Vaccinate pets against Lyme disease: vets

Veterinarians are recommending that pets be vaccinated against the deer tick because the number of pests carrying Lyme disease is on the rise in southeastern New Brunswick.

Dr. Karine Eusanio of Moncton said her clinic has seen an increase in the number of pets coming in with ticks infected with Lyme disease.

The vaccine is recommended for any pet that spends time in a high-risk area, she said.

"Anywhere people find ticks. If you find ticks on yourselves, on your children, on your pets, definitely you're at higher risk," Eusanio said.

"If you do a lot of hiking or anything in deeply wooded areas, if you are a hunter and your dog goes with you, those would certainly be high risk exposure."

Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs are intermittent fever or lameness, she said.

But some dogs don't show any symptoms, Eusanio said, making it difficult to treat.

While people do contract Lyme disease from infected ticks, she said that it's very unlikely they would contract it from a pet ill with Lyme disease.