Most of us would agree that ticks are nasty—they are small, sesame seed-sized, arachnids that bite and bury their heads into the skin of their victims. As they feast, their little bodies get fatter and fatter, bigger and bigger. (Insert gagging sounds here).
Some ticks carry a bacteria called Borellia Burgdorferi which causes Lyme disease.
It’s important to note, however, that not all ticks carry this particular bacteria. In fact, according to some health centres, most do not carry it at all. But, let's be real: getting a tick bite can be scary nonetheless.
Tick populations are on the rise, especially in areas that have historically not seen these pests before. Researchers are pointing to animal migration and a milder climate as two possible reasons for the increase.
Photo credit: The Loop
People need to read up on what to do if they get a bite, which goes for their pets as well.
My #steemitdog, Bruce, will explain what to look for and how to deal with a tick bite in pets.
Hello, fellow furry friends! I've been a dog for ten years and, you know, a guy picks up a tip or two along the way (you can learn a bit more about some of my adventures here). This is what I've learned about ticks: it can be hard to notice if you've been bitten by a tick because it's waaaaay easier for them to hide on our fury, four-legged bodies.
A girl I know named Jenna experienced just this with her one-year-old English Bulldog, Fynn. She said Fynn came up for his morning ear scratch one day and she discovered a bump. Yup, it was a tick.
Jenna said she's not be sure where Fynn picked up the pest and was shocked to see it attached to her beloved pooch. “I was very surprised when I noticed it. I had never actually seen [a tick] before but I knew it was one from reading about them in the past. I could see the brown shell and it was quite large so clearly it had been there for a few days already,” she said.
Here are some tick tips I collected from my very own vet clinic.
“If you've found a tick on your pet, remove it entirely (sometimes the head can remain embedded) and bring the specimen into your local vet clinic. Alberta has a tick surveillance program; your vet clinic will send it away to be tested for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases at no charge," says Elyse, the clinic's Practice Magaer.
Elyse says prevention is key when it comes to protecting us pets.
“Monthly tick treatments are available at your veterinary clinic for our canine friends. These products are usually applied topically and create a protective barrier that kills ticks on contact–meaning they won’t get a chance to bite! Currently, there is no tick prevention treatment for felines,” said Elyse to my human, @JenLavallee.
Remember...
Tall grass and heavily wooded areas are spots where ticks like to hide; if your pets are spending time outdoors in these types of locations, inspect them thoroughly when they get home.
Spots on your pet to check for ticks included under the collar, around the tail and groin, between toes, under the front legs and along elbows. Ticks can attach themselves inside our ears and even on eyelids.
If you find a tick on your pet, carefully remove it using a pair of tweezers. Grab the pest by its head (not the body since you do not want to crush it and cause toxins to enter the blood stream) and pull directly outwards. Put the tick (still alive, if possible) into a baggie and bring it to your local vet clinic for (hopefully, free) testing.
My human wrote this story, it orginally appeared on The Morinville News.