Lyme Disease in Metro Areas

New research shows that disease-carrying ticks are quietly, yet quickly, crawling into more U.S. cities

For years, urban dog owners have left worries about Lyme disease to their rural neighbors. However, a new report from IDEXX Laboratories (Westbrook, Maine) reveals that a startling number of urban and suburban dogs are contracting the sometimes lethal disease.

Lyme disease is transmitted when ticks infected with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria bite an animal or person.

"As metro areas continue to grow and encroach on wildlife habitats, ticks are obviously going to feed on our dogs, just like they would any other animal," said Dr. Stephen Levy, a Durham, Conn.-based veterinarian who has spent years studying ticks and the diseases they carry.

In fact, metropolitan areas provide good feeding and breeding grounds for ticks. "The density of potential tick feeding hosts, ranging from squirrels and mice to chipmunks and deer can be greater in suburban than rural areas. Bird feeders, gardens and open trash cans make easy meals for many of the animals that attract ticks," according to Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association (Jackson, N.J.).

"Most ticks spend their lives on or near the ground, in grassy or bushy area, waiting for a suitable host animal. Dogs, with their furry coats, proximity to the ground and propensity to roll in leaves and other groundcover, are many times more likely to come in contact with ticks than their owners are," Smith said.

Lyme disease isn't easy to detect because many dogs do not exhibit outward evidence of infection. However, the most common indicators include recurrent arthritis and lameness that lasts for three to four days, swollen joints that are warm to the touch, loss of appetite, depression, fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. Warning signs may not appear until several months after the infection.

Despite the fact that Lyme disease has been reported in all 50 states, 36 percent of dog owners participating in a 2005 survey didn't believe or know that their dogs could contract Lyme disease. Furthermore, 75 percent of respondents did not know any of the disease symptoms.

Given the rising incidence of Lyme disease, it's crucial that dogs be tested for Lyme disease and canine ehrlichiosis during their annual veterinarian exams. Regular screening is important not only to identify disease but also to allow early treatment, Levy said.

Quick Tip

To check dogs for ticks, brush your fingers over the dog's fur each day, using enough pressure to detect any little bumps. An embedded tick varies in size from a pinhead to a grape and usually appears black, dark brown or reddish brown.

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