Lyme disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is a tick-borne bacterial infection in dogs causing joint pain, fever, and in severe cases kidney damage requiring prompt diagnosis and antibiotic treatment.
Dogs with clinical Lyme disease experience significant joint pain causing reluctance to move, lameness, and reduced quality of life. Lyme nephritis represents a severe welfare emergency with rapidly progressive kidney failure, requiring intensive supportive care and carrying high mortality. The chronic intermittent lameness of Lyme disease is painful and disabling when active. Effective prevention through vaccination and year-round tick control is highly welfare-positive and should be standard practice in endemic areas. Early antibiotic treatment generally resolves clinical signs effectively.