Lyme vaccine

[Kate Rich]

i have a 4 month mini Goldendoodle who we plan to take hiking with us in nearby parks this spring and summer.  Should we get the lyme vaccine?  I’ve read both pros and cons and my vet recommended it if we are going to have him in the woods.  We live in south western Ohio.  Who here has done it or declined and why???

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I personally don't vaccinate for Lyme disease solely because I have never seen a tick on any of my dogs (or anywhere else; I wouldn;t know a tick if one fell into my lap, lol) and the risk is low in my area, particularly for those of us who don't spend time in the woods. If my vet recommended it, or if the risk was higher I would do it. 
However, I strongly urge you not to do it as part of a vaccine "cocktail", with other vaccines. I'm a strong believer in giving each vaccine separately, and never at the same time. You can minimize reactions that way and also know if any individual vaccine causes a reaction in your dog, which you can't do if you bombard them with several at once. 

[Kim P.]

I live in CT and my dog gets the Lyme vaccine. Lyme disease originated here so I wasn't taking any chances. We are outside and in the woods a lot. I have never seen a tick on her but I have some peace of mind that if one did attach and I didn't find it in time (her coat is dark) that she has both the tick preventative and the Lyme vaccine. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yeah, I think if you live in CT, you really have to  give the Lyme vaccine. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Honestly I'm not even sure the Lyme vaccine has ever been offered to us.  There are definitely ticks around here, neighbors' dogs have had them.  We'll ask about it for Riley I think because most of her (quite long) hair is black and skin is almost black, would be very hard to find a tick on her.

[Becka]

Sadie gets the Lyme vaccine because we spend summers in Minnesota and a lot of time in the woods--it was recommended by our Minnesota vet. I agree with Karen that the first time you give your pup a new vaccine, don't mix it with anything else, in case she has a reaction to it. The only reaction Sadie has had to vaccines is some muscle soreness. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

We have always vaccinated our dogs against Lyme. We spend half the year on Cape Cod, and it's always been recommended and I always give it separately from other vaccines, 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I have both my dogs vaccinated for Lyme's disease. We have ticks in our area and I am not taking any chances.

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

Belle and I live in an area of NJ surrounded by a thickly forested State Park, and I always have my dogs vaccinated for Lyme. We also go on weekly pack walks in a variety of wooded areas in NJ and PA.  While I have never found a tick on Belle, I did find several on my late Lab, Ellie.  By the way, I found the ticks not by seeing them, but by feeling them when running my hands over Ellie's skin; she loved her "massages."