Lyme disease and the canine population

[Franky]

The incidence of Lyme disease is on the rise among canines and humans need to worry as well. Veterinarian Julie Snyder of the Vetcetera Pet Healthcare Center, Schuylkill Haven, finds the number of cases alarming.

"We uncover roughly one case a day in our practice. Generally, these dogs are not presenting with any obvious symptoms," Snyder said Monday.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by the deer tick, an arachnid about the size of a sesame seed that lives and breeds in the eastern and northern Midwestern United States. Ticks carry several animal and human diseases.

And while humans can't contract the disease directly from a dog, that doesn't mean people are out of the woods.
"You should see your dog as an environmental marker," Snyder said. "A lot of dogs that live in Schuylkill County are at risk. That means people are at risk if they're in the same environment."

"Once dog numbers start to go up, cases in humans are also going to start to rise," Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association said.

From: BY BEN WOLFGANG AND MIA LIGHT
TIMES SHAMROCK WRITERS