Spring is Here!

It’s Spring!

Time to go for long walks after dinner, hiking on the weekend, and lounging in the backyard. Your pets are sure to meet many friends in their springtime adventures! One friend that is not welcomed warmly is TICKS!

What are ticks, and why do they bother us so much?

Ticks are part of the arachnid family and feed on the blood of their host. They are efficient carriers of disease because they attach firmly and feed slowly, meaning they may go unnoticed for quite a while.

The life cycle of the tick happens in four stages: the egg, the six-legged larva, the eight-legged nymph, and the adult stage. Females can have 3000-6000 eggs at a time!

How does your furry family member get ticks?

Ticks wait longingly for a host, sitting on the tips of grasses and shrubs until a moving human or pet brush them. The tick will then crawl from vegetation to the host, they cannot jump or fly.

Did you know that there are at least 15 species of ticks, and at least 4 of them currently in our region?

The American dog tick (wood tick), lone star tick (turkey tick), deer tick (black-legged tick), and the Brown dog tick (kennel tick) are the most common species of ticks that you will see in our region. You begin to see them when the ground temperature is 7.2 degrees Celsius or higher.

Call us today at 905-664-4888 to find out the many ways you can protect your pet from these pesky pets!

Written by Briarwood Animal Hospital