Cold River Boerboels · Boerboel Health and Wellness
Tick-Borne Disease in Boerboels and Working Dogs: Lyme, Swollen Joints, Testing and Treatment
Swollen joints, shifting lameness, immune complications, and what a negative tick panel can miss.
By Cold River Boerboels · Updated November 3, 2026
When a dog you know inside and out gets up stiff, goes off its food, or suddenly has a puffy hock, pay attention. We spend a lot of time watching how our dogs move at Cold River. If a dog that moved clean yesterday is sore in two legs today, especially with a fever or a drop in energy, that dog needs a veterinary exam. In the northeastern United States, a tick-borne infection belongs on the short list of possibilities.
This guide pulls together what the veterinary research actually says about Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever in dogs. It covers how fast ticks transmit, why a tick panel can come back negative in a sick dog, how veterinarians treat these infections, and how we bring a working dog back after one. It is written for owners. It does not replace your veterinarian, and every figure and number below is tied to a published source.
When to act. Call your veterinarian the same day for new joint swelling with fever, lameness that shifts between legs, or marked lethargy. Collapse, labored breathing, pale or yellow gums, unexplained bleeding, or dark urine with weakness warrant emergency care. Stop all pulling and conditioning while your dog is being evaluated.
Tick-borne disease in dogs: quick answers
Can Lyme disease cause swollen hocks or wrists in dogs?
Yes. Lyme arthritis can cause painful, swollen joints and lameness that moves from leg to leg. The carpus (wrist) and tarsus (hock) are common places owners first see it. Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichia ewingii infection can cause joint inflammation too. [1, 2, 29]
Can a dog's tick panel be falsely negative?
Yes. A test can miss an organism it was never designed to detect, a sample drawn before the dog made antibodies, or an infection with too few organisms in the blood sample. A negative result answers one question about one organism at one moment. [1, 2, 7, 8]
How long does a tick have to be attached to give a dog Lyme disease?
Usually at least 24 hours, and most transmission happens after 36 to 48 hours of feeding. Some other agents move faster. Rocky Mountain spotted fever has been estimated at 5 to 20 hours. [13, 14]
Do most Lyme-positive dogs get sick?
No. More than 95 percent of infected dogs never show clinical signs. A positive screen in a healthy dog means exposure, and it calls for a urine protein check, not automatic panic. [1, 28]
What does the SNAP 4Dx Plus test for?
Antibodies to Lyme, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia targets, plus heartworm antigen. It does not test for Babesia or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. [7]
How long is doxycycline given for Lyme disease in dogs?
The ACVIM consensus first choice is doxycycline for about four weeks. Joint pain often improves within one to three days, and lameness that has not resolved within 72 hours should push the vet to look for another cause. [1, 28]
Can a dog get babesiosis without a tick bite?
Yes. Babesia gibsoni spreads through blood exposure from bite wounds, blood transfusion, and from dam to puppies. In the United States, bites and dam-to-puppy transmission are believed to be the most common routes for that species. [4, 25, 26]
Can a tick bite cause autoimmune disease in dogs?
Yes, in some dogs. Ehrlichia canis has high-level evidence for causing immune thrombocytopenia, and Babesia gibsoni has strong evidence for causing immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. Lyme nephritis is an immune-complex kidney disease. That is why vets screen for tick-borne infection before treating an immune disease as primary. [6, 33]
Should my dog get the Lyme vaccine?
For dogs in high-risk areas, AAHA recommends discussing vaccination alongside tick control. A meta-analysis found lower odds of Lyme-type illness in vaccinated dogs, but no randomized field trials exist. It is a risk-based decision for you and your vet. [17, 18]
Are ticks active in winter?
Yes. Ticks can be active whenever temperatures rise above about 4°C (40°F). In the Northeast, a warm January afternoon counts. That is why year-round prevention is the standard advice. [13]
Can tick-borne disease cause swollen pasterns or hocks?
