Ticks; The Pesky Parasites Plaguing Our Pets

Ticked Off!

I can’t go for a walk with or even without my dogs and not find one of these pests lurking about. On Sunday I was at an indoor agility trial and felt one trying to bite the back of my neck! I had only been outside for a few minutes walking my dog along the woods – oh no, my dog! A quick inspection found two moving and grooving, a closer inspection found the 3rd foe.

I hadn’t applied my repellent because I was expecting to be inside all day at a sports arena. I didn’t even think about the land around it being covered in ticks.

TICKS!!!!

Ticks are some of the most obnoxious blood-sucking little bleeps I can think of.

close-up of a dog tick on the fur of Shih Tzu

Despite the common misconception that frost puts them at bay, according to the University of Rhode Island’s Tick Encounter Resource Center, “black-legged ticks are seasonal pests and you just have to know which seasons that they are typically active. The adult stages of this tick begin to become active as the season changes from summer to fall. In the northeastern U.S., these adult stage ticks start to become abundant early in October, and they will remain active through the winter as long as the temperatures are above freezing and the ground is not frozen or covered by snow.”

So they’re here and they will certainly hang around for well into fall and even winter. That does not mean that everyone will eventually be in the clear because not everyone has snow.

Popular Regions for the Most Popular Types of Ticks

If you live in any of these regions pictured below, check with the CDC about your own safety. For our pets, there are myriads of tick-borne diseases and illnesses. Check with your vet on the best means to see if your pet has contracted any and what the risks may be.

The best action you can take is to be certain to protect them but be cautious with what you use. The very chemicals meant to protect our pets may cause serious issues. I always steer people to the natural way, nature often fights nature best. While it certainly isn’t the best smelling and needs reapplication, geranium oil works magic for the ticks in the Northeast and has offered great protection for my pets. For those of you in other areas, check around with local pet owners as to what they have found to be the best and safest repellent.

This is what I use:

Tick Check

The very best thing you can do is tick-check your pet. Every time you come in from being outside – especially in non-urban grassy or wooded areas – give them a thorough once over. Better to find those little blood suckers before they bite because that is when the infection takes place.

Take a pet first aid class in order to help you learn not only how to locate these unwanted characters but also how to recognize any signs and symptoms of the diseases they carry.