The other day, I did a half-hearted tick drag while walking Ozzie in our back field (yes, I know that’s strange, but let’s move on…). It was far from a professional job – just me dragging a blanket through the field as we walked, but it did the job. It quickly picked up a tick
Our emerging concerns about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in Long Point, Ontario, have led to a variety of questions from veterinarians and dog owners. (It’s also led to a lot of rumours, and sorting out what’s real illness vs internet chatter and hype is tough – but that’s another story.)
We’re still trying
I recently wrote about a couple cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in dogs in Ontario. It’s not a disease we expect to find here, but we’re concerned about this tick-borne disease because it can be very nasty, and we do have the ticks for it. Ticks and the diseases they transmit are
I’ve heard of a few possible cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in dogs in Ontario in the past week. It’s pretty preliminary information, but it’s relevant to both dog and human health so it’s worth getting some information out about it now. At least one case was a pretty solid diagnosis: Rickettsia rickettsii
In areas where ticks and fleas are a concern (which is much of the world), dogs (and to a lesser degree cats) may receive regular tick prevention medications. Some people would rather not use them, whether it’s because of cost, concern about adverse effects, a desire to use more “natural” products or internet misinformation. This
The latest episode of WormsAndGermsPod is a discussion about ticks and tick-borne diseases in companion animals with our local tick guru, Dr. Katie Clow from the University of Guelph.
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Lyme disease vaccine is a non-core vaccine, meaning it’s not needed for all dogs in all areas. It’s an effective vaccine, and I’d consider it a reasonable vaccine to give to dogs in (or visiting) higher risk areas, especially when there might be owner compliance issues with tick preventive medication. Available tick preventatives are very
As the Asian Longhorned tick (Haemophysalis longicornis) continues to spread in the US, we wait for it to make an appearance in Canada. This “exotic tick” was introduced to the US from Asia possibly a while ago, but was only first detected in 2017 in New Jersey. It has since clearly established itself
I keep saying spring is approaching and I keep getting disappointed by the cold weather. But it’s going to happen soon, so we’ve been gearing up for tick season. There are a few new initiatives underway for tracking ticks and tickborne diseases in Canadian dogs and cats. Check out the recent post at PetsAndTicks.com for
The snowfall we had on the weekend notwithstanding, spring is here. As the weather warms up in Ontario (and other regions), we have to once again think more about ticks. Once the temperature reaches ~4C, hungry ticks that didn’t feed in the fall will come out, looking for food. Accordingly, tick prevention for people and
