Don't Let Your Dog Suffer From Fleas or Ticks This Summer

Parasitology experts Bayer Animal Health is issuing a reminder message to all dog owners as the spring 'tick season' nears. During spring, blood-sucking ticks can be amongst the most common problems for the family dog. Bayer Animal Health urges pet owners to consider an anti-parasite treatment to prevent their dogs from being bitten by ticks during their daily walk.

"The recent mild winters have allowed a huge increase in tick numbers, which continues consistently throughout the year - although it is fair to say that the only time we stop seeing ticks is after a few days of frost."

"Ticks are a problem in certain areas and dogs should be checked for ticks after every walk, particularly after walking through vegetation such as rough grasses, bracken, gorse and heather areas that are particularly capable of harbouring ticks."

Not only can tick bites cause skin irritation for both dog and owner but ticks can also transmit dangerous diseases via their saliva. Lyme Disease for example can cause fever, acute lameness, joint swelling and renal failure in dogs as well as arthritis and skin problems in humans.

"We are seeing more and more cases of Canine Vector-Borne Disease (CVBD) transmitted by ticks and we have had several dogs die from tick-borne disease despite prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment."

The best protection against ticks is to treat your dog with a product which not only kills ticks but also acts as a repellent to block ticks from attaching to your dog in the first place. By using a preventative treatment, which is available from veterinary surgeons, owners can confidently protect their dogs."

It is thought that current official statistics for tick-borne diseases are underestimated of the real picture. The likely reason for this is because carriers of tick-borne diseases either do not receive treatment or remain undiagnosed.

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