Overview: Welfare assessment for Borrelia burgdorferi infection in horses, an emerging welfare concern in tick-endemic areas.
Key Welfare Facts
Lyme disease in horses causes variable clinical signs including lameness, stiffness, lethargy, and uveitis.
Clinical diagnosis is challenging as seropositivity is common in tick-endemic areas while disease is much rarer.
Affected horses may show subtle behaviour changes, reluctance to work, and shifting leg lameness.
Tetracycline treatment is effective when clinical disease is confirmed and started promptly.
Tick control using acaricide products reduces exposure risk significantly in horses kept in tick-endemic habitats.
Vaccination is not currently available in the UK; US horses in endemic areas have access to OspA vaccine.
Welfare Assessment
Equine Lyme disease welfare requires careful clinical judgement to distinguish true clinical disease from seropositivity. Effective tick control remains the primary welfare intervention for horses in tick-endemic habitats.
What You Can Do
Implement effective tick control using veterinary-approved acaricide products in tick-endemic areas
Seek veterinary assessment for horses showing unexplained lameness, stiffness, or behaviour changes in endemic areas
Request Lyme serology as part of investigation when clinical signs are consistent with disease
Discuss treatment with your vet if clinical signs and positive serology support Lyme diagnosis