ticks Archives - Goddard Veterinary Group

Posts Tagged ‘ticks’

Parasites, Your Pet, Your Family and the Environment

Our dogs and cats are an important part of our families and households but, depending on their lifestyle, they can encounter parasites that may pose a risk to either their health or to ours. It is important to understand the risks, monitor for infections and to help prevent disease in both our pets and our families, and to protect the environment in regard to the use of parasiticides (the medicines used to treat fleas, worms, ticks etc).

At Goddard Veterinary Group, we recommend twice-yearly preventative health checks, one with the Veterinary Surgeon at vaccination time, and one at a nurse check six months later. These appointments are the ideal time to discuss your pet’s lifestyle and their personal risk profile for picking up parasites. Preventing disease is better for your pet, your pocket and the environment than treating a disease once it is established.

Puppies and Kittens

Young animals have immature immune systems and are more at risk of life-threatening disease from parasites than adult cats and dogs. The veterinary surgeon will perform a full examination at the time of your first appointment and we ask you please bring a list of any treatments that your breeder or rescue centre may have given your puppy or kitten before rehoming.

Commonly seen parasites in puppies and kittens are:

Roundworm – young animals are high risk of carrying roundworm which is a gastro-intestinal worm that can cause illness in young animals and blindness in people. Puppies can contract it in utero from their mother before birth. You may not always see evidence of roundworm, but occasionally they may pass in your pet’s faeces or be seen in vomit and look a bit like spaghetti.
Fleas. These are often carried from their mother and can cause significant anaemia (red blood cell deficiency) in young animals. See below for how to detect fleas on your pet.
Ear Mites. These are not uncommon in young animals and can cause a lot of irritation around the head. Our vet will examine the ears at their initial check-ups to check for signs.

Dogs and Lungworm

Lungworm is a serious illness that can be fatal to your dog if it goes undetected and untreated. 75% of foxes in London are believed to carry lungworm and it passes through slugs and snails and into your dog as larvae. Slugs and snails can be picked up when your dog chews grass and possibly from drinking from puddles or from dog bowls where slugs have been.

We recommend regular monthly prevention for but all but the most house-bound dogs in London. Preventative treatments are only available through a veterinary prescription and are not available in products sold over the counter or online without a prescription. We can offer prescriptions for either a Spot-On treatment or a chewable tablet.

If you dog is not on regular prevention, we will recommend a lung worm test prior to any surgery or if you dog is showing signs of being unwell.

Learn more about Lungworm

Fleas – a problem for your pets, for you and your house

Fleas are probably the most common parasite we see and can cause immense irritation to you and your pet. They can also spread disease to people such as Cat Scratch Fever if we are bitten by them, and your pet can develop Flea Allergic Dermatitis. The risk of fleas increases in multi-pet houses, for pets that go outdoors and those that socialise with other pets.

The big issue with fleas, is that only the adult fleas live on your pet, and they account for only 5% of the flea population. The flea eggs, larvae and pupae live in the environment – they like a warm climate and fed off the dander (flakes of skin shed in your pet’s hair or fur). The pupae can hibernate for months and hatch as the adult flea when they feel warmth and vibrations of a mammal. The greatest risk of picking up fleas is over the spring and summer months, and then again when we turn on our central heating. Once a flea population is established in your house, it can take months to treat.

How to detect if you pet has fleas:

Purchase a flea comb from your vet or a pet shop.
Run the comb through your pet’s coat along the back, especially over the top of the tail.
Shake any contents of the comb onto a wet tissue or paper towel.
If you see black spots that turn red with blood, that is flea dirt.

We have a range of preventative treatments including ‘Spot-Ons’ and tablets and our veterinary team will make a recommendation to you based on your pet’s lifestyle and risk factors. Once an infection is confirmed on your pet, we will also recommend you treat your house, furniture, car, garden sheds and anywhere you pet may have been indoors that could keep the flea lifecycle going

Ticks

Ticks are another blood sucking parasite that can be picked up when your pet goes for walks in grassy areas. They can cause irritation and also transmit disease to your pet. They are mostly seen where other host animals live, such as deer, sheep and cattle. Dogs and cats living near some of London’s parks or those that travel outside of London are most at risk.

Do not remove a tick by pulling on it. The head parts will remain and can transmit disease or cause irritation and do not use spirit on it. Use a tick hook to twist the tick off with head parts attached. Tick hooks come with instructions for use.

