VET TIPS PREVENTING Increasing VBDs: Heartworm, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever & Lyme Disease in Dogs

Lyme Disease in Dogs. Symptoms & Treatment.

Lyme Disease in Dogs: Prevention Tips.

Seems like we’ve been picking more deer ticks off our dogs than ever. The deer always loved those old, gnarled apple trees on our Canada Hill farmstead. Which drew apple-loving wildlife around our place. The occasional bear, for instance. And lots of deer. Which left ticks on bushes. For some reason ticks really love raspberry and blackberry bushes.

Now, treating our dogs to prevent tick-borne Lyme disease is an annual routine.

Here’s some essential Lyme Disease (and other VBDs) in Dogs Prevention tips from Dr Brad Ryan, a wildlife and public health veterinarian.

Lyme Disease in Dogs: You really need to know this!

“Environmental and human population changes are reshaping the landscape of vector-borne disease (VBD) pathogens. And spreading into previously unaffected regions of North America,” explains Dr Brad.

What are Vector-borne diseases?

Vector-borne diseases in dogs are illnesses transmitted by arthropods such as ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas.

The most critical VBDs include:

Anaplasmosis
Babesiosis
Bartonellosis
Borreliosis (Lyme disease)
Dirofilaria immitis (Heartworm)
Ehrlichiosis
Leishmaniosis
Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain spotted fever)

This post is based on recent data from the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). “Antech scientists estimate that tens of millions of dogs and cats in North America now need testing for exposure to the most common VBDs. Diseases such as Lyme disease and heartworm. These illnesses continue to spread and increase in incidence.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Dogs and their owners share a common geographic environment. So both pets and their humans are at risk of being infected with vector-borne pathogens from ticks found in that common environment.
Veterinarians are playing an increasingly vital role in educating pet owners about VBDs. Not just in terms of prevention and regular screening. But also in raising awareness about their growing prevalence.
Testing our pets allows public health officials to trend the prevalence of VBDs over time. Thus providing valuable information for both animal and public health.
Other vector-borne diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, babesiosis, and mycoplasmosis are not included in standard screening tests. But they also pose significant health risks to dogs.

The good news is that new and enhanced screening test options support more informed clinical decision-making.

Together, veterinarians, pet owners, and diagnostic providers can support pets through early detection, education, and prevention.

VBDs are spreading into previously unaffected regions of the North America. This underscores the need for additional choices for veterinarians and expanded detection capabilities. The most common VBD is Lyme Disease.

Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs

Common signs include fever, swollen joints, lameness (which may shift between legs), lethargy, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes.

Dogs can recover from Lyme disease with proper and timely treatment, typically involving antibiotics.

Dr. Brad Ryan encourages pet owners to seek their veterinarian’s advice to guide them and assess their pets’ VBD risk profiles.

There are well over 70 million dog owners in continental North America. And animal healthcare professionals can help pet owners engage in informed discussions about disease prevention. Which includes screening, preventive care, and the importance of early testing. Crucial since many VBDs can appear asymptomatic.

For more information, please visit www.antechdiagnostics.com/.

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VET TIPS Preventing Increasing VBDs: Heartworm, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever & Lyme Disease in Dogs

MORE ABOUT DR. BRAD RYAN:

Dr. Brad Ryan is a wildlife and public health veterinarian from southeast Ohio. He began his career in animal health working with greater one-horned rhinoceroses. As well as other critically endangered species at North America’s largest conservation facility, The Wilds.

Brad graduated cum laude with his Bachelor of Arts in public relations from Miami University in 2003. His Master of Science in mammalian biology with distinction from the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 2008. His Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. And his Master of Public Health in veterinary public health from The Ohio State University College of Public Health in 2017.

After graduating, Brad treated small animals, exotic pets, and wildlife in veterinary hospitals across the country. And served as Program Manager for the Smithsonian Global Health Program at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. His professional interests include veterinary public health and abating the spillover of zoonotic diseases from animals to people.

Dr. Ryan currently resides in Duncan Falls, Ohio with his giant schnauzer, Evan Williams.

He is an avid outdoorsman who previously thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. And successfully summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.

In May 2023, Dr. Ryan completed his circuit to all 63 U.S. National Parks. He was with his 93-year-old Grandma Joy, making her the oldest living person to accomplish this feat. Their story has been profiled by CNN International, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir and NBC Nightly News. Also Access Hollywood, Today, Good Morning America, People Magazine, the Washington Post, among many others.

He’s an accomplished keynote speaker in the outdoor adventure, mental health, and LGBTQ+ advocacy arenas. And is currently writing a memoir for Simon & Schuster about his history-making, intergenerational journey to every U.S. National Park.

Produced for: Antech. See 2025 Annual Pet Parasite Forecasts. Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: Veterinarian Tips Vector-Borne Diseases Lyme Disease Heartworm Dogs Cats.