There are a number of effective ways to prevent to protect your pet from ticks. They range from natural methods to commercial preparations designed to keep ticks at bay.

Why are Ticks so Dangerous?

Ticks are dangerous to people and pets because they are a parasite that sucks the blood from its host, which can be a mammal, reptile or amphibian. They can pick up bacteria from these hosts and transfer them when they bite a human, dog or cat. There are many tickborne diseases, but the best-known is Lyme disease. It is spread by the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick.

The black-legged tick carries a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted through mice and other small rodents. If a tick carrying this bacteria latches on for 24 hours or more, it can infect a person or pet with Lyme. Continue reading →

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to fighting disease in both people and pets. Fleas and ticks are known to cause various diseases in humans, cats and dogs. In recent years, an all-new line of preventive medicines has been created to keep everyone in the family healthy and bug-free. Popular products include, Frontline, Advantage and PetArmor. But how do they actually work?

The Lifecycle of Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks each have a lifecycle with them starting out as eggs and ending up as germ carrying infants and adults. In the flea, the cycle goes from egg, to larva, to pupa, to adult.

In the case of fleas, the eggs are laid on pets like cats and dogs. The eggs get scattered around the house and hatch out, causing an infestation that can be hard to get rid of.

In the case of ticks, the eggs are laid in densely wooded areas, hatch into larvae and then become what are termed nymphs. These ‘teenaged’ ticks need to feed on blood in order to mature into adults. Most cases of Lyme disease are linked to the nymphs. They are ravenously hungry and hard to spot because they are so small, about the size of a sesame seed. Continue reading →