Prevention. We recommend regular prevention if your pet is at increased risk of ticks, but not all pets will need it. Tick treatments are often combined with some flea treatments so check with your veterinary team if your flea treatment also covers for ticks. Tick treatments are available as a Spot On or as a tablet.

Learn more about ticks

Roundworm – an intestinal worm in dogs and cats

As for puppies and kittens, adult cats and dogs are at risk of picking up roundworm. They live in the gastrointestinal tract, and you won’t often see visible signs. They can cause disease in people known as Toxocariasis and those most at risk are children and the immunosuppressed.

Eggs can be passed into the environment and survive a long time – that is why its important to pick up dog’s faeces and dispose of it in bins and not let pets play in sand pits or children’s playgrounds. Urban areas are reported to be at higher risk of roundworm than in country areas due to a higher density of pets and foxes. Your vet will recommend a regular worming program passed on your pet’s lifestyle. Cats that hunt, dogs that scavenge and feeding pets raw food will all increase the risk of roundworm.

See Feline Endoparasites: what is inside my cat and see Toxocarisis from the NHS for more on the risks to people.

Figure 1-Lifecycle images from ESSCAP Guideline 01 Sixth Edition May 2021

Tapeworm

There are a range of tapeworm species your pets can catch and three are a concern for human health:

Echnicoccus Granulosos in dogs: Can be picked up by eating raw offal and transmitted to people leading to large internal cysts known as hydatid cysts. Dogs that are scavengers, who travel to farming areas, or are fed raw food are at increased risk.

Echnicoccus Multilocluaris: Very common in Western Europe. Any dog that that travels to the EU must be treated before returning to the UK and we recommend treating again a month after returning.

Dipylidium caninum: If we accidentally ingest an adult flea this tapeworm can cause mild gastrointestinal symptoms.

Frequency of tapeworm treatment will be dependent on the lifestyle of your pet and whether they hunt, travel abroad, are feed raw food or live with immunosuppressed family members.

This covers the most commonly seen parasites in the Greater London area. However, there are a range of other creepy crawlies you and your pet may encounter and regular health checks are the best way to get an early diagnosis.

How to use parasite treatments safely:

All our parasite treatments will be dispensed with a data sheet that explains safe handling guidelines and we recommend reading these, especially if it is the first time you have used the treatment.

The British Veterinary Association advises the following to protect your pet, yourself and the environment from possible adverse effects of parasite treatment.

Keeping Pets Safe

Only use products for the animal they’re prescribed for — they may harm others.
Use the right product for the species — e.g. never use a dog product on a cat.
Follow your vet’s advice on treatment frequency and when to finish the course.
Avoid your pet’s eyes, ears and mouth when applying spot-on treatments and make sure other animals can’t groom or lick them.

Keeping People Safe

Check the label to see if you are sensitive to any ingredients.
Seek medical advice if you experience any adverse reactions.
Avoid contact with your skin, eyes or mouth.
Do no stroke or groom your pet until Spot-On treatments are dry.

Keeping the Environment Safe

Discuss treatment options with your vet to minimise environmental risks.
Check instructions before your pet is washed or swims. The medicine can wash off, stop working and harm wildlife and the environment.
Dispose of the packaging safely and return unused products to your vet.
Always pick up your pet’s poo and dispose of it responsibly.

Find out more

Spot-Ons:

See our videos on our website at www.goddardvetgroup.co.uk for the most effective way to apply a Spot-On:

How to Apply a Spot On to a Dog

How to Apply a Spot On to a Cat

Always remember to follow the label and data sheet instructions on handling, swimming or bathing your pet after application.

Tablets:

Giving a tablet to your pet can be challenging but the parasiticide tablets we recommend are flavoured and chewable or can be wrapped in a treat to help with administration.

See our guide on ‘Giving your cat medication‘ for further information.

Don’t forget to bin and bag faeces when using an oral parasiticide tablet.

Tick Bites: When to worry, and how to prevent them

Ticks are widespread in the UK. They are actually arachnids rather than insects and, like spiders, adult ticks have 8 legs and vary tenfold in size from 1 millimetre to 1 centimetre. Ticks hatch from eggs and develop into larvae, then nymphs, and finally into adults. At each stage ticks have to attach onto and feed from an animal (their host), to develop into the next stage. The younger stages of ticks, like larvae, prefer to feed on small animals like birds and rodents. However, the older stages can attach onto and feed on larger mammals, such as dogs and cats, and also humans. For this reason, these unwelcome hitchhikers are something you should be aware of.

