Ticks are gross and no matter how many that I see, I still get squeamish. Ticks are a type of parasite that attach to the skin of your pet and feed on the blood from the animal that they attach to (gross!)
The way that I think of ticks is like they are land leeches that live in the tall grass and wooded areas all around us. Ticks have become a more common occurrence in our environment in the last few years and the best treatment is prevention. The most common form of prevention that we recommend is Revolution which is able to kill the ticks through the bloodstream when they attach and take blood. When my own animals got ticks (both the family dog and cat in the same week, traumatic) they were both (thankfully) on Revolution and we did not have any problems after we removed them. Ticks start appearing in the environment in the spring, when the weather starts to get warmer. This means that right now is an excellent time to begin your monthly preventative Revolution therapy if you are not on a year round program. Another great form of prevention for ticks is to feel all over your pet’s skin when they come back inside to make sure they don’t have any unwanted guests.
Ticks are known to carry diseases that can be transmitted to animals by attachment to the skin. These diseases include Lyme disease and Rickettsial diseases which are caused by bacteria. If you find a tick, don’t panic. Call us for information on what to do next including how to remove the ticks, how to collect them if you would like to identify them, and when to test your animal for tick related diseases.
Happy tick hunting!