Ticks and zoonotic disease
Ticks present problems for both people and pets. They carry diseases that can affect both humans and animals like Lyme disease, as well as other bacterial diseases that can affect animals such as Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. Any disease that can be passed from animals to people is called a zoonotic disease.
Ticks are very tenacious, meaning they are hardy, difficult to kill, and persistent. The more we learn about ticks, the more we realize how difficult they can be to control. Even Minnesota winters don’t kill them – they hang out under the leaf and mulch layer under the snow so they are ready to start seeking a warm body as soon as the ground is bare of snow. Also, the different tick species can migrate, so ticks that we previously didn’t have to deal with in Minnesota are now in the area.
We here at Wolff Animal Hospital still trust and recommend Frontline Plus for tick control for the majority of our patients. This topical, once-a-month product contains a VERY small amount of active ingredient, especially when compared to the flea and tick shampoos and dips that went out of fashion at least a decade ago. Also, Frontline Plus is not absorbed into the blood stream but instead stays in the oil glands of the skin, traveling with the skin oils to do its job, increasing the safety factor.
If you have any questions about ticks, zoonotic diseases, Frontline Plus, or what we would recommend for your pet, call us at 952-884-4353.
For more detailed information online:
www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/ticks-and-their-control
