HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2017-06-07, Page 7Dr. Kathleen Day Dunbar from the Seaforth Animal Hospital said it has been confirmed
that deer ticks are in Huron County; such bugs are known to carry Lyme disease.
SeaforLb Animal Hospital says
ticks bave "definitely" increased
in the last three to four years
Shaun Gregory
Huron Expositor
The Seaforth Animal Hospital has
"definitely" been noticing a surge in the
number of ticks in the last three to four
years and this information comes with
somewhat of a worry, since it's been
confirmed that there are deer ticks in
Huron County; the blacklegged insect
capable of carrying Lyme disease.
Ticks are frequently found through-
out Canada and according to Orkin
Canada, the peak season for these
blood -sucking parasites typically tran-
spires during the spring and summer
months.
Dr. Kathleen Day Dunbar at Seaforth
Animal Hospital said ticks are hazard-
ous because they're a vector- some-
thing that transmits disease from one
species of animal to another.
"Yes, we are definitely seeing more
ticks in Huron County," she said
through emails last Saturday. "There
are various tick-borne diseases in dif-
ferent regions, but Lyme disease,
caused by the bacterium Borrelia burg-
dorferi, is the big concern in Ontario
right now."
People should not be fooled by the
deer tick name said Dunbar, seeing how
they also can be found on birds and
small mammals - "it's quite happy to
bite anything walking by and that's how
disease is spread to people or their pets."
Even when pet owners are aware of
the presence of ticks, their attempt at
finding them can be difficult.
Pets with long or black hair are the
most problematic in terms of visually
eyeing out a tick.
"I think many ticks are missed, or at
least not found until they've been
feeding on the pet for several days,"
stated Dunbar while adding that a tick
that is found in less than 24 hours is
"unlikely" to transmit disease.
After days pass, Dunbar considers
this the "dangerous time," after the tick
attaches, it has to take a blood meal in
order to spread Lyme disease.
With the threat of catching the dis-
ease, Dunbar said pet owners are
somewhat hesitant about what to do if
they come across a tick and potentially
have to remove the parasite
themselves.
The removal is a simple process, "I
think most people can remove a tick at
home," she said, adding most people
think they must bring the pet to a local
veterinarian clinic to do so.
The best advice relating to the
removal process of a tick --is to grip the
mouthparts--always using rubber
gloves --this can be done with tipped
tweezers at the level of the skin and pull
straight up steadily until the tick
releases.
But Dunbar warns of the old wives
tale of putting a hot match tip before
pulling out the tick, this procedure is
susceptible for the bug to shed what-
ever disease it may be carrying.
The health unit accepts ticks
removed from people for identification
and testing for Lyme disease, cited
Dunbar, however they no longer accept
ticks found on pets.
"I usually tell people that there are
two ways to prevent their dog from get-
ting Lyme Disease - either never get
bitten by an infected tick, or vaccinate
for Lyme Disease, so that if your dog is
bitten by a tick, at least he or she is pro-
tected from Lyme Disease," said
Dunbar.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017 • Huron Expositor 7
seaforthhuronexpositor.com
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