Remember last year when I had to treat my whole herd for Lyme Disease? One of the things that clued me in to them being sick was a very weird rash that Emma developed out of the blue last March. It was a very odd rash that I could find no reason for, especially as the weather was brutally cold and dry. Not exactly typical rash weather.
Not only was the rash odd by itself, it was also odd in it's virulence and resistance to treatment. Despite all efforts it progressed to a staph infection that had to be treated with antibiotics. The way it cleared up instantly with antibiotic treatment and the way that Emma went from being grumpy and not wanting to be touched back to her cuddly self with that treatment was one of the things that made me call the vet and insist on testing for Lyme. At the time, I think the vet was doing it in large part just to appease a paranoid owner, but, sure enough, they all had Lyme Disease.
Fast forward a year....everyone is doing well, knock-on-wood. It is Spring and shedding is in full swing. Emma has lost most of her outer coat and suddenly, her fluffy, soft undercoat is revealed along with this.....
Do you see it? The perfect, dark brown circle over her flank and belly?
That is where the rash was. Because of the way it presented at the time and the way she lost the hair when it occurred, you could never see how perfectly round it was. Last year, it seemed to show up and spread in a random pattern. My jaw nearly dropped when I watched her walk by last evening at just the right time and in just the right light to see exactly what that rash really was. I have never heard of animals presenting with the classic bulls-eye rash of Lyme Disease. Now, I am wondering if it is just one more thing we humans are too egocentric to see.
If that isn't a Bulls-Eye, I don't know what is.
