Questions and Answers
March, 1999
Dr. Silverio,
I have a 2 year old smooth collie who was bred the first of
December for the first time. For about four or five days she wasn’t
acting herself, no appetite, then became drastically lame in the
rear end, but no temperature. My vet diagnosed lyme through a
blood test - and the fact that we do live in the country and have
had a dog affected last summer. The question, of course, is will
there be any problems with the puppies when they are born? She is
on 400 mg Amoxi, twice a day for 10 days. She has been on the
medication for two days and is responding, but not yet back to
normal. I would appreciated any comments or experiences you have
had in this area. Thanks.
Kathy In Connecticut
Studies have been done to determine the unborn puppy’s risk
in pregnant dogs with Lyme disease. Fortunately, the only
documented cases I could find of transmission from mother to
fetus occured when an exceptionally high number of Lyme bacteria
(Borrelia Burgdorferi) were intentionally inoculated into
pregnant bitches.
With natural exposure from a few ticks, the organism apparently
has a problem crossing the placenta and establishing infection in
the fetus. The reason for this is unknown, since the bacteria do
spend time in the victim’s bloodstream. Also, Lyme disease
is not known to cause abortions or whelping problems.
Another potential concern worth addressing here is the likelihood
that treating the bitch for Lyme disease may affect the health of
the puppies. Any drug that gets into the mother’s
bloodstream will reach the fetuses. Penicillin and its
derivatives (like amoxicillin and ampicillin) are considered the
safest antibiotics to use during pregnancy. Amoxicillin is
frequently effective in treating Lyme disease, but pregnancy
tends to suppress the immune response. This may prolong the time
required for treatment but, overall, I expect that your dog has a
good chance of having a healthy litter.