Ticks on dogs and cats
Over the last few weeks, a significant number of dogs and cats were affected by tick paralysis. It’s a tick season! An increase in paralysis tick patients can occur when there are minor weather changes, such as brief periods of rain followed by higher temperatures.
What are ticks?
Ticks are one of the many parasites that can affect dogs and cats. Ticks are small, blood-sucking parasites that attach themselves to the skin of other animals. Ticks are a common problem for both dogs and cats and can cause a variety of problems for your pet if they are not removed quickly. Ticks can transmit diseases to your pet and can also cause anemia if they remove too much blood. In addition, ticks can be very uncomfortable for your pet and can cause them to scratch and bite on their skin.
Where do ticks live?
Ticks live in shady and moist areas usually around ground level. They will generally cling to tall grass and low shrubs and are ready to jump off these locations onto their next prey. Around your home, you’ll find ticks on your lawn, in your garden and around the edges of woods and forests.
Ticks and disease
Ticks can carry and transmit diseases, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis, to their hosts. In addition, ticks can cause anemia and skin irritation.
Why worry about ticks?
Ticks can transmit diseases to their host, which is why it is important to remove them as soon as possible. There are several ways to remove ticks from your pet, but the most important thing is to be vigilant and check your pet often for these pests.
Choose a tick treatment for your dog
The most important step in the fight against ticks is prevention. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to prevent ticks from attaching to your pet in the first place. Apply an effective tick-prevention product all year round. Whichever tick treatment you choose, it’s important to discuss it with your vet or visit our hospital for more information. It needs to be used all year round in your area, to keep your dog protected in the long term. We can advise what products to use, which repel ticks and kill ticks without the need for a blood meal, and help to prevent tick-borne diseases such as anaplasmosis and babesiosis.
How to find a tick
Ticks can transmit a number of diseases to both animals and humans, making them a serious health concern.
Perform a “tick check” on your dog daily, particularly following outdoor excursions. Getting rid of the little buggers before they’ve had a chance to embed eliminates the possibility of disease transmission. The ticks’ favorite places to attach are your dog’s neck, head and ears, so pay particularly close attention to these areas.
How to remove a tick
To safely remove a tick, all you really need is a pair of pointy tweezers and rubbing alcohol (If you don’t have it, soap and water works, too)
Once you have your tools, here’s what to do:
- Clean the area around the tick bite with rubbing alcohol.
- Get your tweezers right down on your skin so you can grab them as close as possible to the tick’s head.
- Pull up slowly and firmly. Don’t jerk or twist; a nice, steady pressure straight up will do.
- Clean the bite area again, and your hands, with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Fortunately, there are now many different types and brands of tick-prevention medications on the market, making tick paralysis an illness that may be avoided. They are an efficient approach to significantly lower the possibility of tick paralysis affecting dogs. To secure the safety of your pets, discuss prevention with your local veterinarians or contact us on 07 3277 6594.
