How To Get Rid Of Fleas Or Ticks
Prevention! The best way to treat your cat or dog for flea and tick bites, and keep them pest-free, is by avoiding them altogether. Here are a few tips for battling a flea infestation:
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Do All Tick Bites Carry Lyme Disease
Before you vow never to venture outdoors again, you need to know which ticks carry Lyme disease. Even though there are hundreds of tick species, only the blacklegged variety transmits the disease. These insects are always searching for a host. And both humans and animalsespecially white-tailed deer and chipmunksmake for a tasty meal.
Blacklegged ticks have flat, ovular bodies. They are orange-brown in color and only reach about 1/8 in length. Their color and size, however, change throughout different points of the tick life cycle.
Preventing Lyme Disease In Dogs
Prevention is the best defense against ticks that carry Lyme disease-causing bacteria. Check your pet every day for these parasites, and if you find a tick, . This is important because it typically takes ticks about one to two days to transmit Lyme disease, so removing them quickly can cut down on the risk.5
Knowing how to remove a tick from a cat or dog is vital for all pet owners to learn. Using tweezers, grasp the tick and pull firmly and steadily until it releases and comes all the way out, ensuring that you’ve removed the head. Drop the tick in rubbing alcohol to kill it, and thoroughly clean and disinfect the bite area.
Protect your pet further with a product that kills ticks, like the , which provides flea and tick protection for up to 30 days. The kills fleas, ticks, flea eggs, and larvae for up to six months. As an added bonus, these products also repel mosquitoes.* This is important because , which mosquitoes carry.
Protecting your pet isn’t enough you want to keep your home and yard pest-free to protect you and your dog. The or the are great products to use in your home, offering up to seven months of flea protection. Consider using , which kills fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, ants, and more.
Lyme disease may cause mild symptoms in dogs, but sometimes dogs can have serious reactions to the bacteria. That’s why it’s important to protect your dog and always inspect him for ticks when you get back home after some outdoor fun.
*excluding California
3. Ibid.
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Can Dogs Pass Lyme Disease To Humans
Lyme disease spreads from tick bites, and can infect dogs and humans alike. However, just like humans cannot transmit Lyme disease to other humans, dogs cannot transmit it to their owners only the parasite that carries the disease can do that. While your dog cannot pass Lyme disease to you directly, he may carry the parasite that can do it, so you still must be vigilant in checking yourself and your pet.
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S To Prevent Bug Bites
The CDC offers several tips on preventing Lyme disease and mosquito bites. For people who live in areas where there is Lyme disease and ticks, cover up and check yourself and your children and remove the ticks as soon as you find them, Rosenberg says. For mosquitoes, use repellent.
While education and prevention are key, Auwaerter stresses the need for other measures to help stem the tide of bug-bite diseases. Were still seeing more cases, he says. We need to think hard about alternative approaches that could be more effective. I think a vaccine would be the most valuable.
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How To Tell The Difference Between Fleas And Ticks
When you add a new pet to your family, it’s easy to forget that you’re taking care of an animal. An animal that loves to play outside, roll in the grass, and dig in the mud.
All places where dangerous parasites like fleas and ticks can lurk and find their way to your dog or cat. But how do you know what type of insect you’re dealing with if you find one and what should you do?
In this article, you’ll learn what parasites to look for, how to spot the difference, and how to control pests from feeding on your pet in the first place.
If You Think You Have Found A Tick On Your Pet Or Yourself Please Contact Your Local Veterinarian Or Visit A Nearby Urgent Care Center
If you think you have found a tick on your pet or yourself, please contact your local veterinarian or visit a nearby urgent care center.
If you are bitten by a tick, remove it with fine-tipped tweezers and place in alcohol as soon as possible to kill any bacteria present in the tick. If possible, save the tick by putting it into an envelope with some rubbing alcohol inside and then seal it up tightly. The doctor will want to examine this specimen under a microscope to determine if Lyme disease is present. The doctor may also want to test for other diseases like anaplasmosis and babesiosis that can be carried by ticks as well
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Diseases Spread By Fleas And Ticks
Diseases spread by fleas andticks are transmitted when these insects feed on the blood of ahost. Fleas and ticks are externally parasitic to dogs, cats, humans and many small mammals. Different species of fleas and ticks are vectors of specific viruses, bacteria or protozoal parasites. These infections are often host and/or carrier specific.
What Diseases Do Fleas Carry
Even a diligent pet owner will, at one time or another, have to deal with fleas. Generally, the most danger that fleas pose to humans are the irritating and extremely itchy bites they leave as they feed. In most cases, barring allergic reactions, these bites are not serious and there is no reason for further alarm.
