Ticks and Your Pets

Our pets are members of our family. They travels with us, cuddle with us, and for many of us, sleep in the same bed. They are beloved and cared for. Because of this, many pet owners take extra precautions during the summer months to avoid having a pet bitten by ticks. Read on to find out more about pets and tick-borne diseases.

I don't know about your dog, but ours loves to roll in our grass, leap into the leaves, and chase the bunnies under our shed into the woods. All of these activities could be causing him to be exposed to ticks. It's not that we live deep in the woods, but we do see a fair share of ticks on him every year. We also find at least a dozen or more on our kids every year as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), dogs are very susceptible to tick bites and tick-borne diseases. Vaccines are not available for most of the tick-borne diseases that dogs can get, and they don't keep the dogs from bringing ticks into your home. For these reasons, it's important to use a tick preventive product on your dog. We suggest talking to your vet about what treatment or product might be good for your pup. Find out specifically what diseases are common in your area and what other pet owners are doing to combat this problem. There are several suggestions that pet owners may want to consider when trying to prevent your pup from contracting a tick-borne disease. These include:

Reduce Tick Habitat In Your Yard

You may not be able to eliminate all the ticks in your yard but some things you can do can reduce the likelihood that ticks will find a comfortable habitat in your backyard include:

• Remove leaf litter. That may mean a thorough clean up every spring and fall.
• Clear tall grasses and brush around the edge of your yard.
• Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas.
• Mow the lawn frequently. Keep the grass fairly short.
• Stack wood neatly and in a dry area away from your home. The further the better but try to get it at least 15-20 feet away from your structure.
• Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees.
• Discourage unwelcome animals such as deer from entering your yard by constructing fences.
• Remove old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.

Check Your Pets Daily

Just as you would check your child after s/he comes in from playing, check your pet as well. Key areas to check include: behind the legs, in the ears, around the eyes, between the pads of the toes, and around the tail. If you do spot a tick remove it immediately. Tick bites on dogs may be hard to detect. Signs of tick-borne disease may not appear for 7-21 days or longer after a tick bite, so watch your dog closely for changes in behavior or appetite if you suspect that your pet has been bitten by a tick. Contact your vet if you have any suspicions that your pet was exposed. Call Pest-End Exterminators if you would like your yard treated this summer. Call us at 1-800-287-4321, 603-382-9644, or 978-794-4321.