Question:
We had a beautiful golden retriever, Clarabelle, who acquired Lyme disease. We lived in a suburb of Detroit and hadn't taken her to any deer-infested areas. She was perfectly fine one evening and the next morning she was totally crippled. We rushed her to the vet. She was on a regimen of steroids for the next four years and would have several monthly trips to the vet. It was very expensive but worth it, and oftentimes our vet would not charge us. We were blessed to have her for four more years, and at the age of 12 she succumbed to cancer.After looking into it further and consulting with veterinary schools, our vet deduced that Clarabelle had developed Lyme disease from the vaccine. We had started her on the vaccine when it first came out. Our vet found out that the vaccine is only 85 percent effective, and in some cases the dogs could actually acquire the disease from the vaccine. Also, there had never been a case of Lyme disease in our county.
J.T., Harrison, MI Nov 14, 2004
Answer:
Your experience with your dog's vaccinosis, or adverse reaction to a vaccine, offers an important message for veterinarians and dog owners.It concerns me that too many companion animals are being given vaccinations and various parasite-preventing drugs that they do not need because they are not at risk in the first place.As for the Lyme disease vaccination in high-risk, tick-infested areas, what's the point for dogs who live indoors, only go out to groomed lawns and tidy sidewalks, and never venture into the woods? Being alert to the possibility of Lyme disease, routinely checking dogs for ticks, having a blood test done if a dog develops suspect symptoms, and -- should a dog acquire Lyme disease -- treating it with appropriate antibiotics (since the vaccine is not fail-safe) may be the best approach when your veterinarian determines that there is a low risk of exposure.
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