Can a dog with Lyme disease safely breed and have healthy puppies?

The virus can be transferred passively from mother to pups, but in a report of one such litter in a dog that was positive, but was asymptomatic and treated with amoxicillin during her pregnancy, the pups eventually tested negative. One pup in the litter died but was anatomically normal and was not tested for Lyme's. There is very little information, so all I can tell you is to keep an eye out for the kinds of symptoms you would see in an active case of Lyme disease, swelling of the lymph nodes, swollen joints, fever and stiffness.

Although it's not common, lyme disease can progress to severe kidney disease, which can be difficult to treat and may lead to the death of the dog. Other symptoms of lyme disease include fever, lameness, swollen joints, swollen lymph nodes, lethargy, and anorexia. It can be successfully treated with doxycycline.

Depending on whether or not it appears to be an active infection it may be worth proceeding with treatment using doxycycline. There is a possibility of side effects in the puppies but the mother’s health may be more important. I’d recommend discussing with your vet.

Doxycycline is not a drug of choice used during pregnancy, especially the second and third trimester with the main risks related to abnormal tooth and bone development, with permanent staining of the baby teeth, but if the health of the mother is at risk then the benefits may outweigh the risks. If she is now heavily pregnant I would continue to use as stopping now will not affect outcome, if however you think she is less than 3-4weeks pregnant and she had not been critically ill then it may be worth considering stopping treatment whilst aware that the initial disease symptoms may return or worsen if not fully cured. Blood tests to identify current infection may be helpful in deciding

What a pretty girl! No, it's not recommended to give any vaccines during pregnancy in dogs. I would wait until after she's had her puppies and is finished nursing them, then update her vaccines at that time :)

No. Lyme disease can only be transmitted via the bite of an infected tick. Be sure to perform tick checks whenever Pepper returns from outside and use a monthly tick preventive. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-check-your-pet-for-fleas-and-ticks/ https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/lyme-disease/

Hello, While we know that Lyme disease can cause kidney disease, we cannot assume that the Lyme disease is causing kidney injury in this case. Many pets will test positive for Lyme disease on a screening test if they have been exposed to the disease. However, exposure does not equate to clinical infection in every case. In order to determine if Lyme disease is causing kidney injury, we need to measure antibody levels in the blood, ultrasound kidneys, and obtain a kidney biopsy. Without this information, it will be difficult to give a prognosis. I would advise you to follow up with your veterinarian to discuss recheck kidney values, abdominal ultrasound and urinalysis.