Lyme disease

[Christine Animal]

Seeing different pet forums there seems to be an increase in the cases of piroplasmose (caused by ticks) in dogs lately.  I just saw somewhere that this is due to the warming of the climate.  So be very careful and watch for the symptoms in your pets.   http://sante.leobase.fr/dossiers/piroplasmose.htm

I believe human piroplasmose is Lyme Disease.  Yet in French there is la Maladie de Lyme.  Is it the same as piroplasmose, but the name changes when it is in humans?  Why not call it Maladie de Lyme in dogs?  I'm a bit mixed up.

But, seeing all the numerous and different symptoms there are with Lyme Disease, maybe we should be careful not only for our pets, but also for ourselves.  It seems many of the symptoms can be put down as another cause or illness when it could well be Lyme Disease.  But, on the other hand, we must not see Lyme Disease everywhere!

Lyme Disease Symptoms

 

I was wondering if anyone had experience of or had been diagnosed with Lyme Disease.

 

[Hereford]

Not a pet (!) but my grandson was diagnosed over the week-end  with first stage Lyme's disease - from a tick bite.  Extra strong antibiotics for 10 days to start with and possibly a second lot will do the trick we are told.

Never try to pull the ticks out, go to a doctor.

Mrs H

[Nickel]

Piroplasmosis is caused by a protozoan - a malaria like illness - it is also known as Babesiosis in man and I think dogs

It is not the same as Lyme disease (or Borreliosis)  which is caused by a bacterium - Borrelia

However both can be transmitted by the same host - a tick.

I have to agree to be careful as I found a nice little tick just beginning to attach itself to my skin just a few weeks ago!!

 

[Callie]

Ticks carry a number of nasty diseases apart from Lyme's and piro - including MET (Meningo-Encephalite à Tique) and Ehrliochiosis.  Not all ticks are carriers, but it pays to be vigilant.

Lots of good site on internet with info and photos.  I have also removed a couple of the little blighters from my person.  Disifect well afterwards and keep an eye on it.

I have read that Lyme's Disease is curable by antibiotics when caught early enough.

Baqsically, if you do get bitten by a tick, note the date and if you start getting flue like symptoms and/or get a red bullseye patch in the area of the bite, GO STRAIGHT TO THE DOC. [:)]

Nasty things and they cover about 2/3 of Europe and Asia.  I have read a warning not to put Ether on a tick as there is a heightened risk of infection if the tick regurgitates.  [+o(]

[Christine Animal]

Thank you both for the information.  The thing is apparently that often you don't even know you've been bitten.  Also Callie it says that patch can appear anywhere on the body, not only where the bite is.

What were your grandson's symptoms Hereford?  I suppose you must have seen the tick to get such an early diagnosis.  How is he now, hope he recovers quickly.

 

[M]

I caught Lyme disease from a tick bite in 2004. We were in Le Fret (Finistère) and there is no doubt about where I picked up the tick - my wife was bitten as well, but she found hers right away, so no harm done. It has to be in place for 24 hours (to give it the chance to vomit the spirochete into your bloodstream!)[+o(].I didn't find mine until 3-4 days later (in the shower) and didn't think about it until I got the raised 'bullseye' patch a week later. But only 50% of infected people get that. I didn't really have other symptoms - maybe a bit headachey, but that's all. Luckily my wife made me go to the GP, and the GP's wife was a consultant in Tropical & Infectious Disease at the local hospital (Royal Hallamshire, Sheffield). Result - a night in isolation, blood tests, heart monitor (it can cause your heart to stop very suddenly!) and a month of mega-dose antibiotics. The next day, medical student kept coming in to see the rash ("It's very rare, you know!") and the consultant came in to take some photos - ("Not many people get the chance to see this!").Trouble is, the spirochete which causes Lyme disease is a hard one to track down from blood tests - but the results of untreated infection are sufficiently unpleasant for people not to take chances (facial paralysis, crippling arthritis, meningitis, heart failure). The consult thought I was clear at the 3-month follow-up visit! So -don't take any chances.

M

[Callie]

That sounds quite horrid, M.  How fortunate you were to have the right consultant on hand.  This is why it is so important to mention a tick bite if you start feeling unwell. 