Yes. Canine Lyme arthritis can cause painful, swollen joints and lameness that shifts between legs. Inflammation can increase the fluid inside a joint, called joint effusion. The carpus is the front wrist, just above the front pastern. The tarsus is the rear hock. Both are useful places for a veterinarian to examine when a dog has suspected polyarthritis, meaning inflammation in more than one joint. Anaplasmosis can also cause lameness and sometimes polyarthritis. [1, 2, 3]
In dogs, the first sign of Lyme disease is usually lameness from neutrophilic arthritis, with or without fever, and it typically shows up several weeks after infection. That delay is why owners rarely connect the limp to the tick they pulled off last month. [28]
Figure 1. Where owners usually see the swelling. A simplified Cold River location guide to the elbow, carpus, stifle and hock. Swelling around a pastern or hock may come from the joint, nearby soft tissue, or fluid in the limb.
Tick-borne arthritis or an ordinary injury?
A puffy lower leg can also come from a sprain, tendon injury, local infection or edema. Swelling around several joints, stiffness after rest, reluctance to rise and a fever make a broader workup worthwhile. A veterinarian can use the exam, imaging when indicated, and a joint-fluid sample to tell these patterns apart. A hot, painful single joint can be septic and needs prompt evaluation. If the dog can move comfortably, take a short video of it rising and walking naturally. [3]
For the normal anatomy of these areas, see our guide to Boerboel feet, pasterns and nail care. For what a sound working gait should look like, see Boerboel movement and gait. Knowing your dog's baseline is what lets you catch the change early.
How long does a tick have to be attached to infect a dog?
This is the single most useful number for owners, because it tells you why the daily tick check matters. Transmission is not instant for most of these agents. The organism has to move from the tick's gut to its salivary glands after feeding starts, and that takes time. [13, 14]
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi): at least 24 hours of attachment, with most transmission after 36 to 48 hours. Mouthparts left in the skin after removal can still transmit. Lyme is not spread through urine, saliva or bite wounds between dogs. [13]
Anaplasma phagocytophilum: estimated 24 to 48 hours. [14]
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii): estimated 5 to 20 hours. [14]
Babesia canis (a European species): estimated 48 to 72 hours. [14]
Ehrlichia: timing is not well defined, and some rickettsial agents can pass in under 24 hours. A tick that fed partly on another animal and then reattaches may transmit faster. [14, 15]
Figure 2. Published estimates of how long a tick feeds before transmission. Data from MSD Veterinary Manual and VIN. The lighter Lyme segment marks the 36-to-48-hour window when most transmission occurs.
The takeaway is simple. A tick found and removed the same evening is a very different risk from one that rode on the dog for three days. Check every day during tick season, and in the Northeast that season is most of the year.
Ticks of the northeastern United States
Knowing which tick you pulled off tells your vet which diseases to consider. Photograph it before you throw it away and write down the date. The CDC field reference has identification photos for every life stage. [9, 27]
Blacklegged tick (deer tick), Ixodes scapularis
The main carrier of Lyme disease and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the Northeast. Nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed, which is why they get missed on a dark coat. More than 95 percent of canine and human Lyme cases in the United States come from the upper Midwest and the Northeast. [9, 28]
Figure 3. Adult female blacklegged tick on a fingertip, for scale. Photo by Lauren Bishop, CDC Public Health Image Library (PHIL 31568). Public domain.
American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis
A large, common tick of grass and field edges. It is a known carrier of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the eastern United States. [5, 9]
Figure 4. Male and female American dog ticks on grass. CDC Public Health Image Library (PHIL 25763). Public domain.
Lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum
The female has a single white spot on her back. Once considered a southern tick, it has expanded its range into the northeastern United States, and researchers have described it as an emerging threat to people, domestic animals and wildlife. It is the only proven vector of Ehrlichia ewingii, a cause of fever with lameness and joint inflammation in dogs. [20, 21, 29]
Figure 5. Adult female lone star tick, showing the single white spot. Photo by Lauren Bishop, CDC Public Health Image Library (PHIL 28369). Public domain.
Brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus
This tick can survive indoors year-round, setting up long-term infestations in homes and kennels. It carries Ehrlichia canis and Babesia vogeli, and it can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A kennel infestation is a whole-facility problem, not a one-dog problem. [2, 4, 5]
Figure 6. Adult female brown dog tick on vegetation. Photo by Lauren Bishop, CDC Public Health Image Library (PHIL 28386). Public domain.
Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis
An invasive tick now established in Pennsylvania and other eastern states. North American populations are entirely female and reproduce without males, so a single tick can start a population, and these ticks can gather in large numbers on dogs and livestock. Penn State Extension notes they favor the ears, neck, brisket, armpits and groin. [22, 23]
Figure 7. Asian longhorned tick female and nymph on a human palm, for size. Photo by Lauren Bishop, CDC Public Health Image Library (PHIL 28392). Public domain.
Five tick-borne diseases dog owners should know
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi). What owners may notice: fever, reduced appetite, painful joints and shifting lameness. Kidney complications are uncommon but serious. What guides testing: exposure serology interpreted alongside the dog's signs and other causes. The vet may check urine for protein in a Lyme-positive dog. [1]
Anaplasmosis (A. phagocytophilum, A. platys). What owners may notice: fever, lethargy, stiffness or lameness. Low platelets can occur, and A. platys can cause cyclic platelet drops. What guides testing: a CBC with platelet count plus antibody testing and targeted PCR, chosen for timing and suspected species. [2]
Ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia species). What owners may notice: fever, poor appetite and lethargy. Bruising, pinpoint bleeding or nosebleeds can come with platelet problems. Chronic E. canis can affect several blood cell lines, and E. ewingii is associated with lameness and joint inflammation. What guides testing: a CBC, antibody testing and targeted PCR as appropriate. Ask which species the test covers. [2, 29]
Babesiosis (Babesia species). What owners may notice: weakness, fever, pale or yellow gums and sometimes dark urine from red blood cell destruction. Low platelets can also occur. What guides testing: a CBC, blood smear and species-aware PCR as indicated. A smear can miss low parasite counts. [4]
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii). What owners may notice: fever, lethargy, limb or facial swelling, bruising or pinpoint bleeding, and sometimes neurologic signs. Cases occur well outside the Rockies. What guides testing: clinical suspicion and paired antibody samples. The first sample may be negative early, and a vet may start treatment before confirmation. [5]
The same signs show up in different illnesses, and coinfection is possible. A dog with fever and low platelets deserves a broader look than one positive or negative box on a report. Geographic history matters too. Tell your veterinarian where the dog lives, travels, competes or was imported from. [1, 2, 4]
Tick-borne disease risk in the northeastern United States
The Northeast is the center of canine Lyme and Anaplasma exposure in this country. Across more than 144 million canine test results from 2013 to 2019, antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi were found in 12.1 percent of tests from the Northeast and antibodies to Anaplasma in 7.3 percent, the highest of any region. [31]
The trend is moving the wrong way in parts of the region. In Pennsylvania, the share of dogs testing positive for Anaplasma antibodies rose from 2.6 percent in 2010 to 4.4 percent in 2017, and a later analysis found a cluster of counties with rising Anaplasma exposure centered on Pennsylvania and extending into Maine. [30, 32]
AAHA lists Pennsylvania among the states where canine Lyme seroprevalence is at least 5 percent, and CAPC treats the Northeast as an endemic region. Our dogs live, train and compete in this environment, and so do most of our owners. [16, 17]
Most Lyme-positive dogs never get sick
More than 95 percent of dogs infected with Borrelia burgdorferi never show clinical signs. That matters, because a positive screen in a healthy dog does not mean the dog has Lyme disease. It means the dog has been exposed. [28]
The ACVIM consensus recommends that seropositive dogs be screened for urine protein, because the serious complication is in the kidneys, not the joints. Lyme nephritis is a protein-losing kidney disease seen in fewer than 1 to 2 percent of Lyme-seropositive dogs, with an average onset at 5 to 6 years of age. Labrador and Golden Retrievers are predisposed. [1, 19]
Treating every healthy positive dog with antibiotics is not automatic. Antibody levels can stay up for months after disease resolves, and subclinical reinfections can boost them. Resolution of signs, not a falling titer, is the goal of treatment. That decision belongs with your veterinarian, with the urine results in hand. [1, 28]
Can a tick bite cause autoimmune disease in dogs?
