AS the weather warms up and our gardens spring into life, so do Ohio’s ticks.
And tick bites are not pleasant for our furry friends – or for their owners. While the bite itself is more of an irritant than a serious problem, the diseases that can come with a tick bite are a different matter altogether.
The most notable illness carried by ticks is Lyme disease, which can be fatal, but ticks can also carry anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis and even cause tick bite paralysis.
So, the best way to deal with ticks is to prevent them from enjoying your garden in the first place – or at least minimize their presence.
Ticks thrive in vegetation – they prefer long grass, shrubs, vegetation, and woodlands – as they simply latch themselves onto passing animals and people and begin their feasting.
To reduce this habitat in your grounds, keep on top of mowing your lawns and keep the blades on a shortcut, and keep undergrowth well-trimmed. Clear away any leaves leftover from fall.
And to protect yourself from ticks, use bug spray that contains DEET and wear lighter-colored clothing which can be treated with permethrin. Wash clothing that could have been exposed to ticks in hot water.
For your cat or dog, make sure you stay on top of both their flea and tick prevention medication and avoid walks in heavily grassed or wooded areas during the summer.
When you return from a walk or exercise, take the time to check your pet for ticks – focus in and around ears, eyes, toes, under the tail, and their legs.
Ticks are common throughout Ohio, are found in 66 of the 88 counties, and are on the increase as they thrive on deer, and the deer population has been growing giving the ticks a plentiful food source.
Ohio’s most common ticks are the American dog tick, which prefers open and grassy lands, the deer or black-legged tick, which prefers woodlands, the Lone Star tick, which is mainly found in the south of Ohio, and the brown dog tick, which can also establish itself successfully in the indoor environment.
Now is a great time to book your pet into Creekside Animal Clinic for an annual check-up and our top vets can help recommend the best medications and treatments to help keep your cat or dog tick-free and happy this summer. Call for an appointment today at 330-825-9556 or visit their website.