We live in Michigan, where we expect four natural seasons (we won’t talk about the typical Michigan Orange Cone Season…..). But with climate changes and weird weather patterns, we get cold and warm day to day, even hour to hour. Michiganders say it’s a joke to have all four seasons in one day, but we know it’s no joke. And due to not having the cold stay cold long enough, we have to deal with fleas and ticks in the winter. I hate to break it to you, but the cold DOES NOT KILL FLEAS AND TICKS!!! It only puts them to sleep, hibernating like bears. When we have a warm spell, they wake up and want to move to warmer climes like any smart animal. This means your pets, person and homes. Prevention should be done all year around, even though we are in the North.
Preventing Ticks on Your Pets
Dogs are very susceptible to tick bites and tick-borne diseases. Vaccines are not available for all the tick-borne diseases that dogs can get, and they don’t keep the dogs from bringing ticks into your home. For these reasons, it’s important to use a tick preventive product on your dog.
Tick bites on dogs may be hard to detect. Signs of tick-borne disease may not appear for 7-21 days or longer after a tick bite, so watch your dog closely for changes in behavior or appetite if you suspect that a tick has bitten your pet.
To reduce the chances that a tick will transmit disease to you or your pets:
- Check your pets for ticks daily, especially after they spend time outdoors.
- If you find a tick on your dog, remove it right away. This can be done by tweezers, rubbing alcohol or a specific tick removal tool. NEVER use a lighter or any kind of heating element. (Yes, I have had parents tell me this was a choice.)
- Ask your veterinarian to conduct a tick check at each exam.
- Talk to your veterinarian about tick borne diseases in your area. The State of Michigan should have notices on their website on areas of health issues for animals.
- Reduce tick habitat in your yard. Remove loose brush or standing water if in the area where your pets go into. Fleas can live in sand as well, and you can treat the yard with products that can be safe for your furbabies.
- Talk with your veterinarian about using tick preventives on your pet.
AND best of all, be sure to question your groomer as well, for they should be able to find them and let you know, plus offering baths to eliminate fleas and ticks and talking about products to help with prevention. It is time to be safe!