Besides Lyme, how fast do tick diseases appear & are they treatable?

A tick must be attached and actively feeding for at least 24 hours before the Lyme organism can be transmitted. If the tick was not engorged, it has not yet fed. Monitor for lameness, lethargy, painful joints, fever or loss of appetite. You can present the tick to your vet for identification if you still have it. Consider a topical preventative, collar or oral preventative to prevent fleas and ticks. Discuss options with your veterinarian.

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.

If where you live has a problem with Lyme disease, then yes there is a concern. That being said, if she is up to date on her tick treatments, then it should work to kill the tick before something like Lyme disease can be transmitted. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

It is good that you are aware that ticks can transmit diseases! RMSF as you said and Lyme disease are just two of them. Her behavior may or may not be related to the tick, but since some of these diseases can be lethal, I would recommend taking her (and the tick if you have it) to the vet. The right antibiotic can help most tick borne diseases significantly! I hope this helps!

There are several tick-borne diseases that could cause lethargy. These include lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiciosis and anaplasmosis. If your dog is lethargic, a visit to your vet is recommended. They can perform a good physical exam and may recommend bloodwork including testing for these tick-borne diseases. It is possible the lethargy could be related to the tick, but there are also many other possible causes for lethargy. An exam and bloodwork will help us narrow down the possible causes.

Ticks can transmit disease such as lyme disease. This can cause a rash or bruising, lameness and tremors, and generalized not feeling well--often non specific signs. I would take her to the vet to have a test ran for tick borne disease and have a CBC performed to make sure there is no signs of a decreased counts that can cause bruising. It could be inflammation from the collar but I would not risk that chance without testings due to the extreme side effects of tick borne disease.

You are not likely to see Lyme disease in this case. The tick must be attached to the dog for at least 48 hours to transmit Lyme. It is more likely he is just sore - maybe a muscle strain. If he doesn't seem better in another 5 days or so then you should have your vet check him out to be on the safe side.