Do you wonder if there are any effects from climate change that alter the way veterinarians have to think about pet care? Changing weather patterns are altering the practice of veterinary medicine in several ways, but the most critical for pets in our region has been the effect that warmer weather, earlier springs, and later summers have had on growing tick populations. When I first came to Vermont in 1992 it took an entire year for me to find two ticks on dogs. Now, of course, we are seeing ticks every day, and nearly every week we diagnose a dog with a tick-related disease, most commonly Lyme disease. Years ago, the tick problem was most commonly attacked with a flea and tick collar that was placed around the neck of dogs and cats. These collars did not work well, or for very long. If there are life-threatening ticks around for 9 months out of the year one needs better tick preventatives and they need to be effective for a longer period of time. As a result of this problem, veterinarians have had to become well versed in the different products and protocols used to kill ticks and prevent the diseases that they transmit. Thankfully, there are now many good options for protecting pets from this weather-related problem! At Veremedy Pet Hospital, we customize a Tick Defense Plan for each of our patients based on an assessment of the pet’s life style and potential risk. veremedy/2158/our-flea-and-tick-defense-plans-there-is-one-for-your-pet/
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 10:18:05 +0000
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