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THE REAL HARRY LYME STORY

Being a Welsh Springer, Harry has no understanding of the phrase: “Take it easy.”

And so Brockenhurst owner Phil Nutburn was immediately worried when Harry hid away rather than tearing around his paddocks with a younger visiting dog.

A series of blood tests and X-rays at the vets uncovered swollen joints. Phil was told that, at 10 years old, it was not too surprising that Harry was suffering from arthritis.

But after three weeks on painkillers and Joint Aid, plus tablets to improve his appetite, Harry was no better. “He was suffering more of the same symptoms only worse, and in a lot of pain,” said Phil.

At that point, the Newsletter’s advice columnist Penny Gayler turned up for a routine appointment to groom Harry and was equally concerned about his condition.

Soon afterwards, she chanced upon an article in the Dog World newspaper about how Lyme Disease affects dogs. Harry’s symptoms matched those she had been reading about. She alerted Phil who insisted that the vet organise a blood test specifically for Lyme. It came back positive and at last Harry started getting the antibiotics to cure the condition.

Said Phil; “To be honest, I still cannot understand why the first round of blood tests did not include Lyme, given its prevalence in the New Forest. It would have saved Harry a lot of suffering.

“Deer come through our paddocks and so he is always picking up ticks. We treat him with Frontline but it does not stop the ticks biting.”

Harry has now made an almost complete recovery even though the Lyme Disease triggered off a bout of hepatitis that required further medication.

The symptoms to look out for if you think your dog may be infected include –

*Joint pain
*Stiffness and lameness
*Swollen glands
*Chronic fatigue

Recent research has discovered that Hampshire is a tick “hot spot”, with the highest number of human Lyme Disease cases of any county in the country.

Phil has this advice for fellow NFDOG members: “Insist your vet fixes a blood test specifically for Lyme Disease if you have the slightest suspicion your dog may be infected. It is better than risking the condition going undetected.”

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