Happy Spring everyone! What a better way to celebrate the return of warm weather than chatting about parasites, specifically fleas and ticks! Well, as a veterinarian and pet owner myself, I’m not a fan of blood sucking fleas and ticks and will do anything to keep them away from my pets and myself.
With warmer weather comes more than just fresh green grass and blooming trees. Fleas and ticks are indeed present in the valley and can be a nuisance to everyone. Not only do they cause skin irritation to your pet when they bite them but they also carry disease. As veterinarians, we take this into account with each pet we see and make recommendations for treatment and preventatives accordingly.
Fleas are very irritating little creatures that can cause significant skin irritation and discomfort to your dog and cat. Fortunately, here in the Roaring Fork Valley we do not have the type of flea that lives on our pets full time but we do have other fleas that live on wildlife and can expose our pets to various conditions. They can carry tapeworms and the bacteria that causes plague. We are lucky in that we live in a part of Colorado where plague is not a large concern however tapeworms are very common around here. Lucky for you and your pets, fleas are very easy to prevent and kill. There are both topical and oral products that are administered every 1-3 months that can prevent fleas from becoming a problem with your pet and in your home.
tickTicks are nasty little bugs that are seen quite frequently in our county and are especially present in the tall grass and in the woods – both of which are favorite recreation spots in the summer time for you and your pets. Ticks crawl onto your pet and attach themselves to them, all the while feeding directly from their bloodstream. Once a tick is attached to your pet, they can transmit disease directly into their bloodstream. Ticks carry several different types of diseases. Your veterinarian can test for several of these diseases quite easily using a simple blood test that can be performed in house.
Anaplasma is a bacteria that causes Anaplasmosis which is a tick-borne disease that comes in 2 forms. This disease can cause joint pain, lameness, platelet destruction, gastrointestinal upset, coughing, neurological deficits and overall chronic disease in your dog. Treatment can be expensive and hard on your pet therefore it is recommended that we try to prevent ticks from becoming a problem in the first place.
Ehrlichia is a type of bacteria that is transmitted by ticks that infects and lives within the white blood cells of your pet. White blood cells are responsible for your immune system functioning properly so you can imagine what happens when something wreaks havoc on it. Ehrlichiosis can cause platelet destruction, lethargy, enlarged lymph nodes, organ function disorders, neurological deficits and overall chronic disease in your dog. Very much like Anaplasma, it is best to prevent ticks from becoming a problem in the first place rather than risk having to treat your dog for disease.
We are lucky in Colorado that we do no have to deal with Lyme disease. The deer tick, which is what carries and transmits Lyme disease, is not present in Colorado. However, if you plan on traveling to the Midwest or east coast, it is likely your pet can be exposed to Lyme disease. Be sure to plan accordingly!
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is caused by a parasite that is transmitted to a dog via a bite from an infected tick. An animal infected with RMSF may show fever, lethargy, inappetance and pain in addition to other organ function and nervous system problems. Similar to the other mentioned diseases, RMSF is best prevented through tick control over having to treat it due to the stress on your pet that disease can cause.
Not only do fleas and ticks carry disease but they can also get caught in your pets ears, causing severe irritation and infection – YUCK!
Please consider using a flea and tick preventative on your pets this spring and summer – they may not say it out loud, but I assure you they thank you for it!
For the month of May Alpine Animal Hospital is having a sale 15% off sale on flea and tick prevention to encourage you to protect your pet! We are also raffling off a supply of preventative and some grooming tools! Drop by to get a raffle ticket – $2 and proceeds go to our fund to help pets in need!
Photo credit: http://vetharmony.org/blog/2016/9/24/what-to-do-when-your-pet-is-itching-and-youve-tried-everything
Title photo credit: https://carolinaforestanimalclinic.com/welcome-to-carolina-forest-animal-clinic/