The tick season is in full swing. We can come across them in forests, city parks and zoos. You have to watch out for them, especially in the square in front of the block of flats. Ticks pose a threat not only to humans, but also attack dogs and cats. One of the owners of the quadrupeds, who found 50 ticks in his pet, found out about it.
When we talk about tick-borne diseases in humans, most of us can only mention Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. The first one is most often recognized, and the second is considered the most dangerous. But these are not all the diseases that this arachnid can transmit, there are many more. Ticks are also a huge threat to our pets.
Dangerous for pets and humans
The animal can come across them almost anywhere – on a walk, in the forest, in the park. It was experienced by one of the customers of the pet store in Manufaktura, who came for protective measures for his pet right after visiting a veterinarian. The man was scared because his dog had 50 ticks stuck into the skin, all over its body. He immediately bought a special collar, which, according to the customers of the pet store, is the most effective protection against ticks – we read on expressilustrowany.pl.
The tick’s mouthpiece is an extremely refined structure. The subject is stuck in such a way that it is difficult to detach it. It pierces the skin and forms a trough out of saliva, into which anesthetics and substances that prevent blood clotting are injected, and with them germs. Blood sucks the same way. A biting tick can enlarge its size by a factor of 200. It can bite and infect any stage of ticks, even microscopic larvae. Not all ticks are disease carriers, but you never know if you have been bitten by an infected individual.
Diseases transmitted by ticks can even lead to the death of your pet. Although there are no statistics on the incidence of tick-borne diseases in animals, experts emphasize that they can be as dangerous for pets as they are for humans. The most common and dangerous of them are babesiosis and Lyme disease.
The most common symptoms of Lyme disease in animals may resemble the flu found in humans. The severity of symptoms can change over several months, and undiagnosed Lyme disease can lead to permanent disability as well as damage to internal organs. In cats, it is diagnosed much less frequently than in dogs, as it does not cause symptoms as severe as in dogs.
Another disease that is often transmitted by ticks is babesiosis, which causes anemia, liver and kidney damage in animals. It’s a blood disease caused by the Babesia protozoa. In the bloodstream, it attacks red blood cells, as a result of which, in extreme cases, the animal dies within a few days. Especially in Poland, regardless of the place of residence, dogs are susceptible to babesiosis, which, after being infected, lose their appetite, fall into lethargy, increase their dyspnoea, vomiting and diarrhea. Without the prompt help of a doctor, your pet may die even within a few days of being infected.
At the “Pod Koniem” animal clinic, the first tick-borne diseases in dogs were registered a month ago. It is primarily babesiosis, which can even lead to the death of the dog. Since then, doctors take out a few or even a dozen ticks a week. The faster and more effectively we remove the arachnid, the lower the risk of infecting the quadruped with some disease. Sometimes it can be several different diseases, because ticks coming into contact with various animals are carriers of numerous bacteria and viruses – we read on expressilustrowany.pl.
How to protect your pet against tick attacks?
Before going out with the dog, you should protect it with a preparation against ticks and put on a special collar soaked in a tickicidal substance. Sprays, preparations for instillation into the skin and anti-tick collars are available in pet stores and vets. In order to protect your dog against disease, it is worth remembering to vaccinate him.
The first thing that should become a habit for us after returning from a walk with the dog is to carefully examine its skin, with particular emphasis on the abdominal area, ears, tail and groin. Because the shorter the time a tick is on an animal, the lower the risk of transmission of tick-borne diseases.
If we are afraid that the tick fragment will remain in the dog’s body, it is better to ask the vet for help. The tick is best removed with special devices (available at pet stores).
Based on: lifestyle.newseria.pl / expressilustrowany.pl