Yes, in some dogs, and the research is specific about which infections and which kinds of immune damage. Veterinary medicine usually calls these conditions immune-mediated rather than autoimmune. In both cases the dog's own immune system is destroying its own red blood cells, platelets, joint lining or kidney filters. When an infection sets that off, the ACVIM consensus panels call it associative or secondary disease. When no trigger is found, it is called non-associative, or primary. [6, 33]
The four immune-mediated diseases most tied to tick-borne infection in dogs are immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA, red blood cell destruction), immune thrombocytopenia (ITP, platelet destruction), immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA, inflamed joints) and immune-complex glomerulonephritis (kidney damage). Some tick-borne organisms look like these diseases without truly turning the immune system on the body. Others appear to trigger real self-directed immune damage in some dogs. Telling the two apart is the whole game. [6, 33]
Ehrlichia and immune thrombocytopenia
The 2024 ACVIM consensus statement on ITP found a high level of evidence that Ehrlichia canis causes immune thrombocytopenia in dogs. Antiplatelet antibodies have been measured within a week of experimental infection. Infected dogs have also shown antinuclear antibodies, a positive Coombs test, red cell autoagglutination and circulating immune complexes, all markers usually associated with autoimmune disease. [33, 36]
Ehrlichia ewingii, carried by the lone star tick, matters here because that tick keeps spreading north. In a study of 41 naturally infected dogs, 8 (19.5 percent) were diagnosed with immune-mediated disease: 6 with IMHA and 2 with ITP. Five of the 6 IMHA dogs were judged to have secondary IMHA driven by the infection. [34]
Anaplasma and platelet antibodies
Thrombocytopenia was the most common lab finding in a study of 63 dogs with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, seen in 86 percent of them. Of 36 thrombocytopenic dogs tested for platelet-bound antibodies, 44 percent were positive. The authors concluded that anaplasmosis should be considered as a cause of immune-mediated disease in endemic areas whenever tick exposure cannot be ruled out. Anaplasma has also been reported with immune-mediated polyarthritis and hemolytic anemia. [35, 44]
Babesia and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia
The strongest evidence of any tick-borne organism is for Babesia gibsoni. The ACVIM IMHA consensus rated the evidence that it causes IMHA as intermediate to high, with IMHA documented in 69 infected dogs across 9 studies. During infection, antibodies target red cell membrane sites exposed by oxidative damage, and uninfected red cells are destroyed along with infected ones. [6, 39]
There is good news inside that finding. The same consensus notes that once the infection is controlled, the drive for immune destruction stops. Anti-red-cell antibodies in recovered experimental dogs no longer attached to healthy red cells. That is why ACVIM recommends that every dog with IMHA be screened for Babesia with both serology and PCR, and retested by PCR when risk is high. [6]
Lyme disease, joints and kidneys
Lyme nephritis is the clearest immune-mediated complication of Borrelia burgdorferi in dogs. It is an immune-complex kidney disease, meaning antibody and antigen clusters lodge in the kidney filters and drive protein loss in the urine. It is uncommon but serious, which is why the ACVIM Lyme consensus recommends urine protein screening in seropositive dogs. [1, 19]
On joints, a significantly greater share of dogs with IMPA were seropositive for Borrelia burgdorferi than dogs in the general hospital population, which suggests some IMPA cases are actually Lyme disease. Rickettsia rickettsii, Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum also cause polyarthritis that can be hard to separate from IMPA. [43]
What the human Lyme research shows
