What blood tests should my dog get to check for Lyme disease?

Yes, urine protein:creatinine ratios are commonly performed to determine if there is any protein loss as a result of underlying Lyme disease. In asymptomatic dogs, antibody levels against Lyme disease (C6 quant) are also useful. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Jack!

Hi there. If you're asking about Vetco clinics, they do offer the 4Dx screening test which checks for antibodies to Lyme disease as well as other tick-borne diseases like Ehrlichia and Anaplasma. Be aware that the test will not show positive for at least 4-6 weeks after exposure.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your questions. After the treatment of 4 weeks with Doxycycline, you can test Dash for Lymes by sending out a test called a PCR. This particular test is usually expensive but will tell you if Dash has a current active infection of Lymes. Unfortunately, with Lymes disease, it is never eradicated from the body, treatment gets it down to a very low bacterial burden to the point where no symptoms are evident. The snap ELISA test that is done in the veterinary hospital, will likely always show positive, but this is because it tests for antibodies to Lymes, which Dash will likely have for years (if not forever). His creatinine being elevated could indicate early kidney disease. I would recommend having the veterinarian assess his urine to see if it is adequately concentrating and also check an SDMA test to help establish whether or not he has early renal disease and what stage it is. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

The answer is a bit complicated. Yes, I would be concerned about tick diseases, however the test may or may not show a positive even if he did get infected with lyme disease because it takes about 4 weeks for antibodies to be high enough for the test to detect them. Furthermore, he could have been exposed to lyme disease, but have a different issue causing the signs you're seeing. So, it's definitely a judgement call -- and if your funds are more flexible testing again may give you interesting information, but if your funds are more limited, it may make more sense to just treat for tick diseases with an antibiotic like doxycycline. Of course, your vet may see something on the physical exam or general blood work or x-rays that makes them concerned about something else more than tick disease, in which case pursuing that makes sense. I know that's not horribly helpful, but hopefully it gives you some context to think about.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, Lyme disease is still possible. Sometimes a test could have a false negative result meaning that it says negative when the dog does actually have the infection. Of course, the other possibility is that she does not have Lyme disease and has something else going on. It would be indicated to test again if they are suspicious or check for other diseases or treat empirically with an antibiotic like doxycycline to see if things improve. Good luck and have a great day!

Lyme flare ups don't really occur once the pet has been successfully treated for and removal of the bacteria. However, the pet can have long lasting changes in the joints, in particular the cartilage, that have left degenerative changes there causing early arthritis. Moving forward, I would suggest getting x-rays done on Rebel to look for evidence of joint disease if he is having lameness problems. Also I am unsure what specific signs your pet is displaying since you didn't mention it in your question, so I assume your pet is having limping/lameness symptoms. If not, then please repost your question with more details concerning his current symptoms, so that we can give you more suggestions moving forward. Best of luck moving forward with your pet Rebel. Take care.

Just because she tested positive for Lyme disease does not mean she she has an active infection. It just means she was exposed to lyme disease. Most animals (95%) exposed to Lyme do not ever show signs of illness. In order to find out whether she is actually ill with Lyme disease you will need a) clinical signs b) an elevated Lyme titer and c) depending on a and b possibly some extra tests verifying that she has an active infection.