How Much Does Lyme Disease Testing and Treatment Cost for a Dog? The $32 Lab Screen vs. the Full Clinic Bill

A positive screen means exposure, not infection

VCA Animal Hospitals says the in-clinic screens, SNAP 4Dx Plus and Accuplex 4, can detect Borrelia antibodies three to five weeks after a tick bite. A positive result "only means that a dog has been exposed to Lyme disease, not that they are infected," so more testing often follows.

What the screen costs at the lab level

The Iowa State University diagnostic laboratory fee schedule, effective July 1, 2024, lists the Canine Snap 4DX at $32.00. That is a lab fee, not a clinic price. Your clinic adds the exam, the draw and its markup, so the invoice will be higher. That test also covers heartworm; see heartworm test costs.

The follow-up tests that add up

VCA says vets typically order blood and urine tests to assess kidney function and look for protein in the urine, and may add a C6 antibody test. On the same Iowa State schedule, a urinalysis is $16.00, a urine protein/creatinine ratio is $15.50 and a routine chemistry panel is $19.00. That is $50.50 before any clinic markup, so treat it as a floor.

The antibiotic is the smaller line item

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) Lyme guideline lists doxycycline at 10 mg/kg by mouth every 24 hours for 30 days. Generic doxycycline is inexpensive, so the pharmacy line is usually small beside the exam and tests. Your veterinarian sets dose and duration.

When kidney involvement changes the bill

CAPC says most infected dogs have normal chemistry panels, but protein-losing nephropathy can appear as azotemia, low albumin and urine protein, and longer courses may be needed. Repeat labs are where a routine case turns expensive. We found no reliable public price for that care, so ask for written estimates.

The Lyme vaccine has a small dose cost and a limit

Nobivac Lyme needs two doses 2 to 4 weeks apart, then one annual dose. An online veterinary supplier lists a 25-dose vial at $389.99, or $15.60 a dose, which is a clinic's wholesale cost. CAPC says vaccination "does not replace the need for stringent tick-control programs." Routine shots are priced separately in the core and non-core vaccine schedule.

Prevention is the comparison that matters

CAPC calls year-round tick control a foundation of parasite control,. Its 2026 forecast shows Lyme risk expanding across Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. There, hold the yearly cost of flea, tick and heartworm prevention against a possible workup.

How to keep the estimate honest

• Ask whether the quote covers the screen alone or the exam and urine tests too.
• Ask what each recheck costs. If insured, read how pre-existing conditions are treated.

This article covers costs only and is not veterinary advice. Diagnosis and treatment decisions belong to your veterinarian. Fees vary by clinic and region.