Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
Ticks are known parasites of both humans and animals. They attach to a living host for blood meals. In doing so,
they have the ability to transmit infectious agents causing various diseases that can have serious consequences for
dogs in particular.
Be sure and look for ticks during the daily grooming of your pet and pick off any you see—a trick that can be mastered with a little practice. Ticks are most apt to bed down in the neck area, between the toes, in the ears and in the folds between the legs and the body.
To remove a tick, use small tweezers to firmly grip the tick's mouth parts as close to the skin as possible and pull it straight outward. Apply an antiseptic to the bitten area. After removing, destroy the tick by immersing it in alcohol. Save the tick, marking the date it was found on the body, in the event that symptoms arise and identification of the tick becomes necessary.
If your dog has been in an area where the tick is found, or if you have found a tick on its body and it develops any of the symptoms mentioned above, make an appointment with your veterinarian for an examination, blood test and possible treatment. The blood test may have to be repeated several months later. It would be wise, whether or not you have found a tick on your dog, to have it tested in the spring and fall to assure yourself that your pet does not have Lyme disease.
It is not as easy to detect ticks on horses and cows, particularly in herds, but horse owners and farmers should be alert to any sudden onset of fever, lameness, abortions, laminitis-like signs or chronic weight loss in their animals and should consult with their veterinarian for evaluation.
If you have been in an area where the tick is found, or if you have found a tick on your body and develop any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should see your physician for evaluation and treatment.
Enlist the aid of your veterinarian in your tick eradication campaign. Dipping your pet at frequent intervals in a medicated compound is the most common method of getting rid of ticks.
Spraying the grass and bushes with a chemical solution recommended by your veterinarian is often very effective in eliminating ticks, as is a frequent cleaning of your pet's belongings and sleeping quarters. Ticks as well as fleas may infest the home and become a major nuisance.
Allowed to thrive unchecked, ticks may cause serious skin infections or paralysis. Some ticks serve as carriers of serious diseases to pets and humans.
Source: The American Veterinary Medical Association