The most detailed proof that a tick-borne infection can switch on true autoimmunity comes from human Lyme arthritis. About 10 percent of patients in the United States keep inflamed joints for months or years after antibiotics have cleared the bacteria. Researchers identified molecular mimicry, where a piece of the Borrelia OspA protein looks enough like a human protein that immune cells attack both. Those patients most often carry specific immune genes (HLA-DR4 types). [40, 41, 42]
Researchers have since identified self-proteins in the joint lining, including endothelial cell growth factor, annexin A2, apolipoprotein B-100 and extracellular matrix proteins, that become targets of T-cell and antibody attack in a substantial share of these patients. That mechanism has not been shown the same way in dogs. It is human evidence, and we label it that way. It does show that an infection can leave an immune problem behind after the organism is gone. [40, 41]
Alpha-gal: when the tick itself is the trigger
Alpha-gal syndrome is a tick-triggered allergy, not an infection. In people, mainly after lone star tick bites, the immune system becomes sensitized to a sugar found in red meat. Dogs make alpha-gal naturally, so the human syndrome does not translate directly. Even so, a study of healthy, naturally tick-infested dogs found detectable anti-alpha-gal IgE in 50 percent of them. What that means clinically for dogs is still unknown. [9, 45]
Why the order of testing and treatment matters
Immune-mediated disease is usually treated by suppressing the immune system. An active tick-borne infection needs the immune system working. That is the conflict, and it is why both ACVIM consensus statements tell veterinarians to look for vector-borne infection before calling IMHA or ITP primary. In dogs with high exposure risk, ACVIM recommends starting appropriate antimicrobials while test results are pending. [6, 33, 37]
A 2025 multicenter study of 222 dogs with IMHA found an associative cause in 33 percent of them, and infections accounted for 8 percent of the total. The odds of finding a trigger rose with each year of age. For IMPA, assessing response to an antibiotic trial may be warranted before immunosuppressive therapy, because vector-borne disease is hard to rule out completely. [38, 43]
What the studies prove, and what they do not
Proven with high-level evidence: Ehrlichia canis causes immune thrombocytopenia in dogs. [33]
Intermediate to high evidence: Babesia gibsoni causes immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs. [6]
Well documented: Lyme nephritis is an immune-complex kidney disease in a small share of Lyme-positive dogs. [1, 19]
Associated, cause not fully established: Anaplasma and Ehrlichia ewingii with ITP, IMHA and polyarthritis. [34, 35, 44]
Shown in people, not yet in dogs: Lyme infection leaving behind true autoimmune arthritis through molecular mimicry. [40, 41]
Not supported: the idea that every immune-mediated disease is a hidden tick infection. Most IMHA cases in the 2025 study had no trigger found. [38]
Our position is simple. If a dog from tick country is diagnosed with IMHA, ITP, IMPA or protein-losing kidney disease, ask your veterinarian whether a full vector-borne panel, including PCR, has been run. Ask before long-term immunosuppression starts, not after. [6, 33]
Can a tick panel be falsely negative?
Yes. First find out what the test was designed to detect. The IDEXX SNAP 4Dx Plus, for example, detects antibodies to Lyme, selected Anaplasma and Ehrlichia targets, plus heartworm antigen. Babesia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever require separate testing. Other panels have different menus. Ask for the exact test name and a copy of the report. [7]
Early infection can be missed
Antibody tests depend on the dog making enough detectable antibody, and that takes time. Commonly cited windows are about 2 to 3 weeks after the bite for Anaplasma, 3 to 4 weeks for Ehrlichia and 4 to 6 weeks for Lyme. In experimental Lyme exposure, Cornell's OspC marker generally rises around two to three weeks and OspF around six to eight weeks. Different assays have different windows. [8, 15]
Figure 8. Why an early tick panel can come back negative. Typical weeks from bite to detectable antibodies, based on dvm360 and Cornell. The light portion of each bar is the window when a sick dog may still test negative.
