We’ve all got dogs and we all live in New England so each and every one of us knows that ticks are a problem here! And unfortunately, what has also become increasingly prevalent is Lyme Disease, a tick-borne disease that our pups can get.
Though it’s natural to expect ticks in the summer, they tend to come out during the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. So make sure to look over your pup after a walk through the woods or even a romp in your yard for these pesty little creatures.
There are two kinds of ticks that are found most often in New England. Dog ticks are large in size and when engorged, blow up to a greenish/greyish blob. Deer ticks, however, are a lot smaller…sometimes as tiny as a speck of pepper. They also grow in size when engorged, but not nearly as large as a dog tick. And unfortunately, it’s the tiny deer ticks that carry lyme disease.
Though it’s important to remove a tick from your dog immediately, sometimes we just can’t catch them in time. So it’s important that you watch for symptoms of Lyme Disease such as fever, lameness, swelling in joints, swollen lymph glands, lethargy, and lack of appetite. We’ve had a number of BlueDog pups come up with these symptoms throughout the past couple of years and each tested positive for Lyme. Fortunately, they all recovered after taking antibiotics and getting some extra love from their BlueDog walker : )
Feel free to email me if you’d like more information on ticks and Lyme Disease and ways to avoid both!