Summer safety tips for pets

The heat and humidity of summer can be just as uncomfortable for pets as it is for humans. In fact, summer can be downright dangerous for pets. Following simple precautions at home, on the road, and while on vacation can make summer enjoyable and fun for everyone. Here are some tips: Walk dogs during the cooler early morning or evening hours. Bring a water bottle, take occasional breaks, or shorten walks when days...

Tick prevention

Ticks and Pets: Part Four Just joining us?  Start at Part One There are hundreds of chemical products available that claim to prevent ticks from attaching to a dog or puppy or to kill them after they bite, but not all are effective, and none of them are entirely harmless. Some are safer than others depending on the ingredients used. The “spot-on” treatments, such as Frontline®, that are available from...

Avoiding ticks

Ticks and Pets: Part Three Just joining us? Start at Part One With increased awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases, many dog and puppy owners are rightfully concerned about avoiding ticks. Although no tick preventative is 100% effective, and no chemical preventative is free of health risks, most of them do decrease the number of tick bites a dog receives, and that cuts down on the risk of diseases such as Lyme....

Dogs and Lyme disease

Ticks and Pets: Part Two Just joining us? Start at Part One Many dog owners are concerned about ticks and the diseases they can carry, particularly Lyme disease though there are others such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis, to name a few. “Fifteen years ago, a lot more dogs were dying of late stage Lyme than they are today because we weren’t as educated about the disease back...

Ticks and pets

Part One of a Four Part Series Ticks are found all over the world in forests and fields wherever mammals are present, especially deer and humans.  In the United States many areas, especially the Northeast, Texas, California, and the northern Midwest states among others, are considered high risk for Lyme disease, and that can only mean one thing: ticks. For dogs and their owners who rarely leave city or town limits...