Barkley

Hi, my name is Barkley. I am an 8-year-old German Shepherd. I lived in Washington D.C. several years ago where I contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite. Most of my friends here don’t have to worry about Lyme disease--Currently, Charlotte NC is not having a problem. I have a chronic form of Lyme disease, just like some humans, and have flare ups of very painful arthritis.

I don’t mean to gross you out, but my Dad took some pictures of my leg last week. It was very painful.

I am currently on some new medication and doing quite well! But if you ever take a road trip up north, be sure to apply Frontline and wear a Preventic collar before you go. The Lyme vaccine has a lot of side effects, so it is better to just be sure you have good tick prevention on board. Have your parents check you twice daily for ticks as well. Dogs in our area contract other forms of tick diseases too, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever & Ehrlichiosis, so tick prevention here is also very important!