Dog Guidance Blog

My groomer has been working overtime this month. Unfortunately, it’s not just haircuts and nail trims he’s been in demand for.

Lately he’s been pulling ticks off dogs and cats like never before. Every year I hear him say, “The ticks are getting worse!” This year is certainly proving to be no exception.

I just hate ticks. They give me the creeps. Like little vampires, ticks live by feeding off human and animal blood, all the while spreading dangerous diseases.

They harbor specialized bacteria that they pass with their mouth parts to their victims during a bite. Ticks have big appetites, too.

A female tick can consume enough blood to swell to 1,000 times her original weight; so obscenely large that she falls off her victim and can no longer crawl. Even more insidiously, a tick can live without feeding for a year or more and still remain ready to latch on and take a fresh blood meal when an unsuspecting victim comes along.

There are many species of ticks and they can be found most places in the United States. Unfortunately for us they are particularly concentrated along the east coast.

If you have a dog or a cat, you need to protect it from disease-carrying ticks and their nasty bites. Here are some of the more common diseases that ticks can spread.

— Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is caused by a bacteria called Rickettsia rickettsii. Both dogs and humans are susceptible.

Symptoms of infection include fever, depression, rash, anorexia, painful joints, and sometimes death.

— Ehrlichia is a family of specialized bacteria that attack white blood cells and cause immune suppression. Symptoms of infection include fever, enlarged lymph nodes, depression, weight loss and anorexia.

Not all exposed animals will become sick but many will. Both humans and their pets are susceptible.

— Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Both people and dogs (rarely cats) are susceptible to infection. Symptoms of infection include fever, anorexia, painful joints, and swollen lymph nodes.

— A danger to cats only, Cytauxzoonosis is a tiny protozoan (a microscopic single-celled organism) spread by the bite of a tick. This is a particularly deadly disease in which there is no readily effective treatment. Many cats infected by Cytauxzoonosis will sadly die.

— Babesia is a family of protozoans that live inside its victim’s red blood cells. Both humans and pets are susceptible to infection.

Babesia infections can cause anemia, anorexia, and a high fever. Some animals may remain asymptomatic but others can become sick enough to die.

Protect your dogs and cats

To keep your dog and cat protected from disease-carrying ticks, use a veterinary-approved topical flea and tick product such as Frontline Plus (dogs and cats) or K-9 Advantix (dogs only) every 30 days. 

Avoid over-the-counter products that are far less effective and can sometimes even be dangerous. No product is 100-percent effective, so you should still check your pets for ticks daily.

Remove any ticks you find using a pair of clean tweezers. Wash the bite area with warm soap and water and wash your hands after handling a tick.

If the tick is attached tightly to your pet, increasing the risk of disease transmission, call your vet’s office for advice about what to do next. Your veterinarian may ask to see the tick for identification purposes as different species of ticks carry different diseases.
If she does, drop it into a jar of rubbing alcohol for sanitary transport.

Dr. Melissa Wheeler DVM owns Central Carolina Veterinary Hospital and 24 Hour Animal Emergency in Burlington. For more information call 229-0060.

Source Burlington Times