings but I also thought this was related to her going into heat. Fever – don’t have a doggy thermometer so I guess I may need to get one. And the other items on the list…I really hope not!!!
She also has an eczemaon her rear foot which I will have them take a look at. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about and it’s not growing or spreading so far but perhaps they have some advice on getting rid of it.
Our new vet has open hours from 3-5pm Monday thru Friday so I’m going to pop over there and just check things out. Better safe than sorry. At least Lyme Disease in dogs is treatable with antibiotics (usually amoxicillin or doxycycline) – and Ayla loves taking antibiotics wrapped up in processed cheese slices!! They’re apparently the best as we learned over Christmas when she had a mild UTI.
