If Lyme disease is suspected, call your doctor immediately. Early antibiotic treatment is very effective and can prevent later, more serious complications. Not all patients develop the rash, however, and many do not recall a tick bite. In animals the rash apparently does not occur. Lameness, loss of appetite, fever, and lethargy may be the first indications.
Animals usually respond to prompt antibiotic therapy.
Consult your veterinarian. Over four hundred cases of Maine-acquired Lyme disease have now been officially recognized. This tick is established in coastal areas, particularly York and Cumberland Counties, and continues to increase in numbers in mid-coast and inland areas as well, particularly along rivers. The tiny larvae active from June to September, are seldom found, and become infected when they take their first blood meal from a mouse or other small mammal. The risk of humans contracting Lyme disease is greatest from the bite of the inconspicuous nymphs which are most active in June and July.