It’s Time!
March signals the beginning of tick activity for the year in the Niagara region, because we start to see the weather warming. Ticks are inactive at temperatures below 4 degrees centigrade, but even a temporary thaw mid-winter could see tick activity. Let us know if you find a tick on your pet, so we can mark it in our calendars and provide advice. Some ticks are very small, and may be hard to see, especially in long hair.
Why should I be worried about Ticks?
Ticks can spread disease, the three most common in Canada being Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis. Veterinarians in Niagara Falls routinely assess for these three tick-borne diseases with a blood test offered at your dog’s annual Wellness Examination visit. This includes a test for Heartworm disease also, and we tend to call it a Heartworm test, but I want to make it clear that it is more than that. Cats can get ticks, too.
Treatments for all these diseases are available, but no treatment can guarantee 100% cure.
How can I keep ticks from making my pet sick?
Your best defense against your pet getting a tick-borne disease is by
- preventing ticks from attaching, and
- quickly killing any that attach, before they can pass on an infection.
So put in place a plan that will give you confidence of success. Use a medication that will kill ticks throughout the year. There are many excellent options for tick prevention for dogs and cats available through Chippawa Animal Hospital. We can advise you as to which is best for your particular pet and budget. During the summertime add in Flea treatments and Heartworm prevention and then you can have fun without the worry of these nasty pests endangering your “fur babies.” Give us a call to discuss this. Tick talk, it’s time!
For more information see our Pet Health Library or click on the following excellent resources
https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/files/2008/04/Ticks-Infosheet-V1.pdf
