April is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month!

"Tick"
Photo Credit: Jan Anders, Flickr Creative Commons

Ticks! WOOF! Far from any dog, cat, or humans favorite bug! They sneak up on you, chances are while you are somewhere having some fun with someone you love and they bite you! When they bite, human, canine, or feline, they can cause Lyme Disease which can be very uncomfortable, even fatal in some cases, for your dog. Cats, although not impawssible, rarely get Lyme Disease.

Barkingly, there is no way for humans to know whether a tick has Lyme Disease much less see one before it bites your dog or cat. Paws, and it can be difficult to find them on your pets too! So, what's a dog and cat to do?!

WOOF! WOOF! Have your humans bark and paw with your Veterinarian to begin a stringent routine of preventatives to prevent your dog or cat from getting the disease! Should your pet already have Lyme Disease, a routine still needs to be followed. Several pawsome products are available and should be followed as directed.

Woofs, another impawtant part of keeping ticks away is to maintain the backyard where your dog, and pawssibly cat, like to run, play, roll around or lay in the grass, and dig! My human doesn't allow the grass to grow very high between mowings- which is another way to keep the snakes away too! Paws, since he loves me and Samson with all his everlovin' heart, Dad uses a tick prevention treatment in the yard. Barks, he likes to use NaturaLawn of America’s Natural Flea & Tick Control Service (we are not affiliated). This way, he’s doing a double-prevention to benefit both of us.

Barkingly, don't forget to clean up the yard debris by pulling tall weeds, cutting back perennials, raking leaves, and removing leaf piles especially those against the house or deck, and dispose of properly. These can be full of ticks! YUCK! WOOF!

During our long walks and hikes, especially on nature trails, Dad does his best to keep me from going off the path BARKS, but sometimes I just love to sniff the scents along the way and end up getting into it all! Barks! My stubborn Plott Hound-self will take off for it faster than Dad can react sometimes! After our walks, Dad checks me for ticks and lumps paying attention to my arms,
legs, neck, and inside the ears. For dogs with dark color coats, using a fine-tooth comb helps.  If he finds a lump he’ll investigate it. Any ticks found are removed following Veterinary instructions or assistance. 

WOOF! Humans should wear repellent, long-sleeve shirts, and long pants to guard against those rascally tick jumping from the wilds of the universe or your dog to you!

Barks, be sure to start a routine of tick and flea treatment! Talk to your dog or cat's Veterinarian today.