Just Say No to Ticks

I'm not sure there's anything redeeming about ticks. They crawl, they bite, and they carry diseases. Thankfully there are some easy ways to just say no to ticks this spring - and all year long.

Here's what you need to know to keep your pets (and your family) safe from ticks. 

1. Ticks can be tiny. A nymph deer tick is the size of a poppyseed, and can easily hide in fur, hair, or under jewelry. 
2. Ticks are active. There are 5 common species of tick found in the Greater Cincinnati area. Each has a slightly different life cycle, so the end result is we have ticks out and about every month of the year (yes, even in January). But May is the "tickiest" month - that's when the most ticks are active. 
3. Ticks carry diseases. Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and cytauxzoonosis are just some of the nasty infections that ticks transmit to the animals they bite. Some of these diseases can have long term consequences even with treatment, so this is one area where an ounce of prevention is more than worth a pound of cure.
4. It's easy to prevent ticks. First, create a tick-free zone in your yard. Ticks prefer moist environments, so they're less likely to venture to the middle of the lawn. Rake up leaves, cut back grasses and brush, and try to decrease wildlife traffic through your yard to keep tick numbers down.
   
5. Then, protect your pet. There are a number of safe, effective products to keep your dogs and cats safe. They come as oral chews, topical products, and collars. 

---

As you can see, there are a number of effective options available. Some are available in pet stores, others through your veterinarian.

• For households with children, the oral products - Bravecto, Simparica, and Nexgard - are often the best choice since there's no need to separate the pet until the product dries.
• For outdoor cats, applying topical Bravecto once every 12 weeks can be the most practical.
• The Seresto collar is a great option for pets who wear collars all the time.
• Vectra 3D has the added advantage of repelling mosquitoes, so it makes a good adjunct to heartworm prevention.
• Frontline and Advantix are readily available in pet stores (be careful not to purchase Advantage, which lacks tick protection).

Talk to us or your local veterinarian to find the best product for your pets' lifestyle - but the bottom line is that your dog or cat deserves to be protected from those tick-borne infections.

graphic created by the CDC

Found a tick? Now what?
Gross - you just found a tick. First, take a deep breath and don't panic. Next, how to remove a tick: grab a pair of tweezers, firmly grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and pull straight out. This applies to ticks on people as well as pets. The goal is to get the tick's head and mouthparts out if possible. Do NOT pour alcohol on the tick or try to burn it - those techniques just make the tick regurgitate more into the wound and increase disease transmission. Do save the tick and send a photo of it to the folks at tickencounter.org for identification. They will let you know what the risks are for that particular species, and then you can decide whether to pay to have your tick tested for diseases.
Watch for illness - watch your pet closely for lethargy, fever, limping, swollen joints, bruising, or changes to thirst or urination. These are signs of several of the tick-transmitted infections like Lyme disease or Ehrlichiosis. Seek veterinary care quickly if your pet becomes ill.  
Test for disease - make sure your veterinarian screens your dog every year for the most common tick diseases, even if you've been using prevention. This can usually be done with a few drops of blood right in the office. A positive result means your pet has been exposed to the organism, and further testing is needed to see if treatment is recommended.

---