Thursday, May 15, 2008

Why Be Concerned About Ticks?
Ticks are much more than an annoying consequence of a day in the great outdoors. Ticks can carry disease whose organisms include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis. Symptoms may fever, headache, joint pain and stiffness, stiff neck, rash and a lesion around the bite. Ticks are blood feeders that rely on small and large animals, including humans for their food source.

The most common tick in the United States is the dog tick found in wooded lots, pasture and agricultural land, feeding on small animals.

• Wear light-colored clothing in order to better see ticks.
• Stay near the center of trails and avoid shrubs and tall grass.
• Tuck your pant legs into socks or boots. Wear a long-sleeved shirt tucked into your pants.
• Use insect repellents on your skin and clothes. Read the labels first and follow directions.
• Check yourself, family and pets frequently for ticks. Some ticks can be as small as a sesame seed.
• If you do discover a tick, grasp its mouthparts as close to the skin as possible with fine tweezers and firmly pull away until it comes off. Apply an antiseptic to the wound. Describe any symptoms of a tick’s bite to a doctor.

About Fleas
Fleas are tiny insects that commonly feed on your cat or dog. Adult fleas are wingless and can jump great distances and will feed on a variety of animals, including humans. When not feeding, fleas often live and hide in bedding, sofas and carpeting so that homes that have central heating, carpeting and pets host the right perfect condition for a flea infestation.

The female will hatch eggs that often fall off the animal into pet bedding. Infestation can be a year round problem because the common cat and dog flea breeds throughout the year. Correct prevention for your pet is the first start in controlling flea infestation but is no guarantee that a problem will not exist because fleas may jump off your pet and hide in the home.