Ticks

Keep ticks off your pets

• Check your pet's skin every 24-48 hours and after being in tick infested areas. Ticks need to be attached for 48 hours to spread disease.


• Remove brush and clear dead leaves from around your house and kennel areas.


• Use tick prevention like collars, shampoos, powders. (Be sure the prevention is not worse than the disease.)

Tick Transmitted Diseases

• Lyme disease. Caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which is carried by the tiny deer tick. Symptoms usually take 2-5 months to appear after exposure and include fever, lameness and lethargy. Lyme disease responds well to antibiotics, but damage to the joints can be permanent. A vaccine is available, but does not ensure total protection.
  


• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Transmitted by the American Dog Tick. Often accompanied by neurological signs like dizziness and seizures as well as muscle and joint pain.
  


• Diseases carried by ticks include those caused by the Haemobartonella microorganism, the Babesia parasite and Ehrlichia. Symptoms of these blood borne diseases include anemia and weight loss.

TICK REMOVAL

• Use a fine tipped tweezers or tick removal tool.


• Grab the tick by the mouth or head and pull directly outward. Do this quickly so you don't crush or irritate the tick into releasing harmful bacteria into your pet's blood stream. Toss it into a jar of alcohol to kill it.


• Clean the bite wound with a pet safe disinfectant and apply a small amount of triple antibiotic.


• A small reaction like a bump may occur.


• Wash your hands thoroughly after removing a tick.

Tick Links (These links will take you away from the blog)
CVM-Oklahoma State - Tick Explanations and Pictures
AVMA - Tick and other Parasite Information
Pet Education - Tick Life Cycles, Anatomy and Disease Transmission