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Spring is here…finally!

Along with crocuses and daffodils emerging this time of year, so are ticks emerging from their winter hibernation spots under leaf litter and woodpiles! It’s a good idea to get a head start on pet parasites NOW with a good tick preventive such as Frontline for dogs and cats or Advantixx or Promeris for dogs. These medications also protect against fleas which will be more of a problem later in the summer and fall with prolonged heat and humidity.

The monthly “spot-on” medications are applied on the skin and are not systemically absorbed. The medication saturates the hair follicles and is released slowly over the course of the month. It is safe for pets and people when applied properly. If you’re uncertain how to apply the medication, we will be happy to show you how the first time. Bathing, a few days before or a few days after application, does not diminish its effectiveness.

However, no medication is 100% effective at killing 100% of the ticks. Your pet may continue to bring in live ticks from outdoors. It is not until the tick attaches to the skin that the medication kills the ticks. Sometimes you may find dead ticks attached to your pet’s skin. It is always a good idea when your pet comes in from outdoors to do a “tick patrol” through its haircoat to check for ticks. Hungry ticks seek out humans as well as animals and Lyme Disease is a very real concern for people as well as dogs. 

Unfortunately, there are other diseases increasingly recognized in this area that are transmitted by ticks and which we are currently testing for in dogs, including anaplasma and ehrlichia. The good news for cat owners is that at this time, although cats can be infected, they appear to be highly resistant to developing clinical disease.

Lyme Disease is manifested as a typical “bull’s eye” on human skin at the site of the tick bite. It is not the same presentation in dogs. Usually the first sign of exposure is a positive Lyme titer on your dog’s annual heartworm/tick blood test. A positive titer means that your dog was exposed to a tick carrying the Lyme organism at some time in the past. It does NOT mean that your dog has Lyme Disease. For dogs with a positive Lyme titer, we usually proceed with an additional test, the Quant C6 test looking for a specific protein contained within the Lyme organism (a bacteria called Borellia burgdorferi). An elevated level is reason to suspect Lyme Disease and initiate a month’s worth of treatment with an inexpensive antibiotic called doxycycline.

Dogs with clinical symptoms of Lyme Disease are often brought in for lamenesses unresponsive to aspirin-like medications. If Lyme Disease is the cause of the lameness, symptoms usually resolve quickly and dramatically with treatment. In rare cases some dogs develop kidney problems with Lyme Disease.

Start now protecting your pets – and your family – from ticks and the diseases they carry.