Lyme disease from tick bites can cause serious joint and kidney disease in dogs. Prevention through tick control and vaccination, and early treatment of infection, are the most important welfare interventions.
Lyme disease welfare is most significant in dogs that develop nephritis — the Lyme-triggered kidney disease that causes progressive renal failure. Affected dogs experience nausea, weight loss, oedema, and ultimately uraemia before death. Early detection through annual 4Dx screening in endemic areas identifies Borrelia antibodies before clinical disease develops. Doxycycline treatment clears active infection, but nephritis once established has a poor prognosis. Prevention through tick control is the highest-impact welfare intervention: daily tick checks, acaricide products (Bravecto, Seresto, Nexgard), and landscape modification reducing tick habitat around the home. Vaccination with Lyme disease canine vaccines provides additional protection in high-risk areas. Dogs that develop Lyme lameness without nephritis respond well to a 4-week doxycycline course with good long-term prognosis. Owner education about tick risk areas and prompt tick removal (within 48 hours) substantially reduces transmission risk.