Ticks don't follow rules: How to prepare your dog for tick season
With everything going on in the world today, it's easy to get distracted from things we would normally be focused on in Springtime: like your pet's preventative care. We may be in the middle of a global COVID-19 pandemic, but the tick population isn't aware. Ticks are not self-isolating or keeping a 6-foot distance from you or your dog. Ticks will become active when temperatures hit 4°C whether there's a pandemic or not. Your pet's flea and tick prevention is still important- even if they're spending less time outside.
On average, about 1 in 5 black-legged ticks (also referred to as deer ticks) in Ontario carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease- Borrelia burgdorferi. Just because a tick has bitten your dog, doesn't mean that your dog will contract Lyme disease or any other tick-borne illness. However, if your dog is not on tick prevention that kills ticks before disease transmission can take place, then the risk of exposure is higher. There are more tick-borne illnesses than just Lyme disease that can put your dog at risk, these diseases are just less talked about and less common. It's no question that ticks are on the rise in Ontario. The real question is why?
With everything going on in the world today, it's easy to get distracted from things we would normally be focused on in Springtime: like your pet's preventative care. We may be in the middle of a global COVID-19 pandemic, but the tick population isn't aware. Ticks are not self-isolating or keeping a 6-foot distance from you or your dog. Ticks will become active when temperatures hit 4°C whether there's a pandemic or not. Your pet's flea and tick prevention is still important- even if they're spending less time outside.
On average, about 1 in 5 black-legged ticks (also referred to as deer ticks) in Ontario carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease- Borrelia burgdorferi. Just because a tick has bitten your dog, doesn't mean that your dog will contract Lyme disease or any other tick-borne illness. However, if your dog is not on tick prevention that kills ticks before disease transmission can take place, then the risk of exposure is higher. There are more tick-borne illnesses than just Lyme disease that can put your dog at risk, these diseases are just less talked about and less common. It's no question that ticks are on the rise in Ontario. The real question is why?
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