How do animals get ticks?

Whilst they could be found in some gardens, particularly in more rural areas, ticks are most commonly found in vegetation in areas such as woodland, meadows and moors. When they are looking for a new host to attach to, they are described as ‘questing’ and will wait on low branches and leaves to attach to any animal brushing past.

Is there a particular time of year that my pet is likely to be affected?

Ticks are most active in spring and early summer, and then again in early autumn. They are generally dormant in cold weather. However, with global temperatures on the rise, they are likely to be active for a greater proportion of the year.

Why should I worry about ticks biting my pet?

The majority of the time, tick bites will not harm your pet. Rarely, bacterial infections or abscesses will develop at the site of a bite. This is more likely to occur if a tick has been improperly removed, with part of the tick being left in the skin. However, the main reason for wanting to prevent tick bites in dogs is that they have the potential to act as vectors (spreaders) of infectious disease.

What diseases can be spread by ticks?

In the UK the most common disease that ticks transmit is Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Dogs that are bitten by an infected tick do not always become ill. We know this because many dogs in the UK have antibodies in their blood to the bacterium, suggesting they have been exposed, without ever showing signs of being unwell. However, some dogs do become ill, and this can occur weeks to months after being bitten. Signs of Lyme disease in dogs can include painful swollen joints, a fever and lethargy. It can also go on to cause glomerulonephritis, a condition affecting the kidneys.

Lyme disease can also affect humans, often showing as a characteristic ‘bulls-eye’ rash in the area of the bite. This rash is not generally seen in dogs. Humans can initially suffer from a flu-like illness, but can also be affected by heart rhythm abnormalities, neurological problems and arthritis. In some people, this can become a long-term illness. Whilst there is no evidence humans can be directly infected by dogs carrying Lyme disease, dogs could bring infected ticks into your home and garden.

Babesia is another parasite that can be transmitted by ticks to your dog. It can cause damage and destruction of red blood cells in the bloodstream, sometimes causing severe anaemia (low red blood cell count), as well as bleeding disorders and organ failure, and can be fatal. Until fairly recently, Babesiosis was a disease only seen in the UK in dogs that had travelled from continental Europe. However, in recent years, several cases of Babesiosis have been seen in dogs in the South East of England that have never travelled abroad, sparking concern that this infection is now beginning to establish in ticks in this country.

Dogs and humans can also contract a disease called Ehrlichiosis from ticks, though this is also rare in the UK.

How can I prevent my pet from getting ticks?

It is important to check your dog daily for ticks and remove any that are found, particularly at times of the year when ticks are most active and when your dog has been walked in areas that are high risk. Be sure to check them all over, including their feet, groin and armpits. Cats can also be affected by ticks but are quite good at grooming them off. If your cat gets ticks, they are most likely to be found on areas of the body they cannot clean so easily, such as on the head.

There are a variety of preventative tick treatments available that will repel ticks, kill them once they have attached, or both. Infected ticks do not spread infections such as Lyme disease until they have been attached to the host for around 48 hours. Effective tick treatments will kill ticks much quicker than this, meaning they are killed before they can transmit disease to your pet. Many of these treatments also prevent flea and other parasite infestations. Our practice staff would be happy to discuss with you what treatment would be best suited to use for your pet as part of their routine parasite prevention, so please do get in touch!

What should I do if I find a tick on my pet?

The easiest way to remove a tick is by twisting it off using a special tick remover. Properly removing a tick in this way reduces the risk of leaving the tick’s mouthparts still attached. Ticks should never be removed by squeezing or pulling, nor by being burnt.

If you are unsure or worried that your pet has a tick, book an appointment with your local Goddard vet.

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Ten tips for keeping your pet safe this summer

We know you want to do all you can to keep your pet healthy, happy and safe this summer. There are a few things to think about to keep them from harm — we’ve listed our top ten tips below!

Tip number 1: Barbecues

Burns are common in both dogs and cats. Make sure your pet can’t get near the barbeque until it has cooled down.
Skewers and chicken bones in leftovers or in the bin are a big problem for dogs if they get to them. They may not even realise they have eaten them with the meat but they can do massive internal damage. To prevent this, make sure that skewers or chicken with bones aren’t left in your dog’s reach, or are put in a container. It’s also wise to take the bin out straight away to stop them from getting to any meat and skewers left in there. We know they’ll sniff them out otherwise, given the chance!

