TICKS
Hi Guys, so while I am thinking about it I wanted to make a post about Ticks
This morning I bathed my two Pekingese dogs, and one of them (Lily) had a tick on her
Ticks can be so deadly to dogs, so it is so important to always check your dogs for ticks, especially if you live in an open fielded area. Or if you take your dogs for walks in areas with lots of fields/grass.
Ticks are classified as an Arachnid – This is the same family as a spider
They say ticks have been around roughly 90 million years
If your dog has been bitten by a tick, symptoms can show anywhere from a few days to a few weeks
If your dog has been bitten, you should apply an antibiotic cream to the area
There are two tick’s we have to worry about – and these are Ixodidae (hard ticks) and Argasidae (soft ticks)
A tick’s life cycle consists of:
- eggs
- larvae (only have six legs at this stage)
- nymphs (have eight legs)
- a male and female adult tick (also have eight legs)
Ticks need blood in order to complete this cycle
It is normally the female tick which bites the host as the male often dies after mating
Ticks do not jump like fleas do
The hard ticks are known to attach themselves for hours to suck blood, and normally release their pathogens when they are full of blood.
With Soft ticks they feed in under an hour, and within a minute they can release their pathogens
Ticks transfer diseases to both humans and animals
The bites can cause itchiness, redness and a rash in some cases.
The soft tick tends to cause more pain than the hard tick
If your dog has an allergy to the ticks saliva your dog could experience shortness of breath, swelling, numbness or even paralysis
If you find a tick on your dog, remove the tick with rubbing alcohol, and pull the tick out with tweezers – make sure that you remove the head too
It is important to get your dog checked by your vet, in case there were any diseases transferred to your dog
The most common disease spread by ticks is LIME DISEASE
Lime Disease is a bacterial infection
The lymph nodes swell, the dog may become depressed, fever, loss of appetite, and sore joints
If you suspect your dog has this disease take them to the vet immediately
The vet will treat this with antibiotics
This will take approximately 48 hours to take effect
Prevention is key of course, always make sure your garden is kept mowed and all the tall grass areas are kept short, this can help.
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