However, fleas remain potential carriers of several different diseases, some of them quite severe. While the number of flea-borne diseases cases in the U.S. is low, in our global world it still pays to be informed and careful about any potential risks.
For this reason, we have gathered information on the various diseases fleas can occasionally carry and have listed them here.
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How To Keep Fleas Away From Your Home
Effective flea control treatment can make your pets life more comfortable and protect you, your animal, and the rest of your family. While many safe and reliable products are on the market, selecting the right treatment depends on your pets and your lifestyle, Herold says.
Many pet parents prefer to use topical products to keep fleas off their animals, says Herold, who uses a spot-on flea product on her dog. But products that require monthly application may be inconvenient to use for some pet owners.
Appealing to families that dislike monthly treatments, marketers behind a new line of flea and tick collars for dogs and cats claim the collars provide eight months of protection from parasites. The collars use a technology that releases the active flea-killing ingredients in controlled doses over an extended period of time.
Oral medication is another option for pets and their owners.
There is not a single strategy that works for everyone, Herold says. Your veterinarian can make a recommendation based on your household.
Families with cats and dogs must be extra careful not to mix up the medicine. Products containing permethrin for dogs can be poisonous to cats, Herold says.
What Should I Do To Prevent Raccoons From Spreading Fleas
In case you suspect that you might be having a raccoon infestation in your property, its important to act fast. In case you have pets you might have to respond immediately. The longer raccoons stay in your attic, the bigger the risk involved with spreading fleas.
Raccoons often feed on pet food left in the yard and around the home, when your pets access these areas, they are likely to pick up fleas from raccoons. Also, if there is an outbreak of fleas and other parasites in your attic, they are likely to spread fast throughout your house putting you at risk.
The fleas from a raccoon and other wild rodents are known to carry harmful pathogens that can cause deadly diseases such as plague. While raccoons might seem like cute, usually curious animals, they can significantly put your health at risk. Contact our raccoon removal Oshawa company to safely remove the raccoons from your property.
Article Updated: February 21, 2020
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How Is Lyme Disease Treated
Because the Lyme spirochete is a bacterium, it can be treated with antibiotics. The antibiotic of choice is doxycycline, followed by amoxicillin, then azithromycin. Treatment lasts for 4 weeks. Occasionally, the initial infection will recur, or the pet will become re-infected by being bitten by another infected tick.
Where Do We Find Ticks
Generally, you can find ticks where the animals they feed on live. This usually includes wooded and grassy areas. An adult tick quests for its next blood meal by climbing up grasses and bushes to wait for an animal to pass by. Nymphs and larvae are typically found in layers of decomposing leaves underneath trees. Ticks thrive in damp environments and are less active in hot, dry weather.
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The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease In Dogs
Dogs don’t exhibit the telltale red rashsometimes manifested in a bulls-eye patternthat we humans display, so an infection in your pet may not be as obvious. However, some common symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs or cats include:4
- Reluctance to move
Symptoms can progress and sometimes be fatal, which is why it’s important to get your dog diagnosed if she has any of these symptoms.
A veterinarian will do a physical exam and talk about your dog’s history. To determine if your pet has contracted Lyme disease, your veterinarian will typically administer blood tests. The presence of Lyme disease antibodies in the blood may indicate an active infection, and these typically show up about three to five weeks after a tick bite. However, they can sometimes be found even before you notice symptoms.
If the tests come back positive, your dog will receive antibiotics for up to four weeks. Sometimes longer treatment or therapy is needed.
Lyme Disease Is Transmitted By The Bite Of An Infected Blacklegged Tick
Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick . These ticks are found in many areas of the United States, and they can transmit Lyme disease to humans.
Infected ticks can be difficult to find, however. If you live in an area where Lyme disease is common and you have a rash or flu-like symptoms after being bitten by a tick, see your doctor right away.
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Use Caution When Finding A Tick On Yourself Or Your Pet
If you suspect that you or your pet has been bitten by a tick, contact a medical professional immediately. Do not attempt to remove the tick yourself. If the tick is still attached, use caution when removing it. Do not scratch or break skin around the bite area as this could increase your risk of contracting Lyme disease and other illnesses.
Treatments for ticks include antibiotics and prevention medications like permethrin applied to clothes, shoes and other gear worn outside . Prevention of tick bites is far better than treatment after the fact!