Early ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever can all be antibody-negative. A veterinarian may draw a later sample, use targeted PCR, or both. Paired serology for suspected RMSF looks for a significant rise between samples collected a few weeks apart. [1, 2, 5, 8]
Later infection can be missed for different reasons
Some antibody markers wane. Cornell's Lyme OspC marker can decline within months, while OspF can stay elevated in untreated dogs. C6 antibodies may decline after treatment. Antibodies to other organisms can persist long after exposure or treatment. The practical question is which marker the lab measured and when. There is no general rule that a long-standing tick-borne infection makes a dog stop producing detectable antibodies. [1, 2, 8]
PCR has its own blind spots
PCR looks for organism DNA in the sample. Low numbers of organisms in blood, intermittent circulation, the specimen chosen or prior antibiotics can all reduce detection. Drawing samples before treatment helps when it is safe to wait. With serious suspected disease such as RMSF, the vet may treat right away. Lyme blood PCR is a poor substitute for validated canine Lyme serology. [1, 2, 4, 5]
Figure 9. Reading a negative tick panel. Check what the test covered, then the timing and marker for antibody tests, and the sample and timing for PCR.
A positive antibody result often tells you the dog was exposed. The exam and other lab findings decide how much that result explains. Improvement after antibiotics can support the vet's assessment, but a response by itself cannot prove which organism, if any, caused the signs. [1, 2]
How veterinarians treat tick-borne diseases in dogs
At Cold River, we want to know exactly what is being treated and what improvement the vet expects to see, and when. Doxycycline comes up a lot because it covers several of these infections. The length of treatment depends on the organism, and Babesia usually needs a different medication altogether. These are common veterinary approaches for dogs with clinical disease. Your vet chooses the drug and the follow-up based on the organism, the exam and the lab results.
Lyme arthritis. Common veterinary treatment: doxycycline for about four weeks is the ACVIM consensus first choice. Amoxicillin is an alternative when doxycycline is unsuitable. What can change the plan: joint pain often improves within one to three days. Persistent or returning lameness calls for reassessment for coinfection, injury or another cause of arthritis. Evidence for routinely extending treatment beyond a month is lacking, and urine protein can change the workup. [1, 28]
Ehrlichiosis. Common veterinary treatment: doxycycline for 28 days is standard. Minocycline may be used when doxycycline is unavailable. What can change the plan: a vet may start treatment while results are pending if suspicion is high. Follow-up blood counts track platelets and anemia, and severe disease may need hospital care or a transfusion. [10]
Anaplasmosis. Common veterinary treatment: doxycycline is first-line, and a 28-day course is commonly referenced, though the best duration is uncertain. What can change the plan: species, platelet count and possible coinfection guide follow-up, especially if fever, stiffness or bleeding persists. [2, 11]
Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Common veterinary treatment: doxycycline is first-line, and CAPC lists 14 to 21 days. What can change the plan: severely ill dogs may need hospitalization and fluids, and the vet manages complications such as bleeding or neurologic signs. [5]
Babesiosis. Common veterinary treatment: for large Babesia species, imidocarb is commonly given as two injections 14 days apart. For B. gibsoni and some other small species, atovaquone plus azithromycin is commonly given for 10 days. What can change the plan: species identification matters. Severe anemia may need a transfusion, and a dog can stay infected after signs improve. Ask what follow-up testing is appropriate. [4, 6, 26]
Where carprofen, prednisone and Baytril fit
Carprofen is an NSAID a vet may consider for pain and inflammation after checking kidney function, hydration, bleeding risk and other medications. The Lyme consensus notes that vets may choose another form of pain relief if a steroid could soon be needed for suspected immune-mediated joint disease. [1, 12]
Prednisone is a corticosteroid that suppresses the immune response. A vet may use it for a specific immune-mediated complication after weighing the infection risk. CAPC advises avoiding corticosteroids in Babesia-positive dogs when possible, and B. gibsoni infections have relapsed after immunosuppressive therapy. An infected dog with a serious immune complication needs an individualized plan. [4, 5, 6, 26]
Keep carprofen and prednisone separate. Giving an NSAID and a steroid together raises the risk of stomach ulcers and bleeding. If your vet switches between them, ask when to stop the first drug and when to start the next. [12]
Baytril is enrofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone. CAPC lists it among drugs used with variable success in babesiosis. Its role is limited, and the usual Babesia treatment is chosen by species. A dog suspected of having Lyme plus ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis may need a drug that covers both. [1, 2, 4]
Bringing a working dog back after tick-borne disease
This is where we see owners get it wrong. The limp is gone on day three, the dog feels great, and it goes straight back into the harness. Feeling better is not the same as being ready to load joints that were inflamed a week ago.
