No, not me. This time it’s my actual dog (www.Facebook.com/DharmaTheWonderDog) and she has been really, really sick. A couple of weeks ago, Dharma woke up somewhat lethargic, and for the first time ever, she was not anxious to jump out of bed and start her day romping through the woods. While I am no veterinarian, I did a quick assessment and decided that she might have contracted a cold, which dogs can catch just like us. I babied her for two days and she snapped out of it with renewed vigor, so I chalked it up to a little bug, which had by all appearances left the building.

Basically unconcerned, I shrugged the episode off, and life returned to normal. Along with the rest of the staff at the newspaper, I began to gear up for The River Reporter’s Readers Choice Awards party (www.riverreporter.com/trr-best-2016), scheduled for  Thursday evening at Zac’s Wilderness Lounge at Catskill Mountain Resort (www.catskillmountainsresort.com).

For 20 years, fans of The River Reporter have been given the opportunity to fill out a ballot and cast their votes for whom, what and where they consider the BEST (the title of our annual publication) in the Upper Delaware River region. With a record number of responses this year, publisher Laurie Stuart decided to throw a party and awards ceremony honoring the winners. The resort staff is (IMHO) amazing, so I was excited about the event, which was to include a bit of networking, great finger foods and an opportunity for business owners to lift a glass with the TRR staff and toast each other on a job well done.

Since Dharma had suffered a setback that morning, it also gave me an opportunity to scan the room for the Best Veterinary Services award-winner Dr. Joseph D’Abbraccio. I didn’t see him, but immediately sent a text with my concerns that Dharma might have sprained a leg during her morning romp and asked for advice.

D’Abbraccio and his staff are nothing short of amazing and his office immediately responded. Informing me that Dr. Joe (www.catskillvetservices.com) was on the road (yes, he does house calls!) and was concerned that she might have contracted Lyme disease based on her symptoms, we scheduled an appointment for the next morning. I began an Internet search in between snapping pics at the party and schmoozing with our guests. “Lyme disease?” I asked TRR graphics guru Amanda Reed. “Is that even possible?”

“Yep,” Reed responded “And it can be serious,” she warned as she cradled Dharma and several others weighed in with their own canine/Lyme experiences.

“Caused by a spiral-shaped microscopic organism, the bacterium lives in the gut of the Eastern black-legged tick (aka deer tick), which feeds on a dog, person or other mammal,” I read online, (www.pethealthnetwork.com) as the panic began to mount. “Dogs are significantly more likely to be exposed than are people and the more time a dog spends outside (uh oh) in areas where ticks are prevalent, the greater the risk.” Reviewing the symptoms, which include painful joints, reluctance to move, fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes, I ticked each one off the list and high-tailed it to the vet. The positive test results were in, and with diagnosis complete, D’Abbraccio immediately put Dharma on antibiotics coupled with an anti-inflammatory, while assuring me that she would make a complete recovery, although “it could easily be a few weeks.”

While Dr. Joe’s thorough consultation was soothing, I was a wreck. She is far from out of the woods, but thankfully on the road to wellness. My advice? Check for ticks regularly and have your pet tested for Lyme in yearly check-ups, with one eye out for symptoms, which can be misread as something less concerning. If Dharma’s experience can help one animal from experiencing Lyme disease, we would be thrilled. Thanks, Dr. Joe—you are the BEST!