March’s Recommendations

March means the beginning of spring for the Ohio region! Unfortunately with the spring season comes the awakening of a potentially harmful pest, the tick. There are three types of ticks found in Ohio: The Lone Star tick, the Blacklegged (a.k.a. Deer) tick, and the American Dog tick. All ticks carry and transmit disease across a range of species, but for your animals, the most problematic is the Blacklegged tick, shown at the left with a dime for scale. These ticks can transmit Lyme Disease to you and your pet. Some flea preventatives, such as Frontline, contain ingredients which kill ticks. These are important preventatives to give all year-round, especially during the warmer months when ticks are a problem. Along with dosing your pets with preventatives, it is important to check your animals regularly for ticks, which tend to migrate to your dogs ears, head and feet. If you live in an area where ticks are common (woods, tall grasses, fields), it would also be wise to get your dog vaccinated against Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, and is prevented by a yearly vaccination. The symptoms of Lyme Disease in dogs include depression, fever and painful joints. These symptoms often do not affect the animal until months after infection.