Treat Your Pets for Ticks

Treat Your Pets for Ticks is the fifth in a five-part series.  We will take a close look at how Ridgefield, CT, an area hit particularly hard by Lyme disease, suggests their residents protect themselves from tick bites to reduce their risk of contracting Lyme disease.  Each article will take a closer look at each of the letters in the acronym to find out how we can learn from our neighbors to the north on how to best protect ourselves. 

This article completes our series on tick management and reducing your risk of contracting Lyme disease.  Ridgefield, CT’s BLAST acronym is summarized below:

• Bathing soon after returning in doors will reduce our risk of contracting Lyme disease. 
• Looking over our bodies is an important step in heading off Lyme disease. First we must look for and promptly and properly remove ticks daily. Next we need to be aware of any rashes, especially an expanding bulls-eye type rash that is sometimes seen with Lyme disease.
• Applying insect repellent and/or wearing permethrin-treated clothing can help deter ticks from our bodies.
• Spray your yard.  A targeted spray to those areas of your lawn that will attract ticks as well as a perimeter spray of your property will help to decrease tick numbers. 
•  Treat your pets.  Contact your veterinarian to determine the best way to protect your family pets from tick bites and tick-borne illnesses. 

Family pets can increase our risk of coming into contact with ticks. Pets are also at risk to carry ticks into our home, suffering from tick bites, and contracting tick-borne diseases. Treating your pet in accordance with your veterinarian’s guidance is an important step in protecting both you and your family from ticks and Lyme disease.

Ticks can be difficult to detect on pets, but homeowners should make it a ritual to inspect their pet’s fur after they have spent time outdoors.  Tick checks are important even if your pet wears a tick collar or is treated with medication. Finding and removing ticks before they attach themselves to your pet is very important to prevent them from potentially serious tick-borne illnesses, like Lyme disease. Finding ticks on your pet is also important so that they do not bring ticks inside which can then, in turn, bite your family members.

Perform a tick check on your pet by running your fingers through the pet's coat paying particular attention to the pet's folds, under the collar, around the ears and tail and any other area on the animal where a tick might hide. You should also watch your pet for signs that they are excessively biting or scratching a particular area. If you should find a tick, you will want to remove it carefully and follow the same steps as you would want to remove a tick on a human. 

Experts advise pet owners against sleeping with their pets. If your pet spends time outdoors and picks up a tick it can easily bring that tick inside and into your bed. A perimeter treatment of your yard and targeted treatment to problem areas in your yard prone to ticks will also help to reduce tick populations on your property and lower your pets' risk of coming into contact with ticks.