Nobody likes finding ticks on their horses, but if you live in the Northeast part of the country, ticks carry with them an added risk: Lyme disease. If you’ve ever had to treat your horse for Lyme disease you know how difficult it can be. Is your horse at risk for Lyme disease and if so, what can you do to prevent it? We’ve got the answers for you.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that is carried most commonly by deer ticks. When a deer tick bites a horse, it can transmit the bacteria to the horse, infecting the horse with Lyme disease. There is debate about how long a deer tick must be attached to a horse to infect him; it’s generally accepted that the tick must be attached for at least 24 hours.

Lyme disease manifests in the horse as stiffness, overall body ache and sensitivity, weight loss, shifting hind end lameness, fever, and overall poor body condition. Lyme disease is diagnosed through bloodwork to measure the level of antibodies in a horse’s system, but diagnosis is complicated; any horse that has ever had Lyme disease will test positive for Lyme antibodies, making new infections sometimes difficult to pinpoint.

Treatment

Lyme disease is typically treated with a 30-day course of oral doxycycline. Tetracycline is also sometimes used to treat Lyme disease. Depending on how long the horse has been infected, longer treatment regimens may be required.

Risk Factors

Your geographic location will play into whether your horse is at risk of contracting Lyme disease. Speak with your veterinarian about the Lyme disease rates in your area.

If you live in an area with high rates of Lyme disease, you’ll want to take steps to lessen your horse’s exposure to ticks. Keep pastures mowed and remove or burn piles of brush and old trees, since these are habitats for ticks. When riding on trails, keep to the trails and do not ride your horse off into tall grass.

Check your horse daily and after every ride for ticks. Be sure to check his lower legs, beneath his tail, in his ears, and under his chin. You can also use a pyretherin-based fly spray or apply a tick repellent directly to your horse.

If you find a tick on your horse, use tweezers to remove it by pulling at the head, not squeezing the body, which can increase the chance that the tick will push bacteria into your horse. If the tick has bitten your horse for longer than 24 hours, you may want to watch him for symptoms of Lyme disease.

If you’re in an area where Lyme disease is common, staying alert for ticks can be your best chance to help your horse avoid it.

Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick

Original Source: Lyme Disease: Is Your Horse at Risk?