(Welcome to the weekly pet column of Pet Connection Programs Inc. of Marilla, N.Y. A new article is posted each week, so be sure to check back on a regular basis!)
Ticks are common parasites that can lurk in damp, grassy, bushy or wooded areas, and even sandy beaches. If a tick finds its way onto an animal, it can latch on and suck its host’s blood. Ticks are most active in spring, summer and fall, but they are hardy and can survive at temperatures below freezing.
Aside from being a literal pain, these parasites can transmit diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease, typhus, tick paralysis and ehrlichiosis, a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms.
PetSmart recommends that you give dogs and cats a good visual check every time they come in from outside. Ticks like to lurk in dark, closed spots like the insides of ears, between the toes and footpads, in the armpits and under the tail. Check your pets all over just to be safe.
If you do find a tick, use these simple steps to remove it safely:
1. Swab the little vampire with rubbing alcohol, which can annoy it into loosening its bite
2. Use tweezers to grab the tick’s head and pull without twisting. Do not try to burn the tick off, as you can burn yourself or your pet. Do not try to smother it with petroleum jelly — this does not work.
3. To kill the tick once removed, douse it in rubbing alcohol. Do not flush a live tick down the toilet; doing so may not kill it. Do not squash it with your fingers, because its insides can transmit disease.
4. Clean your pet’s tick bite with alcohol and apply an antibiotic ointment. You may see swelling around the bite after some time. This is because ticks have toxic saliva, but the swelling should go down soon.
5. Wash your hands.
6. If you are concerned about tick-borne diseases, take your pet to the vet for an inspection.
Remember that there are many species of ticks, but they can all be killed with the same treatment available at your local pet retailer.
— News Canada
(For more information on pets and animal adoption, please visit www.petconnectionprogramsinc.com. Or, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PetConnectionProgramsinc. Located in Marilla, N.Y., Pet Connection Programs Inc. is a nonprofit maternity and special care shelter founded in 1984.)
