Tick-Borne Diseases And Your Pet

Tick-Borne Diseases And Your Pet Photo © edu1971 – Fotolia.com

Ticks have become one of the most feared parasites by many dog and cat owners because they bring about a number of health risks to their pets. Tick bites may even result in diseases which can be fatal to your pet.

Since they feed on animal blood, ticks bite their hosts in order to move through the various stages of their development, from larval stage maturing into adult ones.

According to research, during the adult and nymph stages of ticks, they will start crawling onto the cat’s body, anchor themselves into the skin, and begin sucking blood.

When the warmer months of the year arrived, experts suggest that the cat’s coat must be thoroughly brushed regularly. Also, signs of infestation must be checked often. Ticks often thrive in hard-to-reach places such as in the ears, between the toes, between the legs, and neck. ^[1]

If ticks are found, they should be removed with the use of tweezers or forceps. For female ticks, they should be finished off completely by dropping them into a bottle of alcohol and sealing it tightly.

Some of the diseases caused by ticks may be treated but prevention is still preferred. One way to prevent the onset of tick-borne diseases is by keeping the cats indoors. The use of tick collars are also claimed to be effective at repelling ticks and fleas. ^[2]

There have been more than 800 species of ticks found across the globe, but only around a dozen were found to bring fatal diseases in felines.

Lyme disease is actually one of the most common feline diseases diagnosed that is associated with ticks. However, other conditions such as tularemia, haemobartonellosis, and cytauxzoonosis were among the most lethal. Other common diseases associated with ticks include anaplasmosis, rocky mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, American canine hepatozoonosis, and babesiosis. ^[3]

When infected by these diseases, your lovable pets may suffer from non-serious to fatal damages. The good news is, your cat may be less susceptible to tick-born diseases when they are kept inside the house most of the time. Nonetheless, they may still be infected since humans and dogs may actually carry ticks inside the house.

Here’s the link to a full tutorial on Lyme Disease In Pets

Related: 9 Tick Control Tips For Cats

References:
[1] http://www.petmd.com/cat/slideshows/parasites/10-ways-to-stop-biting-ticks-on-cats
[2] http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-28/marketplace/sns-201307021730–tms–petwrldctnya-a20130703-20130703_1_cohn-more-cats-protocol
[3] http://www.petmd.com/cat/slideshows/parasites/tick-borne-diseases-lyme-diseaseand-your-cat

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Tick-Borne Diseases and Your Pet
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