My dog tested Lyme positive after vaccine, no symptoms. Second opinion?

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Max! Most dogs with Lyme improve on doxycycline with in 3 days and STAY better. They don't relapse on meds. The most common reason for initially doing well on the doxycycline and then getting worse again is immune mediated polyarthopathy. That is treated with immunosuppressants like prednisone. I would get a second opinion. I wish Max a speedy recovery!

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.

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.

They are correct. You don't need to worry if Lilly isn't sick. The test is only showing that she has been exposed to the disease(s). It does not mean she is sick or will become sick. I personally would not be worried about it but if you are, then you should make an appointment with a full service veterinarian in your area for a consultation. There is no harm in doing that. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

No vaccine is 100% and there are other tick borne illness with similar symptoms that maybe transmitted to dogs. You can monitor for any joint pain, lethargy, or bruising on her skin. If that is noted then make an appointment to have her tested.

I know it can be frustrating when the test we run do not always tell us an answer. In the picture her mammary glands are enlarged but this could be due to her being pregnant, having a false pregnancy or even infection in her uterus/ mammary glands. According to her blood work her white blood cells are elevated and she is anemic. I would make sure her uterus is healthy and she does not have any Gastrointestinal parasites. If she truly is 11 months old it is rare for a pyometra (pus filled uterus) to occur but she might of become pregnant/false pregnancy. I would recommend maybe taking her to another vet to get another opinion if she is feeling worse and seems to still be in pain.