Flea and tick season is fast approaching and Sudbury veterinarian Dr. Courtney Andrews has the info to keep your furry friends infestation-free
It seems weird to be talking about spring on the eve of a March snowstorm, but spring is coming and usually that is when pet owners start thinking about protecting our pets against parasites, particularly fleas and ticks.
Ticks can be active at as low as -10°C. At my clinic, we have pulled ticks off patients as late as mid-December. Our winters are becoming milder and those milder temperatures mean the risk of ticks will keep increasing and be a year-round concern as they are in other regions. Ticks are found in tall grass, leaf litter and small shrubs. They wait, “questing” to jump onto an animal moving by. They will then migrate to find an area to bite, and will stay drinking a blood meal for between a week and 10 days. Adult ticks are larger and easier to see than juveniles, or nymphs. Females will engorge as they drink, while males stay quite small. At the nymph stage, a tick is the size of a poppy seed, but does still take blood meals and therefore can transmit disease as well.
If you do have fleas in your home, it is important to treat all pets for at least three months to ensure the flea infestation is eradicated. While hiking, wear tall socks and tuck in your pants especially in areas where ticks are known to be endemic. Check yourself and your pets after being outside. If you find a tick, you can use a Tick Twister to remove it to ensure removal of the entire tick.
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