Spring is here, and with it comes an increase in pesky creatures that bring discomfort and disease to our pets. Ticks and fleas are present in our area all year, but you can expect to see an increase with the arrival of warm weather. Prevention of tick bites and flea infestation is an important part of your pet’s health care.
Ticks
Tick bites transmit many diseases to our pets including Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia. North Carolina often has one of the highest rates of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the country and diseases like Lyme Disease continue to spread into our state. These diseases cause serious illness and sometimes death in our pets, so their prevention is extremely important. The best way to prevent these diseases is with effective tick control products. There are many options that include both oral and topical treatments. Our staff will be happy to discuss with you the product that is best for your pet.
If you find a tick on your pet it should be removed with tweezers. Grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin and use slow, steady pressure to pull it out. It is best to wear protective gloves when you remove a tick because you can become infected with tick-borne diseases from blood or tick saliva.
There is a vaccine available for Lyme Diseases in dogs and our staff can discuss this vaccine with you to determine if your dog should be vaccinated. However, it is important to remember that most tick-borne diseases have no vaccine to prevent them. This means tick bite prevention is extremely important for your pet’s health.
Fleas
Fleas are the other common parasite we see an increase with warm weather. It is important to remember that most of the flea’s life cycle is not on your pet, but rather in the environment. This means that by the time you see one adult flea, there is usually a big flea problem in your pet’s environment. It can take months to get a flea infestation under control. Preventing the problem in the first place can save both you and your pet a great deal of misery!
Ask us about convenient products for both tick and flea control.