Lyme disease

Our dog Farley, spends his winters in the Bahamas on our Lagoon 380 S2.

We’ve entered the part of the year where we need prepare for the season. This includes provisioning for Farley. In Going Sailing With Your Dog? I gave a high level list of what to bring on a cruising boat.

Today I’ll focus on his medical kit.

Farley with Cone 2009-07-18 — The soft cone stops Farley from fussing with an injury on his front leg.

Before entering the Bahamas, Farley needs to get a health certificate. This has to be done right before we cross, so I don’t leave anything critical until then. Sometime during the summer, I have a discussion with Farley’s vet about what he needs for the upcoming season. If your dog required any medication, it’s best to order early. Sometime the vet won’t carry a six month supply.

For Farley we bring

Doxycycline – for lyme’s disease. This horrible disease can be cured, but only if you have the right medication.
Advantix – some years are worse than others in the Bahamas for ticks.
Heartworm pills
The cone of shame, both a soft one, as shown in the photo and a hard plastic one. They can be stored flat underneath a bunk.
Ear cleaning fluid. Farley tends to get ear infractions when he swims in salt water. The fluid seems to held reduce this.
Antibiotic ear drops – for a serious infection
Antibiotic eye drops – for a serious infection
Muzzle – in case of severer injury, it might avoid a dog bite.
Shampoo – think lots of sand! I put this under medical and not grooming as I believe it keeps Farley from having skin issues.

There are items from our medical kit that we could use for Farley. This includes large bandages, scissors, gloves, and antibiotic cream. I never give Farley medication from our kit unless a vet tells me it’s okay.

Before I leave for the season, I talk to my vet and make sure I can contact them while I’m away. There are vets in the Bahamas, and my experience there has been very good, but when sailing away from civilization, sometimes the only way to get a consult is through email

Please remember, this is what I bring based on what Farley needs. It’s best to consult your vet to get the right things for your dog.

If you have other items you bring, please let me know.

What dog doesn’t love to run off leash in a yard or in a field? My wheaten terrier certainly does and that ups the risk of him getting a tick on him.

Farley has already had ehrlichiosis, and it was not fun. He had it when he was a year old. After being bitten by a brown tick in the Bahamas, he got very lethargic. His joints hurt – we could tell because he yelped when we touched him. The pain seemed to move from on joint to another. He had a fever of 104. Lucky for us, there is a vet in George Town, Bahamas who diagnosed Farley and treated him. Now, I’m a little sensitive about ticks.

Farley in on Advantix and he has a Lyme’s disease vaccination. I’m not saying this is right for your dog, it’s just what I do. I wash him in Avon Skin So Soft body wash. This seems to reduce the number of ticks that land on him. I met a woman in a park who told me about it and, and I thought, what the hey, it couldn’t hurt to try it – and he smells sooooo nice.

Do you have any good tips for preventing ticks?