No pulling until your vet clears the dog. No weight pull, no sled, no drag work and no conditioning sessions while the dog is on treatment or still being worked up.
Rebuild like you would after an injury. Walks first, then easy trotting on good footing, then light work. Add load gradually over weeks, not days.
Use a baseline video. Film your dog trotting on a straight line while it is healthy. Compare against it during recovery. Our movement and gait chapter explains what to watch.
Watch for the comeback. Lameness that returns after treatment needs a recheck for coinfection, injury or immune-mediated arthritis, not just another round of the same drug. [1, 28]
Check the harness and the pads. A dog that guarded a sore leg may have shifted its load. Recheck harness fit and look over the feet before the first real pull.
For how we structure pulling work in the first place, read our dog weight-pulling guide.
Imported dogs, South African lines and Babesia
The Boerboel comes from South Africa, and many programs import dogs or semen from there. Canine babesiosis is widespread across Africa. A 2026 review found Babesia rossi was the most commonly reported species and was detected in every African region except the north. Babesia vogeli was second. Ehrlichia canis is also present. [24]
B. rossi is not a typical United States organism, so a standard American screen may not be looking for it. If you bring a dog in from another country, ask what was tested before travel and after arrival, and tell your vet where the dog came from. That is not a judgment on any program. It is good medicine, and it is what we would do with any dog entering our yard. [4, 24]
Breeding dogs, puppies and blood exposure
Most tick-borne infections need a tick. Babesia gibsoni is the exception owners should know about. It spreads through infected blood from bite wounds, transfusions and from dam to puppies around birth. In the United States, bite wounds and dam-to-puppy transmission are believed to be its most common routes, and many infected dogs show no signs. [25, 26]
One published case report described a B. gibsoni-infected dam whose litter reached a 75 percent infection rate. Six of eight puppies were infected, and one died. [25]
For breeding programs, that makes Babesia status part of responsible planning, not an afterthought. Ask your vet whether species-specific PCR fits your situation before breeding, after any serious bite wound, and before a dog is used as a blood donor. [4, 26]
Should a Boerboel get the Lyme vaccine?
The current vaccines target outer surface protein A (OspA). Antibodies from the vaccine are taken up by the tick when it feeds and neutralize the bacteria in the tick's gut before they reach the dog. That is why the vaccine works alongside tick control, not instead of it. [28]
AAHA's canine vaccination guidelines recommend considering Lyme vaccination for dogs in areas of significant risk, together with tick control. A systematic review and meta-analysis of North American studies found that vaccinated dogs had lower odds of Lyme-associated illness, but it also noted that no randomized controlled field trials have been done and the overall quality of evidence was limited. [17, 18]
Our position is straightforward. In the northeastern United States, a working dog that trains outdoors is a reasonable candidate for the conversation. Talk it through with your vet based on where your dog lives, trains and travels.
How to advocate for your dog after a negative screen
We bring the report, the dates and a video. Then we ask what fits the whole picture. These are the questions we want answered.
What was actually on the panel, and how soon after possible exposure or the first symptoms was the sample taken?
Do the platelet count, red blood cell count, chemistry or urine results point toward a specific disease or complication?
Would paired serology, targeted PCR, a blood smear or a different specimen answer something the first test missed?
