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Paws in Print

Summer 2000

Tick and Flea Control

by Dr. Pat Larkin, D.V.M

Long hot summers and very mild winter weather has provided an optimum environment for the viability of ticks and fleas. As veterinarians, we recommend products to control the population of ticks and fleas on a daily basis. Often, we are asked the importance of flea and tick control. Both fleas and ticks can cause skin problems such as irritation, rashes, and infections. They are also transmitters of some very serious diseases. Today I am going to focus on the diseases that are transmitted by the tick.

Ticks are prevalent in the Southeastern U.S. They are common to wooded and grassy areas and thrive in the hot and dry climate that prevails in the South. This creates a problem for pets and pet owners alike. The diseases that are transmitted by ticks include Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Ehrlichia, and Lyme disease. These diseases are carried by the tick and are transmitted through the bite. Once infected, the pet shows signs that are manifest in several different ways. They range from nonspecific soreness to lameness to cough to as severe as bleeding disorders.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is the most common tick disease that affects people. Four hundred and ninety-three cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever were reported to the Center for Disease Control in 1992. There was a mortality rate of 5 percent. RMSF is generally a disease of the Central and South Central U.S.

Dogs are not a reservoir for the disease nor do they serve as sources of human infection. Tick diseases are primarily transmitted in the spring and summer months. Early detection is extremely important. Your veterinarian can detect these by serological testing for exposure.

If any of the previous mentioned signs are present or suspected, you need to contact your local veterinarian. These diseases are very treatable if caught early.

As veterinarians our focus is not only on the pet, but also on the owner as well. If any exposures of tick bites are suspected by the owner, the owner should contact his or her family physician and proceed as instructed.

(Dr. Larkin is in practice with Dr. William Kimble and Dr. Greg Howell at the Animal Medical Center. In coming issues we will feature articles by other local veterinarians.)

To Be a Better Person

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can get going without pep pills,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend’s limited education and never correct him,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies a deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, or politics,

Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog!

Submitted by Dianne Watson