Quick Tick Prevention Tips

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When Outdoors – How can I avoid getting a tick bite?

  • Stay in the middle of the trail
  • Use insect repellent on uncovered skin and over clothes
  • Wear light colored clothes to spot ticks more easily

After coming inside – Act fast to tackle ticks

  • Do a full body check after coming indoors
  • Use tweezers to remove any ticks
  • Take a shower
  • Put your clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes on high heat to kill any ticks that may be attached

More Prevention Tips

  • Avoid tick-heavy areas such as tall bushes, vegetation, high grass and leaf litter.
  • Perform daily tick checks, even if you were only in your yard.
  • Wear long sleeves and long pants, with pant cuffs tucked into high socks, to further protect against tick bites.
  • Try to prevent ticks on animals by not allowing them in tick-infested areas and using appropriate tick prevention treatments prescribed by a veterinarian.

About Lyme Disease

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Cause

Lyme disease is acquired through the bite of a deer tick that is infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Either an adult or a nymphal stage tick (a young tick about the seize of a poppy seed) can spread Lyme disease. A tick must be attached for at least 24 hours to spread the disease to a person.

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Pets and Heartworm

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I was curious to know how dogs actually get this dangerous and often fatal illness, and even though there is heartworm treatment for dogs available (much like flea prevention), less than half of dog owners actually use any type of preventative measures against heartwood, on their dogs at all. How do dogs get heart worm in the first place? Is my own dog at risk of heart worm? What can I do to protect my dog?

What is heartworm in the first place? Heartworm is a parasite spread by mosquitos when the dog gets bitten, and can be fatal in dogs. Dogs who get heart worm often carry the parasite for months before they show very serious symptoms (6 months or so), and even then, they may not be serious enough for owners to pay heed, or for owners to know what they are looking for.

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