I took Bandit to the vet for his annual and shots last week. Our vet does the heart worm test annually and told me they have seen a huge increase of dogs with Lyme's in the past year so recommended that test as part of annual checkup. He also recommended the vaccine (two step process). Well, Bandit tested positive and is now on a 28 day regime of antibiotics. We have always used Frontline products to prevent this and actually have not seen a tick on either dog in a few years. Bandit is not symptomatic so that is a plus. They did a blood test for some sort of count and his is at 160. Should be around 30. So, after the 28 days he gets tested again to see if that level has gone down. I made an appointment for Smokey to get the test and vaccine next week. This may be something you guys might want to consider because Lyme's can be very serious and deadly. My vet said that 95% of positive in a dog usually do not get symptomatic.

Poor Bandit!  Hope the treatment isn't too awful for the little guy.  I've not heard of any cases of Lyme Disease in Texas myself, but I have always lived in cities.  Since my parents moved off their 80 acres, and we stopped camping, we don't really take our girls out to the country where "the deer and the antelope roam." 

Hope the treatment for Bandit is effective, poor guy.
I think we are going to hear more and more about this. So many people are testing negative for Lymes yet having symptoms. They are symptoms like the flu, aches, arthritis, some even experiencing facial numbness. It goes on and on. People are getting sick and when their doctor can't figure it out, they sometimes put the patient on an antibiotic and behold things improve. All over a false negative.
I think you brought up a very good point about protecting our dogs. I haven't heard that the dogs are testing false negatives but I would rather side on caution. Thanks again.

I think you can be too careful.  The Lyme vaccine is generally not recommended unless you live in a high risk area, like Bill.  Even then, it's not a sure thing that your dog is protected and the vaccine can have side effects.

http://www.precisepet.com/vet/lymedisease.asp

Okay, just my 2 cents  

The vaccine to me is not worth it and here is why I think so.  Only about 5-10 percent of dogs will be affected by it out of those exposed.  90 percent of dogs in high risk areas have antibodies against Lyme Dx and those that show symptoms are the ones who should be tested.  The antibodies produced by those dogs can last years.  You can rarely get rid of the cause of Lyme (spirochete) with any treatment, it basically just goes dormant, which is what happens when a dog is exposed and positive but never shows signs of the disease( so why would you treat a dog that tests positive with no symptoms? You will generally just achieve the same results --no signs but the spriochete will still be there) ....which is why we generally only treat those dogs that show signs and symptoms of the disease.  In order to contract the disease a tick MUST be on the dog for 48 hours, if it dies or falls off first then it cannot be passed to the dog.  Out of those dogs exposed, they respond exceptionally rapidly to antibiotics, which can be less detrimental to the dog and inexpensive, unlike humans who may have more major issues with Lyme Dx.   The vaccine does not guarantee that your dog will not get Lyme's.  A strict regimine of tick control meds applied every 4 weeks religiously and strict checking of the dog daily would prevent many problems with Lyme's and be far safer than a vaccine that isn't even guaranteed to work, even in high risk areas,  IMO.  

Okay so I am done with my babbling    Take it for what it is worth

There is a lot of info out there but what Sarah posted appears to be in the majority. I do know that a vaccine is not a guarantee as well as the different repellents we all use - just reduces the risk. Years ago on Long Island where Lyme's was running rampant in humans and dogs there was a pill to give the dogs that when bitten by a tick and the got the blood, it would kill them. The thought was that this would not only protect the dog but kill the ticks before they bred and thus eventually reduce the numbers of infected ticks! I didn't go for that as I didn't want to use my dog as a tick exterminating body.

Anyway, I do agree with my vet about having the dogs tested annually. The confusing thing here for me is this. In the office the blood test was positive. The vet sent that sample to an outside lab to do a C6 test.

"C6 LYME QUANTITATIVE TEST.  This information is extremely important as it gives us baseline information to see if treatment for Lyme disease was successful.  Some animals are continuously exposed to Lyme disease in their environment and will have consistently high levels of Lyme spirochetes in their bodies putting them at risk for Lyme Nephritis (kidney disease/ failure caused by the Lyme spirochete).  We recommend a baseline quantitative Lyme test be run the day your dog has a positive Lyme test at our hospital.   Treatment with antibiotics for 30 days will follow immediately.  We then will follow up with a post-treatment test in 4-6 months to see if the Lyme infection was successfully treated."

Bandits C6 test level was 160. Infected dogs under control should be around 30, thus the antibiotic regime. He will have this level tested in 30 days to see if the levels go down. My understanding is the higher the  Lyme spirochetes in the blood, the more danger there is for the decease to go symptomatic. 

Here is the link I am referring to:

http://www.buzzardsbayvetassociates.com/Lyme%20Disease.htm

"In most circumstances, vaccination for Lyme disease is only effective if your dog has not been previously exposed to Lyme disease"
Bill-This is from your link. I'm just trying to understand this so please indulge me.
By the time the dog shows symptoms, aren't they now possibly at the stage of Lyme nephritis?
I know we are talking about high risk areas. Mn is considered an endemic area, plus I live in a rural area with deer, fox, wild turkeys.
The human Lyme vaccine was pulled in 2002, the drug company stating lack of demand. I read controversial test data results being the reason. I hope our dogs aren't determining effectiveness.

Thanks everyone for your comments and concerns. I am not going to have Smokey vaccinated. I will however, have him tested. What happened is that I took Bandit for his annual. The vet told me about a new annual protocol they were advising whereas additionally to having blood drawn for the heart worm test, they suggested the Lyme's screening. I agreed and Bandit then got his shot. They also recommended the vaccination. We have used this vet for 10 years and have confidence in what they recommend so, that is why I approved the vaccination. What they did do that I look back and think was an error, is that they gave him the first vaccination shot at the same time they drew the blood. So, 15 minutes after he was vaccinated the test was positive for the Lyme's. I was at the counter paying for the visit when they told me the test results. In hindsight, they should have tested him and if negative given me the option of vaccinating. That is when they told me the would send out the blood for the C6 test and he went on the antibiotics.

I called and canceled the second vaccination shot but will keep the followup appointment after the med regime is complete so they can get a level count again.

For any new folks reading all of this - I will say that for the information I receive here from people who have been there or are more knowledgeable than me about these things, I have a forum to run things past. I have never gotten bad advice here and more often than not, received information that is paramount in my making decisions.

The bottom line for me now is that I don't want to expose Smokey to any possible side effect of a vaccination and the more than overwhelming facts about the 3 to 5% of infected dogs going symptomatic and how easily treatable any outbreak is - it isn't worth the risk. Vicki is right about the possibility of our dogs being used for statistical data collection.

Thanks again.

You bet - Thanks. He isn't a Rattie but, he is a beautiful animal and a loyal friend! Oh - he loooooves his little Rattie brother!

I think I would choose to not vaccinate also.  It just doesn't seem worth it.  I still think a healthy immune system is the best defense,  therefore I would recommend giving your dogs a fish oil supplement.  There are so many benefits to adding omega 3's.  I always recommend Seapet brand, and it has the bonus of being a Rhode Island company, so you can support your local economy.   You could also treat your yard with food grade Diatomaceous Earth,  to control ticks and fleas,  but it will kill beneficial bugs too.  And I can't believe that they took blood for a lyme test after giving the lyme vax.