Many pet owners are well aware that fleas and ticks become a big problem during the summer. These critters are looking for a warm place to live, and your pets fur is the perfect spot. Ticks will crawl or fall onto your pet, attach to the skin and eventually swell up with blood, which is when they can infect your pet and pose a serious threat to your pet’s health.

Although cats can also be affected, dogs are the most common host of choice for ticks. Found in brush and grass, ticks pose a big threat to dogs during hunting season. Tick sizes vary tremendously, depending on the type, age, sex, and whether the tick has fed on blood. Larval ticks may be smaller than the head of a pin, whereas some adult ticks are larger than a corn kernel. Ticks are found in and around your pets ears and on their skin.

Ticks can cause anemia and are carriers of many infectious diseases, including Ehrlichia and Lyme disease, which can also affect people if bitten by a tick carrying this potentially fatal disease. Lyme disease is transmitted most commonly by the black-legged deer tick. Wooded, brushy areas outdoors are likely locations for these ticks. Ehrlichiosis is a disease spread primarily by the brown dog tick, found in heavily wooded areas.

All diseases transmitted by parasites should be taken very seriously. The skin, the lymphatic and immune systems and the nervous system can be negatively affected if gone untreated, resulting in serious health problems and even death.

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to the control of fleas and ticks. Your veterinarian can tell you about topical flea products that are safe, convenient, and effective. But, be very careful when applying flea and tick control products. Making the mistake of applying a dog product to a cat or an adult dosage to a puppy or kitten can prove fatal for your pet. Ask about what flea and tick preventatives are available for your pet and if there are any vaccines recommended based on when you live and your pets’ lifestyle.

Summer is a time to enjoy spending time with your family, two and four-legged. Keep in mind that the same things that bother you about summer, like the sweltering heat and influx in insects, also bother your pets. Take precaution and protect yourself and your pets this summer so everyone can have fun in the sun.

-- Dr. Bill Craig --