We’re in the middle of summer, and many of you probably enjoy taking advantage of the great outdoors at this time of year. And you’re not alone – ticks love this time of year too. They tend to emerge in the warmer weather, so between spring and fall is the peak time for occurrence of tick-transmitted diseases. So it’s important to be aware of the prevalence of tick-borne diseases in your area.

In the US and Europe, Lyme disease is the most common of these conditions, and represents an important public health concern. It was named after the town of Lyme in Connecticut, where a cluster of the first cases of the disease in this country were recognized in 1975. The disease itself is caused by the bite of a tick that is infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Most commonly in the US, the Ixodes species of deer tick is involved in transmitting the bacterium to people.

 

 

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

These ticks are especially prevalent in grassy and wooded areas, so it is important to take precautions when out and about:

 

Wear Appropriate Clothing

  • Light colors help you to recognize ticks more easily
  • Long sleeves protect the arms
  • Long pants protect the legs
  • Avoid wearing flip flops or open shoes
  • Tuck pants into socks or boots
  • Use Insect Repellent – apply to exposed areas of skin, and spray onto clothing too

 

Inspect for ticks

  • Check for attached ticks every few hours outside
  • Check again upon return home
  • Have a partner check difficult-to-see areas
  • Check pets too
  • Change clothes upon return home – shake out those you wore while outdoors

 

If You Find An Attached Tick

  • Remove immediately – use tweezers to grasp firmly near the head, and pull without squeezing
  • If mouthparts remain attached, remove using tweezers
  • Clean the area of skin affected, and apply antiseptic cream
  • If in doubt, save the tick in a small container (or between some pieces of sticky tape) in case it needs to be identified later

 

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms and signs of Lyme disease are variable because it can affect numerous body systems. Some of the more classic symptoms, however, include:

 

Early Symptoms

  • Skin rash: One of the hallmarks of the disease, affecting up to 80% of infected people, is erythema migrans. This is the classic rash that has a bull’s eye shape – a central dark red region and peripheral clear halo are surrounded by an outer red ring. It develops 3-30 days following a tick bite, and spreads with time. It should be differentiated from a rash that results after a tick bite due to an allergy to the tick’s saliva. This occurs within 72 hours of a bite, disappears with time, and is not indicative of Lyme disease.
  • Flu-like ailments: Fever, fatigue, aches, headache, and stiff neck are often reported early on in the course of disease.

 

Later Symptoms

If Lyme disease goes untreated, the bacterium can spread to other body systems. The joints and nervous system are a couple of the more common regions affected in such cases:

  • Joint pain: Untreated patients may sometimes develop joint pain, especially in the knees.
  • Neurological symptoms: Occasional patients can develop numbness or weakness of the limbs, facial paralysis, or even meningitis in severe cases.

 

It is important to remember, however, that not every tick is infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. Therefore not every tick bite leads to Lyme disease. If you do develop any concerning symptoms following a tick bite, however, seek medical advice as soon as possible – this will enable best treatment results in the event that you do have Lyme disease.

Don’t forget to check your dogs too – not only can they be bitten by ticks, but they too can develop Lyme disease. Ticks often go unrecognized on dogs due to their thick coats. So be sure to pay some extra attention to your dog after a walk, and groom him well to check for attached ticks.

And whilst the prospect of tick-borne disease shouldn’t keep you indoors all summer, it certainly pays to take preventive measures to guard against tick attachment, especially in regions where Lyme disease is prevalent.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fleas are no longer a summertime problem – they can bother your pet all year round, thanks to our cosy, centrally-heated homes that allow flea eggs to incubate and hatch, even in the winter.

I’ve written some articles for the HappyTails Canine Spa, so if you want to control fleas, make it a two-sided attack on the animal as well as his environment.

 

 

There are many varieties of flea control products available for cats and dogs now – your veterinarian can advise you on which is best for your pet (especially if he has developed problems such as secondary pyoderma due to flea allergy dermatitis). But if you have a dog and love trying natural products, check out the online store while you’re over at HappyTails they have some wonderful products!

 

 

 

 

“Chocolate poisoning” represented one of the “Top 10” pet poisonings reported by the Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). This occurs as a result of an adverse reaction to the alkaloid theobromine in chocolate. The toxicity affects dogs more than cats, probably because they  are more likely to consume large quantities of unusual foods chocolate, whereas cats are typically less likely to voluntarily eat chocolate, especially in large quantities. Animals of all ages, however, are affected.

How Much?

According to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center, mild signs of toxicity are considered to occur in animals after eating around 20 mg of theobromine and caffeine per kg bodyweight, with severe signs arising at 40-50 mg/kg, seizures at 60 mg/kg, with potentially lethal results at 100 mg/kg.

Clinical signs typically occur within 6-12 hours, and how your dog reacts will depend especially on his size, as well as the type of chocolate eaten. Different types of chocolate contain different levels of theobromine: Baking chocolate contains the highest levels, followed by dark chocolate, milk chocolate & white chocolate, respectively.

Some approximate theobromine concentrations in various chocolate products are as follows:

  • Cacao beans: Up to 1200 mg/oz
  • Baking chocolate: 400 mg/oz
  • Dark chocolate: 150 mg/oz
  • Instant cocoa powder: 150 mg/oz
  • Milk chocolate: 50 mg/oz
  • Hot chocolate: 15 mg/oz
  • White chocolate 1 mg/oz

Although these are approximate figures only, they at least provide a sense of the wide range of theobromine concentrations in different products. These figures equate to ingestion of approximately 3 lbs of milk chocolate by a 32 kg Labrador retriever being fatal, while only 7 oz milk chocolate could be fatal to a 4.5 kg Yorkshire terrier.

Clinical Signs

The toxic effects of theobromine affect many organ systems. The first signs of chocolate poisoning, however, tend to be vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, restlessness and increased urination. Signs can ultimately progress to fatal cardiac arrhythmias and seizures.

Treatment

There is no antidote for chocolate poisoning, so treatment tends to be supportive. Since the half life of threobromine is around 18 hours, veterinarians will often induce vomiting in affected dogs within the first 1-2 hours post-ingestion, in particular if the quantity is unknown. Activated charcoal administration can also be useful in reducing the quantity of toxin absorbed. Otherwise, however, treatment is based on the clinical signs of each individual case, with intravenous fluid therapy being commonly used in animals with toxicity-induced dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea, for instance.

If you do suspect that your pet has eaten an unknown quantity of chocolate, contact your veterinarian immediately for advice. With appropriate, timely treatment, most animals make a complete recovery.

(888) 426-4435 ASPCA Animal Poison Control 

It’s been a “dog disease” kind of week on the writing front. Here’s a snapshot of it, courtesy of Wordle.