My dog has Lyme symptoms, negative test. Can it still be Lyme?

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.

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.

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.

Unfortunately both lyme and erhlichia can cause an infection again, even after initial treatment. I would recommend treating her since she has clinical signs, but also ask your vet if they can run a PCR test to confirm active infection, rather than just exposure. That was you can be sure this infection isn't just from last year. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Oh course I want to believe the best in a vet, and I know personally as a vet, I would never give false results that would make a dog get a treatment they don't need. It's highly unethical and could be very harmful to the dog. It sounds like you are concerned, then it's ok to have him seen by another vet for a second opinion. I hope this helps!

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.