Tick Prevention
While most people associate ticks with Lyme disease, the fact is that their bites can cause many other serious illnesses that can be transmitted to people as well: Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and tick paralysis. If your pet spends any time in the outdoors, it’s important that they are protected from these pests, because when you protect them you protect yourself and your family as well.
There are many tick preventives that will work to keep ticks from hitching a ride on your pet, and most do “double duty”—meaning they prevent fleas as well. Even if your pet is on tick preventive, it’s still important to manually check your pet for ticks after every outing, as they can jump from one host to a more hospitable one. Also, some preventives work by killing ticks after they attach.
If you do find a tick, consider bringing it to the clinic so we can safely remove it properly. This process is delicate since a piece might break off and remain in your dog’s skin if the removal has been done improperly. We also have “Tick keys” available to help you safely remove ticks from your pet yourself.
Your Animal Hospital of the Sierra staff and veterinarians can advise you about which tick preventive would be right for your pet and budget. Just give us a call at 559-683-3313.