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Big Flea And Tick Projects
We have worked to research the most common parasite threats to the nations dogs and cats: fleas and ticks. Working closely with vets and practices up and down the country, we have created The Big Tick Project and The Big Flea Project the biggest initiatives of their kind.
Working with the University of Bristol to study the parasites, these projects are leading the way in evidence-based understanding of ticks and fleas in the UK and are raising awareness of their prevalence and of the diseases they may carry.
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How Are Dogs Tested For Lyme Disease
Diagnosis is made by a combination of history, physical signs, and diagnostics. For dogs, the two blood tests for diagnosing Lyme disease are called the C6 Test and Quant C6 test. Veterinarians perform both.
The C6 test detects antibodies against a protein called C6. Presence of the antibodies suggests an active Lyme infection. The C6 antibodies can be detected three to five weeks after an infected tick bites a dog and may be found in the bloodstream even before the dog shows signs of illness.
The next step is to do a Quant C6 test. This, along with urinalysis will help determine if antibiotic treatment is necessary.
Are Cases Of Lyme Disease Increasing
Studies in Europe estimate that 1-5% of tick bites can lead to Lyme disease. On average, between 2.55.1% of ticks are infected in England and Wales, although this range can fluctuate in different areas and across years.
Since data collection began in 2005, there has been a general trend of increasing cases of Lyme disease, although yearly fluctuations have been observed. In 2021, there were a total of 1,156 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales.
The rise in total cases may be due to a combination of increased awareness of Lyme disease as well as improved surveillance, better access to diagnostics, increased potential for encounters with ticks due to changes in wildlife populations and habitat modification that may have resulted in changes in tick distribution across the country.
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Lyme Disease In Ticks:
As we mentioned above, when it comes to the transmission of Lyme disease, ticks are not necessarily flying bug syringes that suck Borrelia from one organism and then simply inject it into another. The process, of course, is a little more complicated as it is the interactions between two living things, the tick, and Borrelia, that play a crucial role in the transmitting of the infection.
While Borrelia resides in the ticks gut, it produces a protein that enables the Borrelia to persist in the tick for long periods. The protein aids its survival until the tick feeds again. Then, when the tick begins to feed again, the spirochete decreases its production of that protein and focuses on producing a new protein, which allows the spirochete to move to the ticks salivary gland where it can then be transmitted to the new host by way of the ticks saliva.
Do Raccoons Get Ticks Lyme Disease
Yes, raccoons can get Lyme disease. Lyme disease is an infection that contracts due to the bite of an infected tick, the vector of the disease. However, sometimes even wild mammals, such as deer or small rodents, can carry bacteria in the wild.
And it is from wild animals that naturally transport bacteria that ticks begin to spread. Ticks, in fact, get bacteria when they feed on infected blood. And once infected, ticks pass on bacteria and disease to wild animals, pets and humans whenever they feed on them.
Indeed, the spread of ticks and raccoon Lyme disease was so widespread at one time that a study was made in the 1990s on the relationship between ticks and raccoons and the spread of Lyme disease in North Carolina.
In any case, Lyme disease is transmitted only by ticks and their bites, which transmit the spirochete, the bacterium of the disease. As a result, there is no risk of contracting using raccoon bites or scratches, as far as we hope strongly that such a thing does not happen to you.
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Illnesses From Mosquito Tick And Flea Bites Increasing In The Us
Cases triple better tools needed to fight mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas
Illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S., with more than 640,000 cases reported during the 13 years from 2004 through 2016. Nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced into the United States during this time.
These findings are in the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is CDCs first summary collectively examining data trends for all nationally notifiable diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick, or flea. It provides detailed information on the growing burden of mosquito-borne and tickborne illnesses in the U.S.
Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and chikungunyaa growing list of diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick, or fleahave confronted the U.S. in recent years, making a lot of people sick. And we dont know what will threaten Americans next, said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. Our Nations first lines of defense are state and local health departments and vector control organizations, and we must continue to enhance our investment in their ability to fight against these diseases.
U.S. not fully prepared
Key findings
How can state and local public health agencies help?
What can everyone do to protect themselves from mosquito, tick, and flea bites?
CDCs efforts to prevent diseases from mosquitoes and ticks
How To Check Pets For Ticks
Your pets risk of tick exposure depends somewhat on their lifestyles. For example, dogs that accompany their owners on lots of hikes or walks in nature will be at higher risk. However, since ticks can be found in backyards and close to homes, its essential to check your pets for ticks any time they might have been exposed.
- Around and inside the ears
However, know that ticks can attach anywhere on your pets body.
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