Pet owners can now have their dogs tested for three tick-borne diseases while at

[Franky]

I am a big pet lover and thought this was good news for dog lovers.

WESTBROOK, Maine, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Dog owners can now leave the veterinary clinic knowing whether or not their dogs are suffering from three different tick-borne diseases. The canine SNAP(R) 4Dx(R) in-clinic blood test developed by IDEXX Laboratories screens dogs for exposure to Lyme disease and two other emerging tick-borne diseases, canine ehrlichiosis and canine anaplasmosis, while simultaneously testing for heartworm. After receiving USDA approval in 2006, the test is readily available to veterinary clinics throughout the country.

Lyme disease causes similar symptoms in both dogs and humans, including fatigue, fever, muscle or joint pain, and enlarged lymph nodes. The disease is often referred to as "the great imitator" by doctors and veterinarians because its symptoms mimic many other diseases. This range of symptoms can also make Lyme disease difficult to diagnose from clinical signs alone, with some dogs displaying no visible symptoms for months. As with Lyme disease, canine anaplasmosis and canine ehrlichiosis are often mistaken for other conditions and cannot be accurately diagnosed without a trip to the veterinarian.