Yes, it is early winter but that doesn’t mean you can stop worrying about ticks.  Or maybe you should start worrying about ticks if you haven’t yet considered the threat of tick diseases.  Did you know ticks become active at 45 degrees or higher?  With warmer winters, you still need to be diligent about flea and tick control as well as heartworm prevention.

Why worry about annoying little ticks?  One, they are creepy little parasites that like to stealthily crawl on us or our pets and take a bite.  But more importantly, they carry nasty infectious diseases that are transmitted when they bite.  We have several species of ticks in the Northern Virginia area that can transmit Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, or even cause tick paralysis.  Amazingly, a single female tick can lay up to 6,000 eggs.  Ticks like to hide in long grass, bushes, and brush where they are just waiting for your pet or you to walk by so they can latch on for a delicious blood meal.

So what can you do if you find a tick on your pet?  For proper removal, use blunt tweezers and wear disposable gloves if possible.  Grasp the tick close to the skin attachment and pull with slow steady pressure for the tick to release and come loose.  It is important to get all of the tick without leaving any mouthparts behind.  Disinfect the area and wash your hands with soap and water.  You can preserve the tick in alcohol for identification or take a picture on your smart phone camera so that you can magnify.

Okay so now you realize that tick control is important.  What can you do to protect your furry family member?  There are many flea and tick prevention products on the market.  Topical medications are available such as Frontline, Advantix, and such but you must follow certain guidelines about bathing your animal for best results.  Bravecto is an oral chewable tablet that provides 3 months of protection that we carry at our EZ Vet Stations.  A vaccine is available for Lyme disease as well which should be part of your dog’s routine vaccination protocol.

If you need more facts about tick borne diseases, IDEXX has a map that you can access online for your region at www.dogsandticks.com/map.  Northern Virginia has had approximately 85+ cases of Ehrlichiosis, 850+ cases of Lyme, 350+ cases of Anaplasmosis, and 85+ cases of heartworm disease reported just from the IDEXX laboratory system in the past 5 years.  These numbers only reflect their lab cases, not other tests run by other laboratories or veterinary offices.  That is a lot of tick borne disease cases!