What are ticks?
Almost everyone who owns a dog can attest to the great war against ticks. For those of us who don’t have a clue about these pests, ticks are arthropod parasites and are skin parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts.
Ticks like motion and warm temperatures from body heat. This is why they are attracted to such hosts as our dogs and cats and even us! Ticks can transmit diseases and cause tick-borne diseases and paralysis in our pets and humans.
This makes it really important to control a tick problem.
Pets that are infested with ticks can have red inflamed skin that can also become crusty or scabby. The ticks’ attachment causes irritation. If your pet scratches at the site of attachment it can get infected and topical antibiotics and/or oral antibiotics may be necessary.
Other and more important signs to watch for include lethargy, weakness, pale gums, vomiting, loss of interest in food and depression. If your pet exhibits any of these signs, take him to a local veterinarian where your pet can be tested and treated for tick borne disease(s).
Long standing, chronic infections with tick-borne bacteria can be fatal for your pet. Testing, diagnosing and treating tick-borne infections are very important to save the life of a beloved pet.
What are the best ways to deal with these blood-sucking parasites?
There are basically two areas to concentrate on when trying to control a tick problem. The environment is first. You must treat your yard and outdoor kennel area, if any, and indoors if your pet lives inside.
Local pest control businesses carry products to treat yards for tick infestations and during prime tick months in the summer, spraying may be necessary every two weeks!
The second area to treat is your pet. Tick control on your pet is an effective means of infection prevention.
You can manually remove ticks with tweezers. You can bathe your pet with a tick/flea shampoo that has the active ingredient PYRETHRIN. You can have your pet dipped by animal care professionals with products such as PARAMITE DIP or ADAM’s © FLEA & TICK DIP.
You can use several effective tick control products available including:
Adams Flea and Tick Mist, Fogger and Shampoo, the Preventic Collar, (effective for three months), Advantix, Frontline and Revolution (all effective for one month). All of theses products either kill the tick or cause it to drop off within 48 hours.
All of these products can be found at local veterinary clinics.
Remember, treating your environment and your pet for tick control is the best way to get rid of a tick problem. Tick control is NOT a one shot deal! Your yard must be sprayed at least once a month and your pet must be treated every month for the rest of their lives with a tick preventative. Taking this two step approach will definitely help you win the war against ticks!
Wow! Factor
Wow! Some species of ticks lay 100 eggs at a time. Others lay between 3,000-6,000 eggs per batch! Imagine that many ticks biting your pet!
By Dr. Chante Wildgoose
