Happy Wildout Whiskers Wednesday!
I don't know if you guys are aware, but April is Prevention of Lyme Disease in Dogs Month. Lyme disease is a very serious illness in both pets and people; and because of this, we all need to be hyper aware of the pests that carry this disease--ticks. How can we spot ticks on ourselves or our pets? Where do they hang out? What exactly do they look like?
First off, what are the different variety of ticks? Here are a few:
Blacklegged Ticks or Deer Ticks
American Dog Ticks
Brown Dog Tick
Lone Star Tick
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick
Gulf Coast Tick
http://www.tickencounter.org/tick_identification/tick_species
In "Pets: Beware of Lyme Disease As We Move Into Spring," we're provided with tips to reduce the risk of Lyme disease:
http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/article/ND/20180414/NEWS/180419892
If you or your dog are often outdoors, you can reduce the risk of disease by taking a few simple precautions. The first is learn how to recognize a tick. The immature form, known as a “nymph”, is about the size of a poppy seed (1/25 inch long). It has eight legs, a dark brownish-black plate on its back and a light-colored, translucent abdomen and is most active during spring and early summer months. Nymphs are often found on logs, grasses, fallen branches, low-growing shrubs, and among the damp leaves that accumulate under trees. An adult is about 1/8 inch long, has long mouthparts, brownish-black legs, a dark brownish-black plate that covers the front half of its back and a reddish-orange abdomen. Feeding ticks can expand to almost 1/2 inch in length. The adults are typically found in open grass or chaparral, along the vegetative borders of hillside trails and other areas that have populations of deer.
In "Lyme Disease in Dogs: Symptoms, Tests, Treatment, and Prevention", we're given lots of awesome information on dealing with and preventing Lyme Disease in your favorite pooch:
http://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/common-conditions/lyme-disease-in-dogs/
Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs:
Fever
Loss of appetite
Reduced energy
Lameness
General Stiffness
Swelling of joints
Kidney Failure, and serious cardiac and neurological complications can occur
How are Dogs Tested for Lyme Disease?
There are two types of blood test that can indicate Lyme disease. One is an antibody test, which detects presence not of the bacterium but of specific antibodies that are formed in the dog’s body in reaction to the bacterium. A positive test result confirms that the dog was exposed to the bacterium.
However, dogs who have been recently infected might not yet have a high-enough level of antibodies present in their bloodstream to show up on the test. Likewise, dogs who have been infected for a long time might no longer have enough antibodies present to show a positive test result. So there can be “false negative” test results for dogs who do indeed have Lyme.
The second type of test is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, a specific DNA test that confirms presence of the disease-causing bacterium itself. Again, false-negative test results can occur, however, as the bacteria might be present in an affected joint, for example, but not in the blood cells that were tested.
What's the treatment?
Treatment includes administration of an antibiotic, usually for several weeks. This often will quickly resolve symptoms, but in some cases infection will persist and prolonged medication may be needed. Treatment can also include other therapies aimed at resolving or relieving specific symptoms.
Wanna know more?
Please be sure to check out the rest of this article. They provide plenty of useful information about protecting your pet from these harmful pests that not only spread Lyme disease, but a host of other illnesses. Let's be vigilant and protect ourselves and our pets from these horrible, blood-sucking creatures, (sounds like I'm talking about vampires, right)? We'll save all that for Pet Spooktacular!
Until then...
This is your host J,
signing off...
I don't know if you guys are aware, but April is Prevention of Lyme Disease in Dogs Month. Lyme disease is a very serious illness in both pets and people; and because of this, we all need to be hyper aware of the pests that carry this disease--ticks. How can we spot ticks on ourselves or our pets? Where do they hang out? What exactly do they look like?
First off, what are the different variety of ticks? Here are a few:
Blacklegged Ticks or Deer Ticks
American Dog Ticks
Brown Dog Tick
Lone Star Tick
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick
Gulf Coast Tick
To learn more about these ticks, check out the link below:
In "Pets: Beware of Lyme Disease As We Move Into Spring," we're provided with tips to reduce the risk of Lyme disease:
http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/article/ND/20180414/NEWS/180419892
If you or your dog are often outdoors, you can reduce the risk of disease by taking a few simple precautions. The first is learn how to recognize a tick. The immature form, known as a “nymph”, is about the size of a poppy seed (1/25 inch long). It has eight legs, a dark brownish-black plate on its back and a light-colored, translucent abdomen and is most active during spring and early summer months. Nymphs are often found on logs, grasses, fallen branches, low-growing shrubs, and among the damp leaves that accumulate under trees. An adult is about 1/8 inch long, has long mouthparts, brownish-black legs, a dark brownish-black plate that covers the front half of its back and a reddish-orange abdomen. Feeding ticks can expand to almost 1/2 inch in length. The adults are typically found in open grass or chaparral, along the vegetative borders of hillside trails and other areas that have populations of deer.
In "Lyme Disease in Dogs: Symptoms, Tests, Treatment, and Prevention", we're given lots of awesome information on dealing with and preventing Lyme Disease in your favorite pooch:
http://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/common-conditions/lyme-disease-in-dogs/
Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs:
Fever
Loss of appetite
Reduced energy
Lameness
General Stiffness
Swelling of joints
Kidney Failure, and serious cardiac and neurological complications can occur
How are Dogs Tested for Lyme Disease?
There are two types of blood test that can indicate Lyme disease. One is an antibody test, which detects presence not of the bacterium but of specific antibodies that are formed in the dog’s body in reaction to the bacterium. A positive test result confirms that the dog was exposed to the bacterium.
However, dogs who have been recently infected might not yet have a high-enough level of antibodies present in their bloodstream to show up on the test. Likewise, dogs who have been infected for a long time might no longer have enough antibodies present to show a positive test result. So there can be “false negative” test results for dogs who do indeed have Lyme.
The second type of test is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, a specific DNA test that confirms presence of the disease-causing bacterium itself. Again, false-negative test results can occur, however, as the bacteria might be present in an affected joint, for example, but not in the blood cells that were tested.
What's the treatment?
Treatment includes administration of an antibiotic, usually for several weeks. This often will quickly resolve symptoms, but in some cases infection will persist and prolonged medication may be needed. Treatment can also include other therapies aimed at resolving or relieving specific symptoms.
Wanna know more?
Please be sure to check out the rest of this article. They provide plenty of useful information about protecting your pet from these harmful pests that not only spread Lyme disease, but a host of other illnesses. Let's be vigilant and protect ourselves and our pets from these horrible, blood-sucking creatures, (sounds like I'm talking about vampires, right)? We'll save all that for Pet Spooktacular!
Until then...
This is your host J,
signing off...
 |
| Super-gross and pesky! Can't we just do away with them? |
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