Ticks cause a host of illnesses, including Lyme disease, which affects dogs and people alike. A bite from an infected tick can mean tiredness, fever, joint pain, and loss of appetite. Lyme disease dog symptoms can be hard to spot. However, if you believe your dog may have contracted Lyme disease, compare your dog’s symptoms to the indicators of Lyme disease below.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs

Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs usually develop two to five months after your dog is bitten by an infected deer tick.

Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs include:

• A fever running between 103 and 105 degrees

• Lameness • Swelling in the joints, which appears suddenly

• Swollen lymph glands

• Lethargy

• Loss of appetite

The lameness associated with Lyme disease symptoms in dogs appears suddenly, and may move mysteriously from one leg to another. This is different from the lameness associated with arthritis, which comes on slowly over a long period of time, and affects the same joint or joints consistently.

Symptoms of Ticks in Dogs

Ticks often cause symptoms on the skin which cause owners to take a close look at the cause of the symptoms. Once ticks latch onto the skin, they can cause severe itchiness in addition to red and inflamed skin. Dogs which are allergic to ticks may have especially severe skin itch and inflammation symptoms. Pet owners may also notice ticks on their dog once the tick becomes bloated after feeding on the dog and large enough to see. Reactions to tick bites may also cause internal symptoms to develop. Many dogs experience mild to high fevers, loss of appetite, pain, lethargy, and depression as a reaction to tick bites. These symptoms may last as short as 24 hours or continue for days to weeks. Ticks may also transmit blood borne disease they are carrying once they have been latched and feeding onto a dog for more than 10 hours. These diseases can include tick paralysis, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and encephalitis. Tick paralysis causes instance lameness, and the dog may be unable to move and seem to be stuck in a coma or sleep. Tick diseases may also cause gastrointestinal illnesses, impair immune function, cause inflammation in the body, and lead to severe and life threatening anemia. However improper tick removal can lead to skin infections, pain, and exposure to tick diseases