Ticks have become a much more prevalent issue in the past couple of years. In our clinic alone, we have seen an increase in the number of pets who come in with ticks and more seriously, pets who have been diagnosed with a tick-borne disease. Scientists say there are a few reasons for this increase, warmer winters, suburbanization(which brings wildlife and people together more), an increase in the number of white-tailed deer and the use of fewer insecticides. Many ticks are not bothered by cold weather. It takes temperatures of 10 degrees F or lower for several days to kill a tick. If the temperature goes down at night then comes back up during the day, that is not going to kill the ticks. Anytime the temperature is around 40 degrees F, ticks will be active. The next reason for more ticks is the fact that there is an increase in the population of wildlife in suburban areas. Migratory birds, coyotes, deer can all help spread adult ticks or the nymphs or “baby ticks”. The nymphs will feed on those animals, fall off (in the areas where your dog may walk), shed their skin, mature and attach to your pet. For a long time, we thought the pets at most risk were those who went into wooded areas or areas endemic to Lyme Disease. We now know that ticks are much more widespread and other tick-borne diseases such as Ehrlichia or Babesia are just as dangerous. Any area with long grass, bushes, weeds, etc. can be a habitat for ticks. Countless numbers of people have found ticks on their dogs and have said, “I don’t understand he/she just go in the backyard or around the block”. Dogs can be very curious and are notorious for sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. This can lead to a tick climbing aboard. Ticks often wait on the undersides of leaves until a host (human or animal) brushes up against it and they will grab on.
We believe that prevention is key and most, if not all dogs need to be on preventatives. There are numerous products available online, in pet stores, at Target or Walmart, and so on. Of course, we recommend what we are familiar with. We work with companies who have done multiple safety and efficacy tests on their products. Ticks are very hearty and some of the products to kill them can be dangerous if not used properly. Time is key with ticks because ticks can begin transmitting the disease to you or your pet in as early as 12 hours. The primary product we recommend is Bravecto. This is a chewable treat that kills fleas and ticks for 12 weeks. It starts killing fleas in 2 hours and by 12 hours 98% of ticks and fleas will be dead. It is a great option for those who don’t like applying topicals, or whose pets swim a lot and may lose some of the effectiveness of topicals. We urge you to use a preventative during the majority of the year, if not year round and check your pets daily for ticks.