Is Lyme Disease on the Rise?

My veterinarian said she saw three cases of Lyme disease already by the middle of March. One case was in a dog that never left the owner’s property. “It’s on the rise,” she said, “You need to protect Buffy from early March through November, and consider year-round treatment.”

Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi  bacteria, which is often carried by deer ticks. It causes recurring lameness from joint inflammation and lack of energy. Some can have kidney and possibly heart or nervous system problems. For more information on Lyme disease, see my previous post.

Buffy, my ten-year-old blind, cocker spaniel, who only walks a few houses on my block in a residential neighborhood, needed better tick control than the spot-on treatments that I had used for years. Last year I only used a spot-on treatment during the flea-prone months of late summer since I no longer took her hiking in the woods or camping.

My husband balked when he saw the bill for her chewable monthly treatments. I too questioned if I had been sold a product that I didn’t really need. Although I did once find a tick on Buffy in late February during a warm spell from our Chicago winter, and she had only been in our backyard.

Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are on the rise

Most of the increase has occurred in the northeast and upper Midwest, but it is becoming more common in other areas, like Florida. Note that the Center for Disease Control maps are for people reported with the disease, not dogs.

It’s not just ticks that are on the rise, but vector-borne illnesses from mosquitos, ticks, and even fleas as reported by the CDC. These illnesses have TRIPLED since 2004!

Why is Lyme disease increasing?

• Climate Change

In the past hundred years, the Midwest has become about 1 ½ degrees warmer, and an estimated 20% wetter as reported by the EPA The Chicago area was 13 inches above normal in 2018, and so far this year, 7½ inches.

• Both increased temperature and rainfall lead to an abundance of ticks and mosquitoes.
• Warmer winters allow more host animals to survive such as deer and mice.

• Suburban sprawl

The deer population has been increasing in our increasingly fragmented forests mixed between residential areas. As the human population increases and spreads into natural areas, the deer population is squeezed into smaller areas. With no predators, the deer population explodes. Humans are the main predator of deer in most areas from hunting or car accidents.

John Ferro wrote in the February 28, 2013, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, “Scientists believe certain rodents — mice, shrews, and chipmunks — are the best reservoirs for the pathogen that produces Lyme disease. These species don’t do a good job of killing the ticks that land on them. And their systems do not fight off the pathogen effectively.

Other species, such as opossums, are more likely to be a dead end for Lyme disease. Opossums are voracious eaters of the ticks that land on them. And when they are bitten by an infected tick, their more robust immune systems appear to do a better job of defeating the disease.”

Studies have shown that the incidence of tick-borne pathogens DECREASES significantly in healthy natural areas where the hosts for ticks are kept in check by their natural predators.

We should encourage biodiversity by planting native vegetation in our yards, support our local natural areas to increase biodiversity, and not build in areas that have healthy ecosystems.

Not every person or dog exposed to Lyme disease gets sick

According to PetMD only about 10% of dogs affected with the bacteria show symptoms I wonder if this low amount of dogs showing symptoms is due to the prevalence of the canine Lyme vaccine.

• I used to vaccinate my dog when we spent a lot of time in northern Wisconsin camping and canoeing, where Lyme disease is common. When one of my dogs developed a temporary paralysis, she tested positive for exposure due to the vaccine. The vet said that she would always test positive for the disease because of the vaccine, so it would be hard to determine if she actually had the disease.

• My daughter-in-law tested positive for Lyme, although her symptoms were not representative of the disease. She rarely went camping or hiking, although she does live in Wisconsin.
• Someone at work had his whole family tested and they all showed exposure, although none of them showed any symptoms.
  • However, several of my coworkers developed symptoms of Lyme disease and were treated with antibiotics.

Dr. Karen Becker also states that 95% of dogs exposed to Lyme disease do not get sick.

https://youtu.be/UgiTnBlmp28

What can you do to prevent Lyme disease?

If you live in a tick-prone area that has Lyme disease, I recommend the following:

• Avoid areas where ticks are prevalent, usually woodlands or prairies, or at least stay on the trail. Ticks can still fall on you from overhanging vegetation or from brushing against tall plants bordering the trail.
• Check yourself and your dog after being in a potentially tick-infested area.
• A tick needs about a day to inject the bacteria, so quick removal is best. Put the removed tick in a baggie and freeze it. This will help if you or your dog develops symptoms later, then the tick can be checked for the bacteria.

 

For people:

• Take a shower ASAP and scrub with a washcloth and vigorously towel dry to remove any unattached ticks.
• Wear light clothing and roll your socks over your shoes to be able to see ticks before they get on your skin.
• Put clothing in the drier on high for 10 minutes to kill the ticks. This is more effective than washing the clothes since it dries out the ticks and kills them.

For dogs:

• Check them several times a day, if possible. Check the ears and neck, and even on the pads of their paws, as well as the rest of their bodies. Remove with tweezers.
• Use a tick repellant on your dog. There are many available, but currently the chewable tablets are most effective (at least according to my vet). Read my previous post on various types of repellents for dogs.
• Personally, I do not recommend the vaccine, but you may want to discuss this with your veterinarian.

What has been your experience with Lyme disease or preventing it?

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