- Ticks are tricky! Even if you check your pet for ticks, you may not spot the bite. Let us check- schedule a check up today
- Worried about ticks and the risk of LymeDisease? Talk to us about ticks and schedule a check up today
- Ticks spread diseases to humans and dog’s alike. Tick bites can make you and your #dogs sick. Protect yourself and your pets
- Research shows ticks being introduced into the UK when pets travel abroad. Protect before they travel
- One research project checked almost 7000 dogs across the UK for ticks, almost 1 in 3 dogs had a least one tick visit www.bigtickproject.co.uk to get up-to-date advice
- New UK tick map shows areas with deer have the highest incidence of ticks in dogs
- Fleas are hard to spot in dark fur–but Flea protection is easy. Schedule your pet’s checkup and stop fleas before they start
- Keep your pets parasite-free. Stay up-to-date with parasite protection and groom regularly to check for infestations
Protect Your Pet From Ticks & Fleas
Checking your pet for fleas can be tricky – t hey’re often hard to spot, especially in dark fur and on long haired pets! Left untreated, fleas can infest your home, biting other pets and even people. Schedule an appointment for your pet’s check up today—and let’s check your furry friend from head to toe and explain the best way of avoiding fleas!
Untreated, infested pets can develop skin allergies, infections, get tapeworms and can even become anaemic. We can check your pet thoroughly and show you what to look out for. Make an appointment for a yearly check up today and let us help you keep your pet flea-free
Did you know that, fleas can infest your pet from a very young age and at any time of the year? A single female flea can produce up to 50 eggs per day which will fall off your pet into your home. The eggs hatch into maggot-like larva then develop over the following weeks in the carpets and soft furnishing of your home. Always ensure you use veterinary flea and tick products specifically indicated for your dog or cat and always read the label as some products for use on dogs can prove toxic to cats!
Ticks are widespread across the UK and not spotting them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there! Before ticks start feeding on blood they are tiny and don’t get noticed. Check your pet’s coat regularly and schedule a visit to the surgery to make sure you get the best advice on tick control
Keep your pet flea and tick-free. Speak to the practice team about the best approach to protecting your pet. Recent research in UK showed almost 1 in 3 screened dogs had ticks, so act now and ask us about the best way to prevent infestations. Is your pet at risk of ticks? Find out by viewing the UK tick map at www.bigtickproject.co.uk
Ticks are widespread across the UK but if you live in an area with large deer populations, the tick risk may be at its higher! For information on local tick populations and parasite risks when taking your dog abroad get in touch for our advice.
Ticks spread infectious diseases to both dogs and humans but the signs aren’t always easy to spot. To help protect against ticks and the threat of Lyme disease and canine babesiosis, speak to the practice.
For long-term control you need for at least 12 weeks continuous treatment to effectively break the flea life-cycle and grooming pets regularly to check for infestations. Keep their parasite control up to date -ask at the practice about what to look out for and what to do.
Fleas & Ticks Blog by Chris Packham
Why Scratchy Never Needs To Scratch
Prevention is always better than cure and no more so than when it comes to tackling the small, silent and sometimes deadly health risks associated with tick and flea bites. Due of the micro-nature of the threat it’s too easy to fall victim to ‘out of sight out of mind’ until we have a seriously ill pet on our hands.
I’ve recently been involved in the ‘Big Tick Project’, the largest scientific study of ticks and tick-borne diseases ever conducted in the UK. You can find out about this novel project here – www.bigtickproject.co.uk .
Shockingly, almost one in three dogs assessed during the study were found to be carrying ticks – and worse it was unbeknown to their owners! This potentially puts their pets at risk of contracting tick-related diseases such as Lyme disease and canine babesiosis, both of which have been identified in the UK and can be very dangerous indeed.
The former is probably the better known of the two due to its propensity to infect humans – a friend of mine developed Lyme disease while travelling abroad: it wasn’t diagnosed for some time and consequently he became gravely ill and almost died. In both humans and animals, symptoms of Lyme disease can be very tricky to pin down due to their generalist nature e.g. lack of appetite, lethargy, fever and depression.
This makes diagnosis more difficult. Sadly this means that antibiotic treatment may be less effective than if given early on in the disease.
Dogs with babesiosis also show signs of fatigue along with other symptoms such as jaundice and anaemia – if left untreated it can cause catastrophic failure in the lungs/liver and central nervous system.
Ticks are tricky. Even when you check your pet for ticks they can be tough to find because they’re small and hide well in fur. But it’s crucial to find ticks and remove them quickly. Why? Ticks potentially share diseases with your pet; all you need is one undetected tick bite for your pet to become infected.
Like their tick relatives, fleas are very – resilient many of our pets have been bitten because fleas are everywhere! Yes, fleas live outdoors but they live indoors too – even in really clean homes year-round in any climate. Fleas will gladly hitch a ride on your pet into your house. If your pet has fleas the consequences can range from irritation to severe skin allergy, transmission of tapeworm and, in some cases, anaemia.
I don’t want to go scaremongering but . . . the world is an ever evolving place, the climate here is becoming wetter in the summer and milder in winter and this means that conditions are more favourable for ticks and fleas. Globe-trotting with our pets is also generating opportunities for new diseases to emerge here in the UK – like canine babesiosis which, up until last year when an outbreak occurred in Essex, was only considered a risk for pets holidaying overseas.
When Scratchy is running around, we say ‘Scratcher has a flea’! Well, hopefully he doesn’t ever really have fleas because he’s on a routine preventative plan, as he is for ticks. This is especially important because we walk through lots of woodland but let me be very clear here . . . ticks and fleas are also extremely troublesome in urban areas too.
Anywhere dogs are walked and wild animals patrol there can be ticks present so that could include the grassy strip along the pavement outside your house in the city as well as the local park.
So my ‘call to action’ here is to urge you and your feline or canine companions to pootle on down to your local vets to find out about the innovative, effective, and convenient treatments available to keep these parasites at bay! To protect dogs from ticks and fleas there are spot-on (typically applied every four weeks), sprays, collars and oral chewable formulations which can give up to 12 weeks protection, with the wide range of options available your vet will be able to guide you to the most effective treatment for your pet’s lifestyle.
It’s simple really, controlling ticks and fleas on your pet reduces the risk of disease, which for me means ‘Scratchy’ won’t need to scratch and I can rest assured that I’m doing what I can to help keep him free of irritation and the illnesses they can carry.