Louise the Lone Star tick here! Welcome to my Tick Talk where we discuss all things, Ticks! Ticks are out above 4 degrees, this year has been very warm across Canada. So, in some cases ticks haven’t even hibernated this year they have just continued to grow, reproduce and find hosts to latch on to. There are even some areas of Canada that have welcomed a new tick species the Asian Tick, so protection for your pet is key. Let’s talk about why we need to protect our pets from these little creatures. Ticks not only carry Lyme disease they carry multiple diseases that can affect your pet and potentially you! Some other disease ticks carry include anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, tularemia and rocky mountain spotted fever. Protecting your pet means also protecting you so that the ticks aren’t coming into your house and your space. Ticks sit on the edge of grass blades with their legs sticking out waiting for a host, once they feel your pet they grab on and climb around until they find some skin they can bite and latch on. They then begin to feed and their saliva which carries the disease goes into your pet’s bloodstream. From there the infection/disease travels around their body and they get systemically infected. The best way to stop it is to give a monthly dose of dewormer so that once the tick starts to feed on your pet’s blood it gets the drug, and that drug kills them before any disease gets put into your pet’s system. The diseases ticks carry can be very serious and cause a lot of health issues, and some are even fatal.
Ticks don’t just live in the mountains anymore, because we have encroached on wildlife habitat ticks are now all-over urban areas in numbers that are higher than in rural areas. So that means even just being in your yard in town is a big risk to get ticks! Lone Star ticks like me originate in the south USA like Texas, but because I can latch on to animals we travel up on migratory birds and drop where every we feel like taking a vacation. So, I could be on a bird and just drop into your back yard whenever I want! That was a lot of information from a little tick like me. If you find yourself asking a lot more questions call your veterinarian and find out all you need to know to protect your pets! Louise the Lone Star tick out until next time, have a great summer season!
Comments