Does Ivermectin Treat Lyme Disease in Dogs?

Author:
Mark dos Anjos, DVM
Updated:
Jul 7, 2024 7:28 PM EDT

My dog was just diagnosed with Lyme disease. WIll ivermectin help?
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Can I Use Ivermectin to Treat My Dog's Lyme Disease?

"After speaking with you about using .08% ivermectin liquid to prevent heartworms in my dogs, I'm wondering if I can give my 33-pound doodle the same ivermectin for Lyme disease. She was diagnosed last week, and our vet put her on 150 mg of doxycycline for 30 days. Do you think ivermectin could help also? Thank you."—Julie

Ivermectin Is Not Currently Used for Lyme Disease

No studies show that ivermectin is effective against the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

Ivermectin is effective in some types of rickettsia spread by ticks (1) and may prove useful if these organisms develop resistance to antibiotics. Since it is effective in some of those diseases, it is possible that it will eventually be an alternative for the Lyme disease bacteria.

Antibiotics Are the Best Treatment for Lyme

I have not seen any articles on the use of ivermectin for Lymes disease in dogs, probably because the antibiotics currently used in dogs are so effective. The majority of dogs are cured of the disease with doxycycline, but the main concern is that it has to be given for a whole month, so some clients just forget a few days during that time. (2)

There was another research project looking into alternative antibiotics and other medications for people who do not respond to doxycycline. When researchers looked into numerous medications that were effective in killing the infection, they found that there was a newer antibiotic even more effective than doxycycline. It was only done in rats, however, and it seems like dogs respond well to what is currently used. (3) As long as you give the antibiotics for the whole month, it will most likely work.

There is still a lot we do not understand about the effectiveness of ivermectin so it is still being researched after all of these years, but since we know that doxycycline is so effective it is best to stick to that.

If your dog is being treated with doxycycline after exposure and does not yet have any of the clinical signs of chronic Lyme disease exposure, I do not see any benefits of using the ivermectin at this time. I hope it clears up after this month, but if you are still having any issues, just let us know.

Sources

Batiha GE, Beshbishy AM, Tayebwa DS, Adeyemi OS, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I. Evaluation of the inhibitory effect of ivermectin on the growth of Babesia and Theileria parasites in vitro and in vivo. Trop Med Health. 2019 Jul 11;47:42. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6625054/
Wagner B, Johnson J, Garcia-Tapia D, Honsberger N, King V, Strietzel C, Hardham JM, Heinz TJ, Marconi RT, Meeus PF. Comparison of effectiveness of cefovecin, doxycycline, and amoxicillin for the treatment of experimentally induced early Lyme borreliosis in dogs. BMC Vet Res. 2015 Jul 25;11:163. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4513938/
Yasir Alruwaili,,Mary B. Jacobs Nicole R. Hasenkampfv Amanda C. McDanielbCeline Monica E. Embers. Superior efficacy of combination antibiotic therapy versus monotherapy in a mouse model of Lyme disease. Front. Microbiol., 20 November 2023, Volume 14 – 2023. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1293300/full?utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field&journalName=Frontiers_in_Microbiology&id=1293300
Marques A. Chronic Lyme disease: a review. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2008 Jun;22(2):341-60, vii-viii. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430045/

This article is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from your veterinarian. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.