The tick season for pets has actually already started. Due to the warm winter and temperature fluctuations, parasites became active a few weeks ago, and they can be found not only in the forest or tall grass, but even in yards and entrances. Yelyzaveta Babiy, a veterinarian, told UNN journalist more about where animals most often pick up ticks, how to notice them in time, and which protective measures work best.
Details
Tick activity depends not on the season, but primarily on air temperature. Therefore, due to unstable weather, they can appear even in winter. According to the veterinarian, the first cases were recorded a few weeks ago this year.
To navigate, you need to understand that the tick doesn't care what season or time of year it is. It focuses more on temperature. If the temperature is approximately from zero to plus two degrees, then ticks are already active, and due to temperature fluctuations this winter, even during cold periods, ticks had to be removed from dogs.
Most often, parasites live in the natural environment, but an animal can pick up a tick even in an urban environment.
Tick season: veterinarian gave advice on how to protect pets09.03.25, 11:44 • [views_139416]
Of course, ticks are most often found in grassy areas, because this is their natural habitat. But they can also be found in park areas, on walking grounds. Sometimes an animal becomes a mechanical carrier: the tick did not bite it, but it simply remains on the fur and is transferred to another place. Even in entrances or in the yards of private houses, ticks can sometimes be found.
It is not always easy to notice a parasite on an animal, especially if the dog has a thick undercoat, and it is almost impossible to see a small tick at all until it has latched on. Therefore, Yelyzaveta Babiy advises pet owners to inspect their pets after each walk.
As a rule, you can already see the tick that has bitten and filled with blood. A small parasite is almost never noticeable. It is best to wipe the animal with a damp white towel after a walk, because ticks stick to it and are clearly visible on white. Also, you can use a regular lint roller or grooming gloves, slightly moistened with water.
Also, do not forget about animal protection. There is a whole arsenal of methods - tablets, drops on the withers, sprays and special collars. However, the doctor says, they have different mechanisms of action. For example, some drugs do not repel ticks, but only prevent them from transmitting dangerous infections.
Tablets and drops work like this: the tick bites the animal, but during the bite it does not have time to transmit the pathogen. The active substance is distributed in the body and is safe for the dog, but toxic for the tick, then the tick develops a strong reaction of the nervous system and dies. That is, the fact of a bite may occur, but infection does not occur.
The veterinarian also emphasizes that even animals that do not go outside need to be treated for ticks, as the parasite can enter the apartment even with a person on clothes or shoes.
Even if the animal does not leave the apartment, it still needs to be treated. A person can bring a tick on clothes or shoes and it will get into the house. Therefore, prevention should be year-round - this is the easiest way to protect your pet.
The greatest danger of a bite lies precisely in the diseases that ticks can transmit, says the veterinarian. Many of them affect the animal's blood cells and can lead to serious consequences, and in complex cases, the body even begins to attack its own healthy cells.
Ticks transmit blood-borne parasitic diseases - microorganisms that live in blood cells. When there are many of them, the cells are destroyed, oxygen starvation of the body occurs, and severe intoxication. The body begins to actively fight, inflammation occurs, and sometimes even healthy cells can be damaged.
Regarding the first symptoms of a tick-borne disease, they may be subtle, says the doctor. However, if the animal becomes less active, eats worse, or rests more, you should consult a specialist.
Initially, this is a decrease in activity or refusal to eat. Then shortness of breath, severe fatigue after normal loads may appear. In more severe cases, jaundice of the mucous membranes, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever appear. If such symptoms appear, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.
And if the owner has already found a tick on the animal, it must be carefully removed.
It is very important not to grab the tick by its belly, but as close to the skin as possible - by the area near the head. If you pull on a blood-filled belly, it can tear off, and the head will remain in the skin. After the tick has been removed, the bite site should be treated with alcohol or iodine and it is imperative to take the animal to the doctor, after which - carefully observe the animal for several days - emphasizes the doctor.