# Taffy Has Severe Lyme Disease



## Gorky (Jul 14, 2009)

Oh, I am so sorry. I hope Taffy feels better soon and has no reoccurences. When it rains, it pours, but you acted very quickly.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

Gorky said:


> Oh, I am so sorry. I hope Taffy feels better soon and has no reoccurences. When it rains, it pours, but you acted very quickly.


_Yes, Adrienne, it does! I have to say that I had you and Gorky on my mind the whole time. I told the vet immediately about Gorky and Addison's and that they are related. I was really scared. She felt it was more like Lyme and that fit with the tick attack from last year. 

I am saddened that she has this life long disease, but I have to admit that I was relieved that we were not considering Addison's as the culprit.

Thank you for your good wishes._


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

I heard a vet on the radio talking about the toll that Lyme disease on some dogs....not all dogs. They CAN have severe athritis.


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## furmom (Mar 20, 2010)

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear about Taffy. Hugs.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

How horrible. I am so glad it is treatable! Taffy has been through enough.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Pouring indeed - but it does show the importance of knowing your dog, and being able to recognise immediately when something is not right. I hope the abs do the trick quickly.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

(((Hugs)))


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Good grief, your beautiful Taffy is sure having a time of it! I am so sorry to hear it! Our last dog, a Rat Terrier, had Lyme's disease for the last several years of her nearly 17 years old life. I was furious she got it, I was honestly ready to go out and slay every white-tailed deer and mouse I saw. Initially, she was laid really low by it, to the point she was just a limp, hot sack of sadness. Shortly after starting her on the antibiotics, she returned to her robust self. She never had a repeat flare up. I'm hoping it will be the same for beautiful, sweet Taffy. 

We live in the woods and have countless neighbors and friends with Lyme's, as do some of their dogs. One, a 15 year old Golden Retriever named Hannah, who already had severe arthritis had a devil of a time with it but went on to live to 17 1/2 (good country air and water may be the "silver bullet"). Frankly, Lyme's is the number one worry I have for Chagall. Despite all we do to protect our dogs, and wanting only the very best for them, some dumb, stupid spirochete can assault them. You being as vigilant as you are of your spoos surely made the difference in her feeling better quickly, and hopefully staying well from here on out. _Ugh_, right you are, Taffy sure has been smacked around by fate lately, _enough already!_ It's time for the tide to turn. With all this stress, you may need to put something a bit stronger in your herbal tea. Your nerves must be absolutely frayed. All good wishes for your sweet Taffy to go on feeling and doing well for many, many years. And for you only to gain more "smile" lines, not worry induced ones!

BTW, my dog walking club is now using a new product called "Cedar Cide" to ward off ticks and fleas, on ourselves and our dogs. We're out in the woods hiking twice a week and everyone is having a really bad time of it with ticks this year. So far it's showing promising results. We've even gotten a local pet boutique that features healthy foods, safe toys and many natural products to carry it in their line. It's available on-line too, I use it along with monthly Frontline. If I could, I'd use a canon to blast off deer ticks, but I guess that would be overkill?


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## PoodlePowerBC (Feb 25, 2011)

So sorry to hear of Taffy's bout with Lyme  I don't know why, but Lyme disease terrifies me. Our cabin is in an area that has an overabundance of deer and lots of reported Lyme. I'm not one to over vaccinate, I do the bare minimum as pups then am planning on getting titer test next year. But I do vaccinate for Lyme. I am going to ask my vet whether he can titer for the Lyme vaccine next year as well. Hope she's feeling better soon!


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

Chagall's mom said:


> Good grief, your beautiful Taffy is sure having a time of it! I am so sorry to hear it! Our last dog, a Rat Terrier, had Lyme's disease for the last several years of her nearly 17 years old life. I was furious she got it, I was honestly ready to go out and slay every white-tailed deer and mouse I saw. Initially, she was laid really low by it, to the point she was just a limp, hot sack of sadness. Shortly after starting her on the antibiotics, she returned to her robust self. She never had a repeat flare up. I'm hoping it will be the same for beautiful, sweet Taffy.
> 
> We live in the woods and have countless neighbors and friends with Lyme's, as do some of their dogs. One, a 15 year old Golden Retriever named Hannah, who already had severe arthritis had a devil of a time with it but went on to live to 17 1/2 (good country air and water may be the "silver bullet"). Frankly, Lyme's is the number one worry I have for Chagall. Despite all we do to protect our dogs, and wanting only the very best for them, some dumb, stupid spirochete can assault them. You being as vigilant as you are of your spoos surely made the difference in her feeling better quickly, and hopefully staying well from here on out. _Ugh_, right you are, Taffy sure has been smacked around by fate lately, _enough already!_ It's time for the tide to turn. With all this stress, you may need to put something a bit stronger in your herbal tea. Your nerves must be absolutely frayed. All good wishes for your sweet Taffy to go on feeling and doing well for many, many years. And for you only to gain more "smile" lines, not worry induced ones!
> 
> BTW, my dog walking club is now using a new product called "Cedar Cide" to ward off ticks and fleas, on ourselves and our dogs. We're out in the woods hiking twice a week and everyone is having a really bad time of it with ticks this year. So far it's showing promising results. We've even gotten a local pet boutique that features healthy foods, safe toys and many natural products to carry it in their line. It's available on-line too, I use it along with monthly Frontline. If I could, I'd use a canon to blast off deer ticks, but I guess that would be overkill?


_Thank you Chagall.

