Our clinic uses the IDEXX Snap 4DX test to screen for heartworm, Lyme, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis.
The Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends annual testing of these tick borne diseases in areas that are considered to be emerging or endemic. Butler County ranks high nationwide for ticks infested with Lyme and other tick borne diseases.
Lyme disease can be fatal, we feel strongly that you should test your dog annually. Anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis can cause other problems with your pets that can be debilitating for your dog. Heartworm can be very harmful and fatal to your dog although it is not common we are seeing a few cases every year.
Our clinic chooses to use the Snap 4DX test in order to screen for all of these diseases at once with just a little blood. The test just takes a few minutes to run and results are given to you at your same visit.
If your dog tests positive for one of these disease and as long as you are testing at least annually there is hope that we will be able to treat your dog to prevent unwanted symptoms and loss of your pet’s life. If your dog has Lyme disease or heartworm and it goes too long without catching, it could prove to be fatal.
If you would like to have your dog tested every 6 months rather than just 1 time per year, you can certainly chose to do that. If you had your annual exam within 12 months you can get your Snap 4DX test with a technician to save yourself a exam fee from a veterinarian.
Lyme disease can be challenging to pick-up on. Some dogs don’t experience outward symptoms until its too late to treat. A problem called Lyme nephropathy can set in and start to kill the kidneys of the dog. Once this problem starts, prognosis is very poor.
Some statistics 13.76% of dogs TESTED are testing positive for Lyme disease that is greater than 1 out of every 7 dogs TESTED – how about the dogs that are never tested, we will never know. 1 out of every 3 ticks are carrying Lyme disease in Butler County and that means if you have picked more than 2 ticks off of your dog, there is a high likelihood that Lyme disease could have been transferred. Good flea and tick preventative can help mitigate the transfer of the disease and the Lyme vaccine can help deter the disease from taking hold in your dog.
