Lyme Vaccine
 

Do you get the Lyme vaccine? Why or why not?

I don't - for the following reasons: incidence and prevalence; and potential for reaction.

I HAVE to it's almost a core vaccine in Pa. depending on what area you live in. I live in a heavily wooded area, deer are abundant daily, for that reason Lyme vac. is needed.

Ticks are an issue here but we live in the middle of our 3 acres and and the only trees are on the back property line so they don't really get ticks since we moved but I do plan on taking Joey to the parks more and I might do tracking with him. My biggest issues though are when he got the two shots for that as a puppy he reacted worse then when he got the rabies shot so I fear reactions. I'm just kind of torn on what to do so just kind of wanting to hear everyone's opinions.

Joey is one year older now, and his system is stronger now than when he was a puppy. I would give it another try. Ticks from what I read burrower in the ground when temps are 50 and under and emerge when temps reach 50 and over, so ticks are not only in tress, they are on the ground also, dried leaves on ground are a haven for them. My back yard is a canopy of tress very shaded due to all the oak tress. I won't take a chance with Cody and not give him that vaccine. You know what kind of a reaction he had last year, why not talk to your vet about it.

I dont but my dogs are 11 and they dont go out except there own front yard and I have never had a problem with them having ticks.

My husband found a tick on Guinness a few weeks ago - it was full so it had been on him but was sitting in his hair not attached. I took both Guinness and Hazel to the vet to have them looked over and tested. They both tested negative for lyme but the vet said they can contract multiple things from ticks that is dangerous not just lyme. He put them both on an antibiotic to try to "interfere" with anything the tick may have given them. (I say them because they lay curled up together all the time so while it was in Guinness' hair, I want to make sure she is protected also because who knows if it was actually on Hazel.) He wants me to bring them both back 8 weeks post bite to see how they test again. I use advantix on both of them but unfortunately had not put it on them for December, January and February thinking it was the middle of winter and we had a few warm days. Live and learn. We don't live in a heavily wooded area but do live in the country with tall grass all around my lawn and we walk them up to our pond. I talked to my vet about the vaccination and he remarked that if I remain faithful about putting advantix on them monthly then there is no need to get the vaccination. I live in western ny. Learn from me and put the preventative on them year round...I wish I had! I am so on top of it with them both...they both have trupanion, they both get their heartworm pill monthly, annual dental...you name it so it makes me so mad at myself that I dropped the ball on this!

Not yet, because it's not prevalent in downstate Illinois--yet. Here is a link to a map of lyme disease prevalence: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html . It's most prevalent in the northeastern US with a few pockets in the upper midwest.

Thanks for the map Phil, I am in one of the heaviest areas going by this map. Last summer I had 4 or 5 ticks jump on me while sitting in my yard baby sitting Cody. I keep a jar of alcohol next to me and pop them in when I take them off me then cover jar to make sure they don't get out lol. Nasty little things.

The problem with giving antibiotics when there is not a known infection can create antibiotic resistance. I personally think I would have waited to see if an tick illnesses popped up. I would treat every month for ticks that's just my personal opinion there are several months I think its really unnecessary. I'm in Maryland and we don't always have big winters but I don't use flea and tick preventive in December, January, and February.

Thank you for this map it helps a lot. The southern part of Maryland where I live is very blue.

This here https://www.amazon.com/Tick-Removal-.../dp/B001QC34LS is awesome at removing ticks. Before we moved and Callie was getting them a lot I used this and it pulls like none of their hair and it always removes the ticks head.

Thanks for the link Taylor. I saw these advertised, glad to know that they do work.

Nope.
Jackson tested positive for Lymes around 1yr old. He was showing symptoms (joint -- holding back leg up) but a round of doxycycline knocked it quick.

Lymes is such a tricky thing where the tests are not 100% accurate. So even though he tests negative for it every year now for 7 years.... I guess technically he could still have it -- with no symptoms. In fact, I believe 95% of dogs with lymes exhibit no symptoms ever in their life.

Anyhow even after that, the vet did not suggest Lymes vaccine for us, and I was not going to risk it after his reaction to lepto anyway. I just don't find the lymes vaccine to be worth it. I just keep him on tick preventative medication when needed throughout the year.

Is it a good idea for dogs to get the canine Lyme vaccine, even if they already had Lyme disease? | Tufts Now

I am struggling with the same question. Fabian is under 5 mo., just over 3 pounds, and was sluggish after his rabies shot and his third round of vaccines. (Two different appointments.) We live in the Northeast where Lyme disease is prevalent and I have an appointment in a few weeks to get him the vaccine. We spend time outdoors, but nothing more strenuous than mild hiking. We do occasionally see deer on our front lawn. He's on Revolution, which is also supposed to be effective against the American Dog Tick. No one can tell me whether that effectiveness extends to deer ticks: I'm guessing it doesn't or else they'd be marketing it that way, too. I'm really tempted to cancel the appointment until I can walk in 100% convinced that I'm doing the right thing. My heart hurts. It all feels so "damned if you do, damned if you don't."