Over the past few months, ticks and tick-borne diseases have been all over the news. This year is supposed to be a very bad year for ticks as we had a very mild winter. Do your part to help keep your dogs safe because you are protecting yourself as well.

Ticks are small arachnids, belonging to the same class as spiders, scorpions, and mites. Ticks are parasites that rely on blood from other animals for survival. Unlike fleas, who rarely leave their host, ticks will have a blood meal and then drop off and wait for their next host. You could be the next meal for the ticks your dog brings into your yard or even indoors.

In the Chicago area, there are four main types of ticks: brown dog tick, blacklegged tick (deer tick), Lone Star tick, and American dog tick. These ticks are known to spread diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Ehrlichia. These diseases can present with anemia, bleeding disorders, lethargy, loss of appetite, weakness, joint swelling, and limping. Dogs typically do not get the target skin lesions seen in people infected with Lyme disease, so dogs’ tick bites often go unnoticed.

Pay attention to your dog’s general condition to recognize ticks.

If your dog has had previous tick exposure or if your pet is experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, we recommend having your pet examined and screened for tick-borne diseases. To protect your dogs, cats, and other pets, there are multiple options on the market. Unfortunately, there is not a single product that protects again heartworms, fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites, so we recommend all our clients use two products for complete protection.

For tick protection, there are topical products, chewable products, and collars on the market. Here at Medical District Veterinary Clinic our most popular tick preventative is NexGard. It is a chewable labeled to kill all four types of ticks as well as kill fleas. If you prefer a topical, we carry the new and improved Frontline Gold.

This product is currently available at our clinic, so it is cheaper to purchase them from us compared to online retailers. Give us a call today to get your pet protected. If you have cats that need to be protected, ask us for a recommendation because many of the tick preventatives on the market for dogs are toxic to cats. Never use a dog product on your cats. We would be happy to discuss a safe, effective tick preventative for your cat as well as for other pets you have that need protection.

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Cats are subject to ticks just as dogs, so they must be protected.

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Sandra Black

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Paul Phillips

Such an informative post! I have always been attentive to my dog’s health state and this article makes it clear to me why dogs may behave so strange. Thanks to your tips and recommendations, my dog is safe from the most widespread diseases and parasites.

Sandra Black

Thank you for your comment! Don’t forget that you may always visit our clinic to prevent any further diseases of your pets. Don’t forget to subcribe to our newsletter for the latest blog posts.

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