Ticks can cause disease in animals

Pets, too, are at risk of tick-borne disease. Lyme disease can be transmitted not only to dogs but to other animals, including horses and cattle, said Dr. Chelsea Naylor, a veterinarian at Blanchard Valley Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Katie Frederick, veterinarian at Flag City Mobile Veterinary Clinic, said ticks are "becoming much more prevalent as the years go by." Naylor said cats and dogs should be on some kind of flea, tick and heartworm preventative. The over-the-counter types are less effective than the prescriptions you get from a veterinarian, she said. Topical and oral medications and medicated collars are used for prevention, but Frederick said dogs that frequently swim may fare better with a different type of medication than the topical kind, which may wash off. If your animal does get bitten, just pull the tick out, Frederick advised. She said people are scared they'll leave the head behind, but you likely won't. She advised using tweezers and then putting a topical medication like Neosporin on the animal. If your pet does experience symptoms like fever or joint pain, get it checked out, she said. But ticks usually must remain on a dog for about 24 hours to be able to transmit disease, so removing them quickly makes transmission less likely. Naylor said if your dog is "acting off," has a high fever or has developed lameness, Lyme disease may be a possibility. In some cases, dogs excrete protein in their urine and can go into kidney failure, she said. The good news is that veterinary medicine has "come a long way" and if an animal does need treatment, there are options available. Naylor noted, though, that antibiotic resistance is "a huge issue" in veterinary medicine, as well as in human patients, so they prescribe antibiotics only when they are needed. Naylor encouraged people to call their veterinarians with any questions. For example, she has heard people say they use essential oils for prevention, but that isn't recommended. "Don't ever be afraid to call and ask," she said. Arthurs: 419-427-8494