Love your pet ... love your vet Spring tick alert!
The warmer spring weather brings with it a host of parasites. Whilst fleas can be very irritating (and a serious cause of skin disease!), ticks pose a greater danger to both humans and animals – since they can carry a number of serious diseases.
So what are ticks? Ticks are tiny spider-like creatures that live in woods and long grass. Ticks are most active through March to October, but they can be about on milder winter days too.
Ticks have four stages to their life-cycle: egg, larva, nymph and adult. Each life-cycle will take a blood meal. When they are looking for their next meal, the tick will climb up on vegetation and wait for a passing animal or human to catch with their hooked front legs. The tick will then burrow down to find a suitable place to bite.
The main issue with ticks is that they carry diseases in their saliva which they can potentially transmit to pets. These include:
Lyme Disease is the most common tick-borne disease. It can affect dogs and humans. Affected pets often have lameness that involves multiple joints, fever, lack of appetite and lethargy.
Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease that can affect dogs (but not humans) travelling to and from mainland Europe. It is caused by a tiny blood- borne parasite that destroys red blood cells, leading to anaemia and also dark red urine.
Erlichiosis is another common tick-borne disease in mainland Europe and can cause fatal anaemia. If you take your pet to continental Europe it is essential to protect them against ticks.
How do I protect my pet? It is recommended to check your pet every day (especially after walks) to remove ticks before they can attach and feed. If they have attached, then immediate removal with a special tick removal tool is suggested.
Current evidence suggests that tick-borne diseases take many hours after tick attachment to be transmitted.
Please speak to your vet for advice on flea and tick prevention.
Keith Moore, BVSc MRCVS Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Hillside Veterinary Centre
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