Ticks and Disease

[JackpineRob]

I posted in the thread below regarding Frontline and other tick prevention products.  This article is about our dog.  The picture in the paper with this article is of my son holding up a pheasant, with Ben by his side.  Pictures and memories are all we have of Ben now....

http://www.presspubs.com/articles/2007/09/26/forest_lake_press/news/doc46fa668001ce4842582152.txt

I dug out my old float tube tonight - made it out of some camo fabric and an inner tube scrounged up at a tire shop about 25 years ago, before I got my first dog.  Duck season starts Saturday, and I'll be doing my own retrieving this year. sad3.gif

[labs4me]

I quit vaccinating my dogs in '92 because of the ineffectiveness of the vaccine.  Frontline and thorough checking of the dog for ticks has been my protocol and has worked well.

After a long discussion about Lmes vaccine with my vet, he told me Merrial (a drug producer) has come out with a new vaccine that is 100% effective in all FDA tests.  It produces an 'outer surface protein' that when ingested by a tick carrying the lymes bacterin, will kill the bacterin inside the tick before it can be transferred to the host.  The old style vaccine tried to use a modified live bacteria to build up an 'immunity' in the dogs (and humans when they tried vaccines for us), but that is hard to do with bacteria... works well with viruses... not so much with bacteria.  The effectiveness was listed as anywhere from 10-60%... depending on which study you wanted to believe.  Still not a vaccine with those diminshed numbers.

This new one has me excited as it will assure you that your dog will be protected.  They say it is the predessesor of the next human vaccine.  I will be getting it when it becomes available as I am currently fighting Lymes disease myself right now, and it is not pleasant.

Remember ther are 2 other diseases transferred by ticks that won't be covered by this vaccine.  So a regimen of checking your dog for ticks is till required.

Good Luck!

Ken

[mrs icebanger]

Also...Your Vet has a screen test that tests for 3 tick borne diseases plus Heartworm disease (dont forget about that one).  screening anually is good way of catching these diseases early while they are treatable.
Vaccinating with Fort Dodge Lymevax is not 100%, but we have found that the dogs that are positive on the screen tests and have been vaccinated routinely have not shown any signs of the disease...like the vaccine has kept it in check....the ones who have not been vaccinated seem to have some lameness and have been sick. 
So doing multiple things to protect your dog is best, first kept ticks off your dog, screen annually and definitely vaccinate.
Lyme disease evolving, even the experts are having a hard time keeping up...Ive been to many seminars and lectures ...every time there is something new! protect your dog!

more info on the screen test....idexx.com...under companion animal health