Posts Tagged: pet wellness
Lyme Disease: Is Your Dog At Risk?
Fall is the season for football, pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters, boots and ticks.
Wait, TICKS?
Yes, ticks! Â Iowa provides two ideal situations for ticks: cool weather and a high deer population.
So how do you know if your pet is at risk for Lyme disease?  Here are some risk assessment questions:
- Have you ever found a tick on your pet? On yourself or a member of your household?
- Does your dog live in a suburban home next to wildlife areas?
- Is your dog’s yard surrounded by tall brush or grass?
- Does your dog go walking, hiking, picnicking, fishing or camping in wooded areas?
- Does your dog frequent areas with lots of deer?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, talk to your veterinarian about Lyme disease. Â You can also check out this prevalence map to see what tick-borne diseases you should be concerned about in your area.

The deer tick is very hard to spot on dogs.
Lyme disease is a growing concern because the disease is increasing in number and expanding geographically. Â It is a potentially serious illness transmitted to dogs by the deer tick. Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs are:
- Lameness
- Not eating
- Fever
- Stiffness
- Joint Pain/Swelling
- Depression
Lyme disease in dogs is largely preventable by using a tick preventive and an annual Lyme vaccine.