7 Things EVERYONE Should Know About Ticks

Protect yourself and your pets with these top tick tips:

All ticks come in small, medium, and large sizes.

Ticks have four main life stages: eggs (the smallest size), larvae (equivalent to a grain of sand), nymphs (the medium size, about the size of a poppy seed) and adults (the largest size, about the size of an apple seed).

Ticks crawl up.
Ticks live on the ground no matter the locale.  They typically crawl up from grass blades onto a host and migrate upward, which is why they're often found on the scalp -- they want to feed around the head, neck, and ears of their host, where the skin is thinner.

Cold and snowy? No big deal.
Yup, winter doesn't bother certain tick species.  In fact, adult stage deer ticks become active every year after the first frost.  While some ticks go dormant, deer ticks will be active any winter day that the ground is not snow-covered or frozen.  This surprises people, especially during a January thaw or early spring day.

Ticks carry disease-causing microbes.
Tick-transmitted infections are more common these days than in past decades.  With explosive increases in deer population, the trend is increasing abundance and geographic spread of deer ticks and lone star ticks; and scientists are finding an ever-increasing list of disease-causing microbes transmitted by these ticks.  Tick bites used to be an annoyance, but now a bite is much more likely to make you sick.

If you (or your dog, cat or horse) are bitten, you probably won't know it.
This is super creepy, but tick bites are painless (ticks' saliva has anesthetic properties) and hosts generally don't feel it.  What's worse: fewer than half of people who've been infected with Lyme disease show the "bull's-eye rash" that was once thought to be a telltale sign of the disease.  If you start showing flu-like symptoms in the middle of summer (fevers, chills, aches, and pains are common symptoms of a variety of tick-borne diseases), go to the doctor and ask to be tested for the illnesses associated with ticks.  This is also why it's essential to keep a close eye on your pet and check for ticks after it spends time outdoors.

The easiest way to remove a tick is with pointed tweezers.
Think of a tick as a little germ-filled balloon.  Squeeze it too hard on its back end, and all the germs get pushed to the front end.  Using really pointy tweezers, it's possible to grab even the poppy-seed sized nymphs right down next to the skin.  The next step is to simply pull the tick out like a splinter.  Other tick removal methods, like a hot match, Vaseline, dish soap and cotton, or various little key-like devices don't work, so don't bother trying.  And your safest bet is going to a doctor or veterinarian for removal.

Tick bites and tick-borne diseases are 100% preventable.
There's really only one way to become infected with a tick-transmitted disease, and that's from a tick bite.  Taking steps to protect yourself (with tick-repellent clothing or spraying tick repellent on clothing) and your pets (with year-round preventative medication and regular tick checks), especially if you spend any time outdoors, will drastically reduce your risk of developing tick-borne diseases.  Remember, just one bite is all it takes to make you or your pet sick -- so prevention is your best bet.

Source: DVM360 Magazine, March 2015 Issue.

"Hey, It's Just an Ear Infection, Right?" Not Exactly.

Isolated ear infections are uncommon in dogs. Sure, Cocoa may dive at Lake Sunapee for a week in July and develop an isolated ear infection that is readily treated. But what about dogs like Sadie with recurring or chronic ear infections? The vast majority of dogs who suffer from an ear infection that persists or recurs have an underlying cause for those infections. These underlying causes can be treated, more often than not.

OK, so what does your canine best friend look like when she has an ear infection? Even if she shows no symptoms these HURT. Most dogs will become quiet when they hurt; they seldom vocalize, especially with ongoing chronic pain. We are their best friend and their advocate. The infection is sometimes hidden deep in the canal, which you cannot see without special equipment. At home, families should watch for these symptoms:

• Shaking head
• Rubbing ears on floor
• Holding head to one side
• Increased wax of varying color
• Ear odor
• Redness to ear canal or to ear flap
• Thickened skin of ear flap

How do we eliminate the isolated ear infection? Often Cocoa's veterinarian will provide a "triple approach," giving her a topical medication that addresses all three: yeast, bacteria, and inflammation. For uncomplicated ear infections, this is highly effective. If this describes your dog, consider her very fortunate. For patients that experience ear infections that will not go away or frequently return, read on!

Chronic or recurring ear infections: Do you have to accept them as a pain that your loyal friend must endure? NO!

We must identify and eliminate the cause of the ear infection. For the vast majority of cases, this is the single most important aspect of care and often the most overlooked. What are the most common causes? Allergies, allergies, and yes you guessed it, allergies. Food allergy, inhalant allergy, and flea allergy underlie most ear infections in dogs. In a few instances, we may see a grass awn or foxtail lodged in the ear. Very few dogs may be harboring ear mites, quite uncommon in comparison to other causes of ear infections.

