Ticks

Ticks

With the cooler, autumn weather, the risk of your pet getting ticks peaks, late summer early autumn is the worst time of year for tick infestations. Ticks are generally found in grassy fields, heath land & woods, especially in fields where sheep have been. Hedgehogs can bring ticks into your garden. At this time of year they often climb to the top off tall grass & wait for animals or humans to go by. They then bite their way through the skin & then suck blood for several days before dropping off.


Ticks cause many diseases. They can cause a marked reaction in the skin where they attach; this can need treatment with antibiotics or other medicines. When the tick starts sucking blood it can transmit infectious disease. The commonest such disease is Lyme Disease. It is thought that the true number of pets with Lyme disease could be about 2000 each year. Symptoms of Lyme disease are often flu-like, including: extreme tiredness, muscle pain, muscle weakness, joint pain, and headache. They can also include: stomach ache, poor sleep, disturbances of the central nervous system and the distinctive 'bull's eye' rash. If you or your pet suffer from a number of these symptoms then contact your doctor or your vet.

Your vet has two types of products to prevent ticks attaching to your pet & transmitting disease. There are spot on treatments & there is now there is a new flea & tick collar on the market which is very effective. Most of the collars on the market for fleas & ticks are not very effective. Older, Spot On, flea & worm products which contain fipronil can take 24 hours to kill a tick, by then it is usually well attacked to your pet & can take days to drop off, also in that 24 hours they can still transmit disease such as Lymes disease. If you see a tick attached to your pet or yourself, it is best to remove it with a specially designed tick remover

For more information about ticks, visit http://www.mypetonline.co.uk/pet-health/ticks-spot...

Seasonal Canine Illness
This time of year we occasionally see dogs with Seasonal Canine Illness Please click on the link to see an article on this by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service

Dangerous Flea Product withdrawn
Last month we had an article on fleas. This September is likely to be bad for fleas. There have recently been a number of deaths in cats caused products containing permethrin. I strongly recommend that you do not put any product (flea collars, spot on treatments, powders) which contain permethrin on your cat. Even be careful if putting permethrin on your dog, if there is a chance he will come in contact with cats. Newer products are much safer & more effective. Also Bob Martin Flea collars for pets containing diazinon have voluntarily withdrawn from sale after concerns of illness in people who come into contact with pets wearing these collars.

dog Jess in the snow (one of Peter's dogs)

CONTACT DETAILS

Airedale Veterinary Group
36 Devonshire Street
Keighley
West Yorkshire
BD21 2AU

LIMITED DETAILS

Airedale Animals Limited
36 Devonshire Street
Keighley
West Yorkshire
United Kingdom
BD21 2BH
Company No. 06546738

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