Lyme has not been so prevalent here until just the past few years as they nasty little critters make their way North. We have been aware of the tick exodus toward us for a while, but had been very fortunate to not have seen a one until last spring! Not only did all of the dogs come home with ticks that day, but my husband, who goes out to do metal detecting, also had three ticks on him a day later. I was totally grossed out and horrified. There is something very sickening about seeing this little black thing stuck in the skin with all of its legs flailing in the air. I felt ill pulling them out.

We will be testing all of our dogs every year now as part of their maintenance program. Dianne did find something to use on the dogs, but I don't know what it is yet. I like the sound of the product you are using and will have a look at it. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

It seems as though all of the dogs I have heard about have done well after their first course of antibiotics.

Does anyone have any suggestion for probiotics that I can give her that might help?_


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

Poor girl! I could picture her looking at you with those big sad eyes. She is a sweetheart. With your diligent care, she will be better soon. My heart goes out to you all.

Wish I had a suggestion on probiotics, but I don't.


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## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

Prayers for sweet Taffy! 
Thank goodness you noticed so soon! Hopefully she will not be plaqued by relapses through the years!


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## FozziesMom (Jun 23, 2010)

I am glad Taffy is doing better. Poor thing. Please keep us posted.


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## Dallasminis (Feb 6, 2011)

This girl has gone through enough! And you, too! I am visualizing a very healthy and happy Taffy...kudos to you for your awareness.. and your very quick action, a lesson for all of us. 

May today be the beginning of a fresh, new, healthy and happy life for Taffy.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Living in CT, which is a hot spot for Lyme, I know several people and dogs who have had Lyme disease. I would start giving your dog glucosomine. One dog I know could no longer do stairs and his movement was really affected. After they started giving him glucosomine he was back to his old self. I don't like to over vaccinate but I do have Swizzle get the Lyme shot. I also treat the lawn with a product that is suppose to kill ticks. Swizzle still got a tick. I hate those bloodsuckers.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

CT Girl said:


> Living in CT, which is a hot spot for Lyme, I know several people and dogs who have had Lyme disease. I would start giving your dog glucosomine. One dog I know could no longer do stairs and his movement was really affected. After they started giving him glucosomine he was back to his old self. I don't like to over vaccinate but I do have Swizzle get the Lyme shot. I also treat the lawn with a product that is suppose to kill ticks. Swizzle still got a tick. I hate those bloodsuckers.


_We have been aware of the sever problem in CT for some time. Our game meat butcher contracted Lyme about six years ago from skinning two deer that were brought to him from your state. He lived in MA. He was badly affected by it and had to stop working because his muscles wouldn't work anymore. It was horrible. 

We have been aware that the scourge of the nasty little beasts were headed our way and they are now here to stay. We live on the mountain side so spraying our yard won't help us much. We are going to have to find another way to deal with this serious problem. Right now, we check all of our spoos as soon as we get home from an outing. We blow dry through their hair to identify them. So far, we have had no tics on the dogs this year. They probably all drowned with the non stop rain. One can wish!

I do have Glucosimine for my elderly golden, so I will start adding that to Taffy's regimen. Thank you for the suggestion. She still has three weeks of antibiotics to take as well._


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

spoospirit said:


> _Thank you Chagall.
> 
> Lyme has not been so prevalent here until just the past few years as they nasty little critters make their way North. We have been aware of the tick exodus toward us for a while, but had been very fortunate to not have seen a one until last spring! Not only did all of the dogs come home with ticks that day, but my husband, who goes out to do metal detecting, also had three ticks on him a day later. I was totally grossed out and horrified. There is something very sickening about seeing this little black thing stuck in the skin with all of its legs flailing in the air. I felt ill pulling them out.
> 
> ...


Proviable is a probiotic that I strongly recommend. It is typically only available through vet prescription and is pricey. However, KV Vet Supply carries it much cheaper and does not require a prescription for whatever reason. KV Vet Supply is a trustworthy source. 

You want the Proviable DC. 
http://www.kvsupply.com/KVVet/produ...alse&mscssid=0E3125D69CE840AF94293C74CEE86373


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## pudel luv (Jan 23, 2010)

So sorry to hear about Taffy's Lyme. Fortunately, 
she has you to set her straight on the road to good health. 

She could not ask for a better guardian angel :angel:. 
May the road ahead be paved with radiant health for your Sweet Girl.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Oh poor Taffy girl. I hope she recovers quickly and strongly.


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## cavon (Aug 10, 2010)

Oh, poor, beautiful, sweet Taffy! thank goodness you took quick steps and got her to the vet! 
Hopefully she will have a quick recovery and suffer no long term effects!!


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

I'm really sorry to hear that. How is she doing now? I think I remember hearing some where that if Lyme disease is caught early, then it's 100% curable. So that's good news.

Have you be giving her monthly tick meds prior to her Lyme disease?


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I am using Frontline once a month on Swizzle and my husband took 4 ticks (I am horrible at removing them) off Swizzle yesterday and all had latched on. I am going to the store today to get the stuff you put down on your lawn. We have been away to I have not had a chance to do it yet. I am going to look into Cedar Cide and hopefully that will help keep them off. This year is the worst I have seen because of all the rain we have had. Ticks love a wet spring so it is going to be a very bad year here. If anyone has any other suggestions on something that will keeps the ticks off it would be appreciated. I don't want to use Frontline and other chemicals in combination - I am afraid of an accidental poisoning.


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