The tricky part: Determining WHICH of the allergies is causing the ear infections. Here are a few hints:

• You find fleas. Easy - eliminate the fleas, treat the ear infection and see how Sadie is feeling.
• The ear infections happen regardless of season. Consider a food allergy and speak to your veterinarian about the best hypoallergenic diet to try. This is often misunderstood. Please speak to a well informed veterinarian or veterinary dermatologist to appropriately institute a hypoallergenic diet trial. An entire article could be devoted to this subject alone.
• You recently changed foods (meaning in the past few months) or have started feeding new treats (especially those loaded with artificial colors, flavorings, preservatives) and now Sadie has an ear infection. As much as possible, only feed your pup foods in which you can understand all of its ingredients.
• The ear infections correspond to a move to a new house. Environmental inhalant allergens are a common culprit of ear infections.
• Sadie is 3 years old and has begun having ear infections that tend to be seasonal - meaning they are concentrated most heavily in particular seasons. Whether it be Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter - different dogs are sensitive during different seasons. These are generally often due to inhalant allergens; allergies often develop as dogs mature in early adulthood.

My medical approach to aid our patient's suffering from persistent ear infections may include some or all of the following:

• Ear cytology (ear is swabbed and debris is evaluated under a microscope)
• Ear culture (ear is swabbed and a micro-biology lab identifies the exact organisms)
• Blood work (complete blood cell count and blood chemistry including thyroid)
• Hypoallergenic food trial. With this approach, please speak to an informed veterinarian, as choosing lamb, duck, or even kangaroo diet from your favorite feed store is not a diet trial. Also, grain-free food has become trendy and is not "hypoallergenic"; in some cases, they aggravate symptoms.
• Blood test evaluating for inhalant allergens. I do not recommend blood tests that evaluate for food allergens as they are highly unreliable (as in, as reliable as a blindfolded monkey at a dart board).
• Evaluation for mites, there are several to consider.

Ear infections, whether short-lived or persistent, are almost always treatable. However, they sometimes require some investigation, critical thinking, patience and commitment. Our pals deserve these in abundance.

Written by Jennifer Lesser, DVM for publication in the Spring 2015 issue of 4 Legs & a Tail (www.4legsandatail.com). Pick up your free copy at our front desk today.

Winter Tips for Our Feline Friends

As you get home from work, a swirl of cold winter air announces your arrival, waking your feline housemate.  She does not share your motivation to leave the warm indoor comforts.  Being a cat, she almost imperceptibly acknowledges your return, takes a deep breath and resumes her nap snuggled deeply in your favorite sweater.

Even for cats who normally savor the adventure of being outdoors, icy ground and single digit temperatures generally dissuade all but the most avid feline hunters.  Being indoors is warm and cozy.  Cats adapt to winter.  They create pastimes, such as puppeteering you the owner (who owns whom?) to present the "right" food.  "Hmm, tuna, chicken, salmon, rabbit, or liver?  Shredded pâté on dry kibble, please."  Working up an appetite climbing screens, mauling a pillow, cruising the kitchen counter for crumbs, and attacking your slippers as you wander the kitchen: it's all in the hunt.

Cats are playful, intelligent, social creatures who thrive on mental and physical stimulation.  These needs require attention, whether the winter finds kitty temporarily or permanently inside.  Food dispensing toys are great, either do-it-yourself, like a plastic container inside a plastic container, each with holes, or purchased from West Lebanon Feed & Supply.  Kibble designed to minimize dental plaque is a great filler for these games.  Look for Tartar Shield treats, Purina DM, Hills T/D or Royal Canin dental prescription kibble.  Another favorite toy is the Panic Mouse, a battery operated chase/hunt game.  Or, place a ping-pong ball in an empty bathtub - more entertaining for you or the cat, who knows?  Cats love to hunt: feed this desire by allowing her to hunt for food hidden in random nooks of your house.

If you cat is enjoying outdoor time during the winter days (and why not?), you should bring her inside by nightfall.  Great Horned owls, coyotes, foxes, fishers, and even malicious people and automobiles pose nighttime threats.  Given a choice, foxes are less likely to chase a nimble rabbit than  to nab a docile and well-fed house cat, more calories for less energy.  Beyond being odoriferous, skunks, along with raccoon, bats and foxes may also carry the rabies virus.  These potential traumas, plus poisons such as antifreeze, frostbite, and infectious diseases, are very real concerns for cats who spend the night outside.

In addition to fun activities and shelter from the cold and predators, please feed your kitty well.  Cats thrive on canned food, though (being cats!) some felines insist on only eating crunchy kibble.  Cats are true carnivores; the optimal diet is a commercial cat food high in protein and moisture.  Lower on the scale are colorful food and treats made from corn meal and red dye number 30... Though, if you add green 55 and yellow 28, you may have Fruit Loops, which my kids think are yummy!  Winter is a less active time, so be vigilant about overfeeding.  Your veterinarian and local feed store are both happy to help, and would gladly provide advice.

Whether your cat found you on a walk, at the Humane Society, through a friend, or was flown in from Russia --yes, this happens-- he needs a bit of special care during these winter months.  Even in winter, watch for fleas; ours is on preventative year-round.  Test annually for intestinal parasites, consult your vet to establish the best vaccination schedule, and examine kitty's mouth for inflammation and bad breath: cats are prone to dental disease.

Oh yes, and give them lots of love! Cats return it in spades.

Caring tips:

• Keep kitty active during indoor winter months.
• Moderate feeding if your cat is less active.
• Keep cats indoors at night.
• Fleas may be a year-round problem; use a good preventative.
• Canned foods and tartar-preventing treats are great for nutrition, kidney health, and dental health, areas for vigilance in all cats.

Written by Dr. Jennifer Lesser, DVM