They’re lurking in your back yard right now. And they’re hungry.

Get ready. It’s time for Lyme (disease, that is). But don’t forget the safety of your canine companions when checking yourself for ticks. They’re at risk as well.

Studies conducted by the Canine Lyme Disease Awareness Initiative indicated that dogs are 50 percent more susceptible to contracting Lyme disease than humans. It is important for pet owners to note that dogs are not born with Lyme disease; they acquire it from their environment.

Since the average dog spends most of his day roaming outside, often in potential tick habitats like tall grass, he is more likely than his human family to run afoul of the corkscrew-shaped bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease.

In the Northeast, this bacterium lives in the gut of the deer tick and may be transmitted when an infected tick feeds on a dog, person or other mammal.

Unfortunately, the American Lyme Disease Foundation predicts a record year for ticks: Our weather has provided these pesky parasites an opportunity to live longer and breed more.

Much like mosquitoes, ticks tend to flourish in a damp environment. The constant winter snowfall, combined with unseasonably warm temperatures, created an insulating effect during the deer ticks’ months of hibernation. This meant more than the average number of vermin survived to proliferate in the spring.

Vaccinations crucial

The two-year life cycle of the deer tick comprises three growth stages: larva, nymph and adult. Like all species of tick, deer ticks and their relatives require a blood meal to progress to each successive stage. And they’re not picky about their hosts.

While mice and white-tail deer are the typical carriers of the tick, anyone can become one, including man’s best friend.

“Plenty of people pick up Lyme disease from sharing their bed or other communal space with a dog,” said Chris Malinowski, communications director for the Hartford-based Lyme Disease Foundation Inc. Though you cannot “catch” Lyme disease from an infected dog, “many people fail to realize that the tick doesn’t necessarily latch onto the first creature it comes in contact with,” Malinowski said.

Accordingly, ticks brought into the house by your pets may choose you or your children over a more furry meal. But what to do if keeping Fido inside all summer isn’t an option? (And let’s face it, it’s not.)

Veterinarian Dr. Steve Levy of the Durham Veterinary Hospital in Durham, N.C., is a researcher in canine Lyme disease. He has published widely on the subject and lectured around the country. Levy’s interest in canine Lyme disease began in 1986, when he was the first to note the presence of Lyme disease in the heart of one of his canine patients.

“It is essential that pet owners take their animals to the vet if they suspect infection,” Levy said. “If you find a tick on your dog, remove and keep it to assist in the diagnosis. I strongly recommend that all dogs are vaccinated against Lyme disease at the earliest possible age, around 8 to 9 weeks. The LymeVax vaccination should be administered by your veterinarian twice the first year and once a year after that.”

Levy also pointed out that unlike the human equivalent, the canine vaccination, available from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, had a success rate of almost 95 percent.

If your dog has not been vaccinated, consider the Canine SNAP 3Dx Test, from IDEXX Laboratories. The eight-minute test, administered once a year by your veterinarian, tests for the three most prevalent canine vector-borne diseases, Lyme Ab, heartworm Ag and E. Canis Ab. “The SNAP 3Dx test can also differentiate between infection and vaccination,” Levy said.

Be aware

Most veterinarians also recommended frequent at-home tick checks of your pets. As the tick must remain attached to an animal’s skin for at least one day before it can transmit the bacteria, daily checks of your pet, specifically in and around the ears, eyes, head, neck, groin and “underarm” region can be effective in preventing transmission.

Also, be aware of any changes in your animal’s eating, sleeping and behavioral habits, as well as their overall health. Lyme disease symptoms in dogs, like fever, swollen lymph nodes, lameness, loss of appetite, heart disease, inflamed joints and kidney disease, can be mistaken for signs of old age, or other illnesses. Disorders of the nervous system, while uncommon, may occur as well.

“I haven’t had a lot of people ask me to test their pets, but once I tell them a test is available, I get a lot of interest and a high compliance rate,” said Dr. Fred Metzger, of the Metzger Animal Hospital in State College, Pa. “The key thing is that lots of dogs test positive without any symptoms having presented. This is because in the subclinical stage of the disease, symptoms can be minimal, which makes it dangerous to just assume your dog does not need to be tested.”

Lyme disease was first recognized and reported around Lyme, Conn., in 1975. Since then, a few areas in the United States where this disease occurs naturally have been identified: portions of the Northeast, mostly coastal areas from northern Virginia to southern Maine; Minnesota and Wisconsin; and parts of California, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.