How to Prevent Lyme Disease in Pets
Oct 23rd, 2007 by Teri
Its just the start of the fall season which is ripe for deer ticks carrying Lyme Disease.
Lyme disease can affect you dog, humans, birds, cats and farm animals and is initiated by a bacteria called Spirochete.
You have probably heard the news reports and seen warnings about the rise in Lyme disease in the recent past. Lyme can be a severe illness, and each year we see more of it. The basics of the disease as well as preventing, diagnosing, and treating Lyme disease is important to all pet owners of both dogs and cats in all parts of the country.
The symptoms of Lyme disease which are: lameness or limping, similar to arthritis in nature are often difficult to diagnose initially. Lyme disease is also accompanied by joint swelling or inflammation which can paralyze an animal overnight. Your pet can also carry the disease and not be affected by it, but they can transfer the disease as a carrier to other pets.
Cats appear to be more resistant to Lyme disease than humans or dogs. If a cat is infected it will have a high fever, be very tired, and lose its appetite for food. You can see the difficulty in diagnosing this disease because the symptoms can mimic many other diseases with these similar and common symptoms. When the disease is in its advanced stages it will cause the loss of bladder control in your pet. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection by the bite of a deer tick. In the northeastern U.S., deer ticks also called blacklegged ticks are the primary carrier of Lyme disease but there are other specimens of ticks that carry the disease in other parts of the US especially in the western regions.These ticks carry bacteria that cause the disease to spread from animals to humans or animals to pet dogs and cats and farm animals. They transmit the bacteria when they feed on humans or other mammals. Fortunately, Lyme disease can be treated and prevented with Herbal Therapy. If the disease advances untreated it can cause severe and deadly results.
Only deer ticks are known to transmit Lyme disease. These ticks have a two-year life cycle that includes three stages. Ticks start life in the fall as larvae so small they are nearly invisible. Their first meal comes from a small animal. If that host carries the bacteria that cause Lyme, the tick will pick it up. If you find a tick, the best way to remove it is by holding its head with a pair of tweezers and firmly pulling backwards.
Never remove a tick by twisting it or pressing down on it or as some people do or try to apply kerosene to a tick. This is not what you want, as it will throw back the contents of its stomach into the bloodstream of its host, namely you or your dog.
After removing the tick disinfect the area with swabs soaked with hydrogen peroxide, which will destroy the Lyme bacteria upon contact. In addition, you could use a diluted portion of tea tree oil or grapefruit extract also diluted by fifty percent.
The peroxide may cause the fur to discolor therefore rinse it off carefully and re-apply several times.
After winter, the larvae become nymphs - pinhead-sized ticks that carry Lyme. They need a meal of blood to grow into adults and as adults the females need more blood meals to lay eggs and start the cycle over again.
Both the nymphs which are very small and not visible to the naked eye, and the adults can give people Lyme. Many people do not know they have a tick or never see it until it is engorged with the blood from feeding on its host which is you or your dog.
Preventing Lyme Disease:
The best way to prevent Lyme is to keep from being bitten. That involves several strategies.
First: Know when and where ticks are active. Deer ticks can be active in any month. However, adult ticks tend to be most active from March until June and again from September through November. Nymphs are most active from May to September. Ticks prefer tall grass and shrubby undergrowth which means just about anywhere deer can roam they can be in that area.
Second: Wear light colored clothing. It makes ticks easier to spot. Wear a hat and tuck your pants into your boots or long socks when in tick country.
Third: Check yourself, your partner, your kids, and your pets for ticks after time outdoors especially in the forest or where deer are known to be frequenting the area. Ticks like protected or creased areas for feeding and often attach in the groin, navel, armpits, ears, back of the knee or nape of the neck. So be thorough. If you know someone who lives alone and spends time outdoors, offer to help him or her do a tick check.
Fourth: Use an herbal repellent such as grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, or myrrh oil. Other herbals are Rose Geranium, and Rosemary Oil which you can purchase at your local health food store. These will work pretty well if you put it on heavily over all your clothing.
Especially for children, who should not be anywhere near chemicals such as Deet, the herbals provide effective and complete prevention of American Dog ticks. Apply the repellent specifically around pant and shirt cuffs and other areas where tick might be able to crawl underneath clothing. Repellants such as deet should not be applied directly to skin as it can be absorbed through the skin and cause reactions.
Most people do not like wearing chemicals on their clothes, but would rather wear herbals for a few hours than get Lyme disease.
I have a few acres and we live in a farm area and I have seen deer in the back yard. Where can I get some of those sprays for my dogs I have 2 large labs. Thanks for the great information Teri.