Lyme vaccine

[LisaK]

I live in the north east, in a lake community, wooded area and have removed a total of 10 ticks from 3 dogs in the last 3 weeks. The dogs have Frontline on them, but I'm getting worried about Lyme disease. My vet wanted to vaccinate my one dog about 4 - 5 years ago, but I had read so many horror stories that I declined. Now I understand there is a newer recombinant vaccine that has virtually NO side effects and is totally safe....according to one vet I spoke to. I feel my dogs should get the vaccination (blood test first), yet I still read terrible things where people say their dog died from the vaccine, or they know of a dog who died and to NEVER give that vaccination to ANY dog.

I had a dog from '89 to 2000 who never had the Lyme vaccination and only had two ticks on her in her whole life. In the past 5 years, I would find an occasional tick on one of my dogs, but with a mild winter last year, followed by a wet spring........well, there are LOTS of ticks now.

Do you vaccinate your dogs for Lyme? Has anyone used the newer vaccine and had a problem?

Thanks for your help.

[Traci]

This question is best addressed to your vet, since he can give you better statistics on prevalence, frequency, geographical distribution, etc. Lyme disease is in fact a concern, and you shouldn't let fear-mongers persuade you from protecting your dogs. Talk to your vet in further detail in order to make an informed decision about your dog's specific needs.