Tip number 2: Heatstroke

Hot cars are a common cause of heatstroke in dogs, which can be fatal. Never leave a dog in a car in hot weather, even if it is shady and you only intend to be 5 minutes. It isn’t worth the risk.
Shade and water is key at this time of year to prevent heatstroke. All of your pets should have this at all times in hot weather. If you are going out with your dog consider taking an umbrella and a pop-up water bowl so that they can rest in the shade and have a drink wherever you go.

Tip number 3: Hot pavements

Hot pavements can burn dogs’ paws. Ideally only take your dog out for a walk in the morning or evening when it is cooler. Also, you can try and walk on the grass instead. If you are unsure if it is too hot, follow the 7 second rule – you will soon know if it would burn their paws! Place the back of your hand on the pavement for 7 seconds, if it’s too hot for you – it’s too hot for them.

Tip number 4: Summer travels

It’s very important that when you are going away, your pet will be safe — if they’re coming with you or not!

If your pet is on regular medication, then make sure that you come to see us before you go away so you don’t run out.
If your pet is coming with you on holiday and you are travelling by car, then you need to schedule in lots of breaks (ideally at least once an hour) so that your pet can get out of the car, go to the toilet and just stretch their legs. Always make sure there is plenty of water for them to drink. Be prepared for travel sickness, many dogs and cats get travel sick. If they are beginning to look unwell then pull over at the next services to let them get some air and start to feel a little better. A long journey can be much more stressful than we can imagine, you can use pheromone sprays to reduce stress – get in touch with our team if you’d like more advice.

Tip number 5: Staying in the cattery or kennels

Make sure your pet is fully vaccinated, flea treated and wormed before they go in, you don’t want them to come out sick or infested! If your dog is going to stay with a sitter, or dog walker it’s advised that your dog gets the kennel cough vaccine, which is a quick and painless spray up the nose.

Tip number 6: Going abroad with your pet

If you plan to take your pet abroad then you will need to come in and see us in advance of your trip. Pets must have an Animal Health Certificate to travel and to qualify they will need a rabies vaccination and wormer in advance of the trip. Our vets will also give you advice about travelling and others risks when abroad.

Tip number 7: Flystrike

Rabbit owners, this one’s for you! Flystrike is where flies lay eggs on moist areas (often the back end), which then hatch to become maggots. This is very painful, as the maggots eat their way into the poor rabbit’s flesh. Any rabbit in the summer is at risk of flystrike, especially those with a wet or dirty back end as this attracts the flies. If you notice your rabbit has flystrike, ring us straight away. To prevent this, you need to check your rabbit’s bottom every day and clean it up. This should stop the flies from being attracted to that area and means you can catch it early if there is any flystrike.

Tip number 8: Fleas

Fleas are very common at this time of year and if you have a pet that goes outdoors then it is inevitable for them to get fleas. You can’t always see fleas on your pet when they have them, so it is always best to treat whether you can see them or not.

It is important that you treat your pet regularly (once a month normally but check the product you are using) and ideally with a prescription-strength product bought from us – that way you can be sure it is safe to use and is going to work!
If your pet already has fleas your house will also be infested. You will need to wash all bedding at a high temperature, hoover thoroughly including crevices in sofas and treating the house with insecticidal flea spray.

Tip number 9: Ticks

These little bloodsuckers carry some very nasty and potentially fatal diseases such as Lyme disease and, more recently, babesiosis. This is mostly a risk for dogs that go walking through long grass (don’t forget about those pesky grass seeds either!). To prevent diseases from ticks, you can regularly treat for ticks (you can get a combination product with the flea treatment) and check your dog over every time you come back from a walk. We can always give advice on tick removal and there are specific tick removal tools, this allows you to be sure you have removed it all and have not left the mouthparts in.

Tip number 10: Suncream

In the summer months, the UV rays from the sun can be a problem for our pets, just like us. There is a form of skin cancer that can be caused by too many UV rays, especially in our white (or pink nosed) pets. You can buy pet-friendly sun cream at most pet supermarkets and this only really needs to be applied to the nose and ears (especially important in cats).