Dear dog owner,
After a long, cold winter, we are all yearning for spring. Yet, as the
temperature begins to rise, little creatures are also awakening from their
winter sleep. Various insects, spiders, mites and ticks are becoming regular
nuisances for our house pets – and not so infrequently, they can be a nuisance
for us humans, too!
As soon as the outside temperature goes above 45 degrees F, remember that
ticks will become active and attach
themselves to our dogs as uninvited guests in order to suck their blood. Ticks
lie on bushes and high grasses just waiting for warm-blooded creatures to pass
by. A dog running through the underbrush shows up at just the right time. In a
flash, the tick grabs on to the dog’s fur and then has all the time in the
world to look around for a good spot to attach and feed. Sometimes, the tick
will make do with the dog’s owner who is trailing along behind his/her dog
and, from the tick’s point of view, is just another warm-blooded creature. It
is also possible that a tick that hasn’t fully attached itself to your dog
will wander from the dog onto you after you get home.
Your dog does not usually have a problem with the amount of blood lost from a
tick bite. But the consequences are much more serious if the tick bite
transmits diseases to your four-footed friend or to you.
In US, ticks primarily transmit the following illnesses:
To prevent transmission of disease-causing pathogens, you should immediately
remove any tick in the proper manner, preferably using special tick forceps.
In order prevent tick infestation, there are special preparations that you can
obtain from your veterinarian, which are drizzled onto the dog’s neck. Your
dog will then be protected from ticks for 3-4 weeks. A collar containing an
anti-tick medication can also be helpful.
Make sure you are completely informed about ticks and the diseases they
transmit, by clicking on the appropriate link.
We wish you and your dog a tick-free spring!
Your enpevet team