Lymes disease – AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE WEST

Lymes disease

During a conversation with public lands consultant and freelance writer Andy Rieber, who suffers from Lyme disease, a disease spread to humans by ticks, I asked her, a true cowgirl at heart, if cattle an Lyme disease can occur. “That’s something I don’t know. I know deer are a reservoir for this, as are our mice, squirrels, birds and all kinds of rodents. I know horses and dogs can get Lyme disease, so I wouldn’t be surprised if cows got it too.”

I called Dr. Bill Barton, the former chief veterinarian for the state of Idaho: “Can a cow get lime disease?” It appears that cattle can be affected, as blood tests have shown antibodies to the infectious organism. So if they have antibodies against it, that means they were infected and developed an immune response. What we don’t know at this time and there is more research on Lyme disease in livestock, but in humans there is a set pattern of symptoms. There is no set pattern of symptoms in cattle and the symptoms can look like many other diseases that can affect cattle. You may get a fever, stiffness, weight loss, or swollen joints, but yes, this is possible in horses too.