Ticked off
By Christie Keith
March 1, 2007
There’s something new in the fight against canine Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. It’s a simple, in-house test your vet can run to check your dog for Lyme, heartworm, ehrlichiosis canis, and anaplasmosis (formerly known as ehrlichiosis equi).
The new test, known as the SNAP 4Dx, tests for the presence of an antibody caused only by the actual Lyme bacteria, and not by vaccination. Older tests for Lyme were frequently unreliable, particularly in vaccinated dogs.
If you get a positive on the C6 SNAP test, a follow-up test should be done, called the Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test. This will establish the baseline values you’ll want to see affected by treatment, making it a useful tool for therapy and not just diagnosis. These tests are only available to your veterinarian through IDEXX Laboratories.
More info:
Innovative USDA-Approved Canine Testing Device
Canine Tick Diseases (has a great page on testing for tick diseases here)
Canine Lyme Disease: Prevention, Diagnosis, Vaccination, and Treatment Issues
Tick-L (an incredible and supportive email list about canine tick diseases)