I can well imagine all the students being interested in the rash.  A friend in Cornwall caught Orf from an infected lamb (contagious pustular dermatitis [+o(] ) and all the doctors around came to have a look as humans don't get it that often !

[Nickel]

This is probably the best site for information and links on Lyme Disease.

http://www.wadhurst.demon.co.uk/lyme/index.htm

 

[Hereford]

Christine A.

My daughter saw the tick, thought it was dirt (grandson is six) but realised it had legs!  Telephoned child's dioctor (in Germany children see paediatricians always), doc not there so took him to her own GP who removed tick and said if circle with line outside appears (like someon else posted a "bullseye") to telephone him again (on a Sunday morning..) and he would immediately give antbiotics.   Said bullseye appeared so he is on strong antib. for 10 days and if not completely gone by then will have a second lot.  Apparently only about 70% of people get this first stage. They are the lucky ones as it can be completely cured with antibs

He saw his own doc yesterday who will take over treatment.

My daughter was told that you should never try to remove tick yourself, even if you can get them to "let go"as  if they "puke" inside you (to use her words!) then you are in trouble anyway.

Nasty things

Take care everyone.

Mrs H

[Christine Animal]

Lucky your daughter saw the tick.  Hope your grandson will be all right now with the antibiotics.  I had a tick attached on my arm once many years ago, pulled it out and never thought any more about it.  We had never heard of Lyme disease at that time.

Thank you for that link Nickel.

 

[Bonjean]

Hello everyone,

Since moving here in February I have been paranoid about lyme disease, particularly as I already suffer from ME/CFS and am quite ill enough without something else coming along.  I hadn't even thought about the tick problem as we have owned the house for 4 years and used to come out for 6 weeks over summer and had never seen a tick, but now we are living here we have brought our 2 dogs with us and so almost everyday they seem to have a tick crawling on them.  We brush them before we let them back in the house but even so it is impossible to get rid of them all.  We use Frontline on the dogs which is a spot on treatment for fleas and ticks, however I hadn't realised that to protect them against ticks you have to use it every 4 weeks and in the UK I had only applied it every 6 weeks against fleas.  So one day ,before I was aware that ticks would even be a problem, I found each dog had about 5 ticks each attached to them, we removed them hurriedly but since have found out we didn't remove them correctly as it is very important you don't squeeze the body as they can regurgitate their stomach contents into the bloodstream.  Anyway it is a month later now and no symptoms so hopefully we have got away with it although it can take upto a month for symptoms to show themselves.  I bought from the vet a tool to remove them as safely as possible, it is called an O'Tom here and was about 5 euros, it is the tool recommended by all the Lyme disease charities.  The website for it is www.otom.com and you can buy them from vets and from pharmcies here.  The Frontline should stop the ticks attaching but then you have to make sure they don't drop off in the house. (The dogs don't understand why I don't want to cuddle them after a walk) Don't ever crush them with your fngers, wrap them in tissue and flush them or preferably burn them on the fire.  If you do touch them make sure you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

We check ourselves everyday too just to make sure, (apparently they like to hide in your hairy bits so check your head, underarms etc) as we live in the Livradois Forez and are surrounded by forest and therefore deer it is impossible to avoid them.  However after many sleepless nights of feeling imaginary things crawling on me I realised I can't live in constant fear of them we just have to be aware of the problem and take sensible precautions.  For example if you are walking in long grass make sure your trousers are tucked into your socks (doesn't look particularly attractive but its better than the alternative).  Also check yourself all over if you have been out walking.  Some ticks are very small and so you could be bitten without knowing but if you have any symptoms (flu like illness and possibly the rash that has been mentioned) then go straight to the doctor and mention the possiblity of Lyme Disease.

I have done alot of research on this subject after realising the dangers so hopefully this is helpful.

Kind regards

Michelle

PS Sorry I started writing this this morning and was interrupted, I also meant to say that I hope your grandson will be ok, I believe if they catch it and start treatment early enough recovery rates are very good.  It is scary though, especially with a child as you never want them to be ill.

 

 

 

[Christine Animal]

There are quite a few videos about it on the page with this one

Lyme Disease