Deer, Ticks, and Dogs: What Maryland Pet Owners Should Know This Fall
Where there are thick woods, there are deer. Where there are deer, there are deer ticks. And where there are deer ticks, there is a threat of Lyme disease—for dogs, humans, and everyone in between. So, what’s a pet parent to do here in Maryland, where we have thick woods, deer, and deer ticks?
Here’s the good news: Lyme disease in pets is entirely preventable. All it takes is one simple ounce of prevention to avoid the pound of cure. The team at Pet Dominion Animal Hospital, your local Rockville veterinarian, tells you everything you need to know about avoiding tick-borne diseases in pets.
Maryland Tick Prevention
The number one most effective way to prevent tick-borne diseases in pets is to make sure your pet is on a veterinarian-prescribed tick preventive. Tick preventives come in several forms, including topical solutions, collars, and oral medications.
Some are given to your pet monthly, while others you only have to worry about every 6-8 months. Your veterinary team can work with you to identify the tick preventive you’re most likely to stick to, giving your pet the maximum possible protection from Lyme disease.
Tick preventives work by killing ticks that latch onto your pet’s body before they have a chance to transmit diseases like Lyme, which takes approximately 36-48 hours for ticks to transmit.
But there are ways to add extra layers to tick preventives, including the three following tips:
- Make sure you do a tick check after your dog or cat spends any amount of time outside—especially after hikes in thick, wooded areas. Ticks like to hide around the ears, on the belly, and around the paws, so give those parts of your pooch or kitty’s body extra attention.
- Keep your grasses and shrubs trimmed and neat so that ticks have fewer places to hide in your yard.
- Give tick preventives all year long, not just in the spring and summer, so that you stay in the habit and your pet gets maximum, year-round protection.
These pet protection measures help make sure your pet stays healthy and happy, tick season be darned.
Signs of Lyme Disease in Pets
Sometimes, we forget a dose of tick preventive medication, or we run out of our pet’s preventive and there’s a gap between doses. Life is busy, and these things do happen. In these cases, it’s important to monitor your dog or cat for any signs of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.
These symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Swollen, painful joints
- Lameness that seems to switch legs, depending on the day
If you notice any of these pet parasite symptoms in your dog or cat, a veterinary visit is in order. The sooner treatment can begin, the better chance your pet has for a full recovery.
To get your pet on a tick preventive or test for tick-borne diseases, reach out to the caring team at Pet Dominion Animal Hospital. Call us at (301) 258-0333 to schedule an appointment today.