Owning pets is extremely rewarding. Pets provide comfort and fun each and every day. Many people consider their pets as a part of their family. Lots of people even include their pets in their Christmas cards! Pet owners aim to keep their pets as happy and healthy as they can at all times. Sometimes there are things outside of our control that can affect our pets’ health. Ticks are the perfect example of this. If your pet is bitten by a tick it can cause issues for them. Today Stewart Termite & Pest Control has some information about how you can protect your pets from ticks and the problems that they could make.
Tick Borne Diseases in Dogs
Let’s start with what kind of diseases your pets can get from a tick.
• Ehrlichiosis: Ehrlichiosis can happen in different parts of the United States. Humans, dogs, and cats can all get ehrlichiosis. It is caused by the brown dog tick. This disease is trick because the symptoms may not start for a few months after you are bitten. Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, depression, weight loss, runny eyes and nose, nose bleeds, and swollen limbs.
• Lyme disease: Dogs and humans are both likely to develop Lyme disease if they are bitten by a tick. Symptoms include stiffness, lameness, swollen joints, loss of appetite, fever, and fatigue. The deer tick species of tick is responsible for Lyme disease.
• Anaplasmosis: Anaplasmosis can be found in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, north-central states, and California. It is also transmitted by the deer tick. Symptoms are very similar to Lyme disease symptoms. You or your pets might include fever, loss of appetite, stiff joints, lethargy, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Even though it is called Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever it can actually be found throughout the United States and Canada. Unlike Lyme disease and anaplasmosis it spreads very quickly. If you do not treat it quickly it can be life threatening. Symptoms include fever, stiffness, neurological problems, and skin lesions. Typically the symptoms only last for a few weeks but if it goes untreated you or your pets can die.
• Babesiosis: Babesiosis is caused when the ticks infect red blood cells. It is transmitted by the American dog tick and the brown dog tick. It causes anemia, pale gums, weakness, and vomiting.
• Bartonellosis: Brown dog ticks cause bartonellosis. You may feel intermittent lameness, fever, heart disease, and liver disease. If you treat it right away you should not develop heart or liver disease.
• Hepatozoonosis: If your dog eats a brown dog tick or a Gulf Coast tick that has hepatozoonosis they could get hepatozoonosis. Symptoms include fever, runny eyes, runny nose, muscle pain, and diarrhea.
Tick Control
If you think that you or your pet have been bitten by a tick and possibly have one of the diseases listed above you will want to seek treatment immediately. Early diagnosis and treatment are the key to getting rid of tick borne illnesses. Take your pet to the veterinarian and get yourself to the doctor right away. The best thing that you can do to keep you and your pets safe from ticks is to be preventive. Have your pets checked out each year by their veterinarian. If you know that ticks are prevalent in your area you will want to call Stewart Termite & Pest Control. We can come out and help you get rid of ticks that might have found their way into your home.