A few years ago, my dog Burly had some routine blood work done. During that time, the vet told us that at some point, he had been bitten by a tick that was carrying Lyme disease — but that for some reason, our dog failed to get it. In a way, I thought that was somewhat amazing. While I knew I'd never understand the science behind it, my brain came to the conclusion that Burly had somehow outsmarted a tick.
While I knew my dog wasn't immune to ticks and bites, it may have given me a small, false sense of security on the topic. Yes, we still gave him his flea and tick medication, but catching the disease seemed like something that likely wouldn't happen. He'd already beat the odds once.
In general, ticks didn't seem to be too much of a concern where we live. Everything I knew about them spawned from an unfortunate class field trip back in New Jersey when I was in third grade. During that trip, I learned that tall grass was often responsible for ticks latching onto people (or dogs) and that they prefer warm spaces. We all had to check ourselves for ticks the second we got home.
In general — and, perhaps, largely due to this incident — I wasn't enough of an outdoors person to ever have to do a check like this again. I can handle bugs, but not bugs that violate my privacy and often go undetected.
We threw caution to the wind on Thanksgiving.
These past few years, all of us have been extremely cautious of everything. Gatherings were limited or canceled due to health concerns, and situations changed entirely. But this year, we felt ready and prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving at my in-laws. I knew everyone attending and knew they were vaccinated. It was finally a get-together that I wasn't panicked about.
But with that newfound carefree attitude, I also forgot that tick season wasn't over just yet — and that was especially important knowledge, because my in-laws have a wooded backyard. Typically, ticks are most active from March to May, and then again from mid-August to November. We weren't out of the woods just yet.
A few days later, my dog became lethargic.
All dog parents know the feeling when something just isn't right. While kids are pretty good at telling you how they feel when they get sick, it's more guesswork when it comes to pets.
A few days after Thanksgiving, my husband and I realized that my dog just couldn't move. It could have been anything, from a pulled muscle to a spinal problem. We just had that feeling that this wasn't something we could wait out. My husband took him to the emergency vet that same morning, at the advice of our standard veterinarian.
It forced us to realize that our dog was getting old.
The worst part of getting a dog is knowing that it's fairly common to outlive them. On average, dogs can live up to about 13 years, but that varies by the breed and their general health.
We met our dog at a shelter in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Right after my husband and I got married, we realized that a dog would be a great addition to our household and immediately fell in love the second we locked eyes with a pup named Zoltan. Zoltan, now known best as Burly, took an immediate liking to my husband. He became his shadow, and they're rarely apart.
At the time of the adoption, Burly was approximately a year and a half. Now he's nearing 11.
This decline hit us hard.
I think both of us assumed that Burly's issue was far more severe. At the vet, they first assumed it was a spinal issue that would require a lot of rest. As any dog owner can tell you, it can be difficult to get your pet to avoid jumping or using stairs — in fact, keeping them in line is a full-time job in itself.
While he was admitted, I started to think about what it could be. In my head, I just didn't want to accept that he was permanently losing mobility. Then I remembered the amount of time he'd been outside during our Thanksgiving celebration. I started Googling "what are the symptoms of Lyme disease" and — sure enough — everything he was experiencing fit the bill.
So, what are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
Lameness, fatigue, and loss of appetite were up there. I remembered the day before, he didn't touch his dinner. But I didn't think twice about it. It was possible he had too many treats that day, or was feeling temporarily off. But now, it made sense — especially since typically Burly is quite food-motivated.
Swollen lymph nodes and joint swelling are also signs to look out for. Swollen joints could very easily explain why he refused to leave the foot of our bed that morning.
Lo and behold, it showed up on his blood test.
I have never been more relieved that Lyme disease was the culprit, especially since we caught it in time. Timing is everything with a disease like Lyme — if it got severe, it could have damaged his kidneys.
But since we could easily trace back when Burly likely caught it and we acted immediately, all he'd need was a couple of antibiotics to recover. And by "a couple of," I truly mean "an alarming amount of." His treatment was scheduled to take about four weeks.
We got a little worried before the medication started working.
My husband did an incredible job of carrying our dog up and down the stairs, but by day two, we both started wondering if the medication was working — or if this would be our new normal. Upon seeing the sad look in Burly's eyes, my mind started playing a montage of his best mobile moments, from getting the zoomies and running around the balcony to doing tricks. Now he seemed like a shell of the dog he used to be.
But the third day brought us an incredible amount of relief.
Suddenly, our courageous pup was starting to move more on his own. He was now capable of drinking out of our pet fountain and not a strategically angled Tupperware container next to his bed. He also perked up and started barking again, which sounded almost strange after not hearing his voice for days. As each day passed, he got stronger — and in a way, so did my husband and I.
It made us realize that we can handle these big, heavy moments.
It reminded us that flea and tick medications don't necessarily mean that you shouldn't check your dog for ticks. It also proved that when it came to the health of our best boy, it's safe to trust our judgment. Not only was it hard to watch our dog unable to stand, but just looking at Burly we could tell this was a larger issue than anything we'd faced before.
It also reminded us to keep saving toward big vet visits.
We don't have pet insurance, but we do have a savings account for big pet expenses. Having two senior pets in the house means that incidents like this will happen, and it's best to be prepared. Senior pets may come with more health issues, but when they're members of your family, it's important to make sure you're as prepared as possible. It's a part of pet care that a lot of people might not think about when they pick up a puppy — pet expenses are something that will be part of your life for many years to come.
Pet health care can be expensive, but luckily, more and more employers are starting to include pet care in their benefits packages. It's definitely a perk to know you have financial help when the big issues start popping up.
If you suspect your dog has Lyme disease, it's important to see someone as quickly as you can.
While Burly has seemingly made a full recovery after a month of medication, I know we got lucky. If we waited for a bit, it could have led to death. And it would have been heartbreaking to lose our boy from something that could have been prevented.
Dogs should always be checked for ticks after being in wooded or grassy areas. A small check can save a lot of hardship. It's also important to familiarize yourself with how to get rid of a tick when you spot one, because you'll want to make sure it's safely (and fully) removed.
