Ticks activate whenever the temperature is above 45. All dogs and outdoor cats should be on tick and flea preventive regardless of where they are exercised. The ticks can be found in grass, bushes and woods. Besides the multitude of wild animals that frequent your neighborhood, birds can also bring in ticks. The topical treatment is more effective than collars. Read the directions on the container as many of the products are not safe for cats. Households with dogs and cats should only use products approved for both dogs and cats since the cats can be exposed to the “dog” product. Call us if you are not sure which product to use. Remember if you are finding ticks on your dog dead or alive you are also at risk of tick exposure walking your dog. In that case you should also be using a tick preventive. When we yearly test your dog for heartworm disease, we will also screen for the tick diseases: Lyme, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia.
In the state of Massachusetts, any time your pet is bitten by another animal, there is a potential risk of rabies virus exposure. It does not matter if the animal is wild or another dog or cat.
If you see your pet bitten by another dog or cat, try to identify the owner. You want to see a written rabies certificate for the dog or cat that bit your pet. If you cannot identify the owner or the owner is unwilling to cooperate, notify the animal control officer. If you cannot prove the other animal is properly vaccinated and your pet is properly vaccinated for rabies, it is important that your pet is vaccinated again for rabies as soon as possible.
If your pet is outside unobserved and comes into the house with a cut or puncture wound, it is possible that your dog or cat was exposed to the rabies virus. He or she should be examined by your veterinarian as soon as possible. If there is evidence of a wound, by state law, your veterinarian will re-vaccinate the possibly exposed pet if he or she is up to date on the rabies vaccine. If he or she is not up to date on rabies the pet will be placed in a 6 month quarantine. During this time he or she will not be allowed outside, except for dogs to go to the bathroom, and must interact with as few people and other animals as possible. Anytime you are not sure what happened when your pet was outside, call your veterinarian.
