The chances are that if you have been a pet owner for a while then you have had experiences with ticks. Finding a tick on your dog or cat can be a very unsettling occurrence. Ticks are vicious little creatures who find it particularly easy to hitch a ride and a meal on pets. As a pet owner, however, it is important to know the risks that come with your pet having ticks.
As a common parasite, ticks are not specific to one part of the country. Instead, they afflict pets and people no matter what their geography. Typically ticks are attracted to a warm place, motion and surprisingly enough, carbon dioxide. So essentially, if you or your pet are living and breathing then you are a desirable host for a tick.
The worst part? Ticks are known to carry many infectious diseases such as Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This disease will most likely be exhibited by symptoms like fever, lethargy and joint pain.
If you find a tick on your pet there are several steps you should take. First, get your pet into a well lit area, put on latex gloves, using a pair of tweezers to grab the tick as close to your pet’s skin as possible and slowly pull the tick outward when you get a good grip. You can place the tick in a container with isopropyl alcohol or burn it in order to kill it. Cleaning the area that the tick was inhabiting on your pet with disinfectant is always a good idea once the tick is removed as well.
For more pet care tips visit the Mobile Vet of Tulsa’s website today! Keeping your pet in good health is our number one concern!