We’re quickly approaching the time of year in New York when tick activity starts to pick up again, with the second wave starting in mid-August and ending in November. While ticks do pose a threat to humans, they are also a big threat to pets, specifically dogs and cats that spend a lot of time outdoors. So what can you do to protect your pets from ticks? We have a few recommendations.

Why Ticks are a Threat to Pets 

To start things off, let’s cover some of the basics. Ticks can be a major problem for pets, but why? When ticks attach to a dog or cat, they begin to feed on the animal’s blood, which can cause redness and irritation. There’s also the possibility that an attached tick is carrying a disease, which can then be transmitted to your dog or cat. Some of the common diseases that ticks can transmit to pets include:

• Lyme Disease
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever 
• Ehrlichiosis 
• Anaplasmosis 
• Babesiosis 
• Bartonellosis 
• Heptozoonosis

Each of these diseases can cause health problems for your pets. Two of the most common of the above list are Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and they can lead to especially concerning symptoms. Lyme disease can cause arthritis and swelling of the joints of your pet, which can be both painful and cause lameness, while Rock Mountain Fever can lead to fever, swelling of the joints and/or face, pain, and vomiting. This leads us naturally to our next topic: protecting your pets from ticks and the diseases that they can spread!

Protecting Your Pets From Ticks 

A tick presence in your yard can feel like an inevitability, but it doesn’t have to be. The CDC has put together a few tips for protecting your pets from ticks, outlined below:

• Talk to your veterinarian about the best tick prevention products for your animals, and ask them what kind of tickborne diseases are common in your area.
• Do a daily tick check of your pet.
• If you discover any ticks are your pet, remove it immediately. 
• Reduce the tick presence in your yard.

Checking your pet for ticks has to be a comprehensive process to be done right; ticks, after all, are adept at latching onto animals in even the most discrete places. When doing a tick check, make sure that you check each of the following areas:

• In and around the ears
• Around the tail 
• Around the eyelids 
• Under the collar 
• Under the front legs 
• Between the back legs
• Between the toes

Tick Control That Works 

In the pursuit of keeping your pets (and your family for that matter) safe from the threat of ticks, Thomas Pest Services uses the tick box tick control system. Here’s how it works: 

• Inspection- After a survey of your property, we will determine how many boxes you’ll need to effectively eliminate ticks.
  
  
• Installation- We'll place tick boxes between landscaped and wooded areas where ticks and rodents are most abundant.  We'll also apply an organic residual application on your property.
  
  
• Ongoing Maintenance- We return to reinforce the boxes and organic application, and come once again in the fall to remove your devices and apply a final organic application for the season.
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Why do we use this process? It comes down to efficacy. The chart below illustrates just how effective this system can be at cutting down the tick population on your property significantly: 

Cutting down the tick population on your property is the best way to stop ticks in their tracks. If you’re looking to protect your pets from ticks and tick-borne illnesses, contact us today for a free estimate!