Is the swelling inside the joint? If several joints hurt, would joint-fluid analysis or culture help sort out the cause?
Given how sick the dog is, should samples be taken and treatment started today, and what changes mean we should go straight to emergency care?
Write down travel, the tick prevention product and last dose, any tick you found, symptom onset and recent medications. If signs persist or worsen, call back with those changes and ask for the next step. A targeted follow-up answers more than repeating the same screen without a plan.
Tick prevention for Boerboels in the northeastern United States
Ask your vet for year-round tick protection suited to your dog's current weight and medical history. CAPC recommends year-round prevention in Lyme-endemic areas, and ticks can be active any day the temperature climbs above about 40°F. [13, 16]
The daily tick check
After time in brush, tall grass or wooded edges, run your hands slowly against the coat. Ticks feel like small, firm bumps. Focus on the ears, under the jaw and collar, armpits and brisket, between the toes, the groin, the base of the tail and under harness straps. Asian longhorned ticks in particular favor the ears, neck, brisket, armpits and groin. [9, 23]
Figure 10. The daily tick check, where to look. A Cold River body map of the places ticks most often attach on a dog.
How to remove a tick from a dog
Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick tool. Grip the tick as close to the skin as you can.
Pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Do not twist, crush, burn or smother it.
Clean the bite area. Photograph the tick and record the date and where on the dog it was attached.
Watch the dog for fever, appetite changes and lameness over the next several weeks, and share the photo with your vet if anything changes. [9, 13]
Manage the yard and kennel
Keep grass short around runs and kennels, clear leaf litter and brush at wooded edges, and keep dog areas away from where deer and rodents travel. Brown dog ticks can survive indoors year-round in homes and kennels, so treat the kennel and housing, not just the dog. [4, 16]
For more on everyday care, see our Boerboel ownership advice, our Boerboel size, growth and health questions and our Boerboel nutrition guide.
Keep reading
For how we look at a dog's feet and movement, see Boerboel feet, pasterns and nail care and Boerboel movement and gait. For the work our dogs do, read the dog weight-pulling guide and the documented 22,039-pound world-record pull. Find new health and performance articles in the Performance Dog Journal.
Veterinary references and research
Littman MP et al. ACVIM consensus update on Lyme borreliosis in dogs and cats (2018)
Companion Animal Parasite Council. Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. guideline
Canine immune-mediated polyarthritis: a review of 84 cases in the UK between 2011 and 2021
Companion Animal Parasite Council. Rocky Mountain spotted fever guideline
Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center. Lyme disease multiplex testing for dogs
CDC. Tickborne Diseases of the United States: a reference manual for healthcare providers (2025)
Merck Veterinary Manual. Ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and related infections in animals
VIN. Understanding transmission of infection by ticks: tick attachment times by pathogen
dvm360. The tick-tock of ticks: transmission and seroconversion timing
AAHA. 2022 canine vaccination guidelines: Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)
Cohn LA. Spotlight on Ehrlichia ewingii. dvm360 (2012, sponsored by IDEXX)
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Asian longhorned tick
Penn State Extension. Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis
Kamani J et al. A narrative overview of canine babesiosis in Africa. Parasitologia (2026)
CDC Public Health Image Library. Tick photographs (PHIL 31568, 25763, 28369, 28386, 28392)
Sykes JE. Diagnosis and management of dogs with Lyme borreliosis. Clinician's Brief (2026)
Zygner W et al. Pathogenesis of anemia in canine babesiosis: a review. Pathogens (2023)
Steere AC. Lyme arthritis: a 50-year journey. J Infect Dis (2024)
dvm360. Recognizing and treating immune-mediated polyarthritis in dogs
Where's the beef? Understanding allergic responses to red meat in alpha-gal syndrome.
Published for owner education by Cold River Boerboels. Individual diagnosis and treatment require a veterinary examination. Tick photographs are public-domain images from the CDC Public Health Image Library; diagrams are original Cold River illustrations.
Know your dog's baseline, check for ticks every day, and never let a negative test end the conversation.
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