The arrival of warmer weather is a welcome relief for most people, but there is a downside for pet parents: spring and summer also bring an increased risk of flea and tick-borne diseases in our dogs and cats. In certain areas of the U.S. such as the Great Lakes and Northeast, cases of Lyme disease are escalating at alarming rates in both humans and animals. Over the past 10 years a […]
Generally it’s easy for me to separate my emotions from a particular pet disease I’m studying or teaching about. For example, if your pet has a skin infection, your vet may prescribe an antibiotic which your pet must take until completion–I can go on to advise the pet owner how to draw up the medication, how much to give, how long to store the medication, and what signs to watch […]
During the height of the hot summer weather, along with increased time spent outside, there is increased risk of exposure to warm weather external parasites, including fleas and ticks. Since infestations may take weeks and months to control, it is always best to take a more preventative approach with these pets, rather than waiting for infestations to occur. Probably the most important thing an animal guardian may do is to […]
Snows have given way to daffodils, tulips, and singing birds and many of us are enjoying springtime hikes in the woods. There’s nothing my dogs enjoy more than running through wooded trails, sniffing everything in sight. Once the deep snow is gone, we have to worry a bit more about picking up bloodthirsty hitchhikers – disease-carrying ticks.
It was quite upsetting to see a tick on my dog two years ago. I sprayed Arctick for Pets on it which immobilized the tick, enabling me to remove it with tweezers. All seemed well until I remembered what diseases can be carried by ticks, so I began to look for possible symptoms to see if a visit to the vet was warranted. The harder I looked the more I […]
Removing ticks from our pets properly is very important in the prevention of many tick transmitted diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis. The most common mistake animal guardians make in removing ticks is not removing the whole tick by either attempting to twist the burrowed tick out of the skin and/or leaving in the tick head.
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