[Beverly Anne]

Well, the vet just called me and told me that Francis has Lyme disease I have to start him on a 30 day course of Doxycycline. She told me that it's hugely epidemic in Boston right now and she's seeing a ton of it. ANy of you guys have experience with this? Fran appears healthy and except for some soft stools I've seen no change in him.
He's miserable for taking pills, with his bionic nose he can smell 'em a mile off and he's having none of it!!!! We're in for a month long bout of Basset Rasslin'

 

[biscuit]

oh, poor Francis.

i think murraysmom and her pup had Lyme disease, and Terry, too.

a gardener friend up there told me it's so prevalent in the east that every gardener he knows has had it. !

as for pills, i had to give Biscuit doxycycline when he was sick, and am now having to give Lady aspirin almost every day. i've heard they have those pill shooter things, but i've never tried one and hesitate to.

however, for Biscuit, i would dissolve the pills in some yummy liquid or hide in liver. for Lady, ditto, except i'll dissolve the aspirin in, say, chicken soup (yea, i know ) or chicken and rice or something and, when all else fails, i'll resort to doggie junk food: cheap canned dog food. i've heard a lot of people have success wrapping the pills in peanut butter, but i've never tried that.

the dissolving thing is a bit problematic --- be sure to put the liquid or food in a separate bowl and watch them!! if they possibly can, they won't eat up the pill stuff, so i sometimes put a little extra liquid in to get Lady to clean her bowl.

good luck. we (knock on wood) don't have lyme disease here, but we're almost no. 1 in the nation for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and are zooming to the top for ehrlichiosis. they've also discovered a new tick disease here, STARI, i think they call it? i've had that, a couple of times! :lol: fortunately, it doesn't have all the horrible side effects of lyme and the others, but it sure is awful --- the tick bite gets huge and inflamed, and you get a very annoying rash. :blink:

 

[murraysmom]

I woke up with a bullseye rash on my upper torso right before Christmas 2004- it had been a very warm fall and I wasn't careful out on the State Gamelands where I run Murray. After I tested positive, I had Murray tested, and he tested positive too. We both were on Doxycycline for 3 weeks.

Lyme is not nearly as serious a disease in dogs as in humans. It can cause problems if not treated, but nothing as serious as in humans where it can cause crippling arthritis, neurological problems and heart issues.

The scariest thing the doctor said to me was: "You're lucky you had a rash"- apparently most people never develop one. South central Pa. is one of the worst areas in the country for Lyme- I personally know 12 people who have tested positive. I don't go out on the Gamelands anymore unless I use DEET which I hate to use.

With the antibiotics, Francis should be OK- it's good that you had him tested!

Best wishes!

 

[Twinkie's Mum]

How 'bout trying "pill pockets?" They are a soft treat that you put a pill inside and then squeeze the end shut. That might work. I think some pills should not be dissolved before given because they are formulated to release over time, not all at once. If the vet says its ok, through, I'd try dissolving. Good luck, Frannie!

Janet 'n Twinkie :wub:

 

[Barbara Winters]

If you have the capsules you could try taking them apart and putting the powder in something deeelicious! Sorry to hear about the lyme disease. Did he get tested because it's something your vet does routinely or was he symptomatic? Roady was on Doxycycline once for symptoms of Ehrlichia but negative titer and if my memory isn't playing tricks on me I believe he also was given something to prevent GI problems.

Keep us posted!

 

[faysie]

I'm not sure which topic this should go under but I wanted to post it before I forget. We've just breezed through the pill-hiding process with these wonderful things called "Pill Pockets". They have been a Godsend during Dixie's recovery from surgery last Friday. We found them at Petsmart but I'm sure they are other places as well. The come in large and small. The pills fit right inside the soft moldable pocket.

This dog has no idea she's had the first pill and she has finished an entire prescription of large antibiotic capsules. Unfortunatley, we went through the bag rather quickly because Belvedere had to have one too ...empty of course. But it was only fair. Apparently they are a super-yummy treat

No more hide and seek ...trying to wrap the pill in a slice of cheese that keeps breaking. This has been a great discovery.

(I don't seem to be able to post the link successfully but they are called "Pill Pockets")

 

[Beverly Anne]

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll go check out the Pill Pockets tomorrow.
We only discovered the Lyme disease as part of a pre-sedation work up for AcePromazine!! Go figure...
I got hell from the vet because His Majesty is getting too fat and then she sort of eyed me up and down a little, too. :blink:

 

[Beverly Anne]

I tried the pill pockets and they worked great! I hope "you know who" doesn't catch on before the month is out!!!!

 

[copsmom]

Good luck and hope Franny is all better soon.

 

[Marcia]

Cream cheese works great for us, if your dog is OK with dairy........good luck

 

[Rubydoo]

Ruby has never had lyme disease but it was once thought that I did! Doxycycline is a very good med for this. The loose stools might be from the doxy.

I just throw pills down Ruby's throat but you can always smush some cheese around it.

Hope everyone feels better soon!

 

[Terry]

Hey, Bev, I'm glad the Pill Pockets worked. When Moe had Lyme disease he was younger and easy to give pills to. Now that he's older and has had many bouts of infection with cysts, not to mention three surgeries followed by antibiotics to prevent infection, he has had it with pills and I practically need the "jaws of life" to pry his mouth open. <_< What I did was wrap the pill in thinly sliced ham. Eventually he caught on to that - a leisurely chew allowed him time to discover the pill and spit it out onto the floor. :huh: Then I bought rare roast beef - a great forbidden-because-it's-too-expensive-treat, wrapped the pill up in a thin slice and I tossed it to him. He quickly caught it and swallowed it without chewing... it works every time. I only hope that he doesn't need medicine too often now that his cysts are mostly gone... with the price of roast beef so high, I don't even buy it for my family!!!!

 

[Stephn]

Hi
I just finished 5 weeks of doxycycline with my basset Brandy for lyme disease. She didn't have any trouble with the antibiotic upseting her stomach. I put the pills in pieces of hotdogs. I'd give a few without the pill in them to throw her off. It worked. We go back in 6 months for a retest.
stephanie