Ticks and Lyme Disease

Nicola Jeffs

Ah, spring: the weather is getting warmer, the birds are singing, the snow is melting…and the ticks are biting! Ticks are a hot topic these days, as we are seeing increases in both tick bites and their transmitted diseases with each year. As such, there is a lot of concern from pet owners about ticks and what they mean for their pets’ health. I’m here to hopefully help you understand ticks, their risks to your pets, and what you can do to protect against them.

How can my pet get a tick? Ticks are parasites that need to attach to hosts and feed on blood to survive and reproduce. Dogs, cats, and humans are becoming increasingly frequent targets as tick populations increase and our activity pushes into wildlife habitat. In between hosts, ticks hide out on leaves, grass, and bushes, and will drop onto any animal or person who passes by. This means that most humans and pets get bitten while walking in forests or fields, especially in places where there are lots of deer and birds around (their preferred hosts). Once a tick bites, it will latch on and feed on blood until engorged (which is often over a week), then drop off to complete the next phase of its life cycle. Tick bites are painless, and are often not noticed until the tick is fully engorged if at all.

What can happen if my pet gets a tick? The bite itself is often of no consequence to your pet though they may get a small red bump at the site which can be itchy. The biggest concern with ticks in our area is Lyme disease, which is only carried by one species of tick: known as the deer tick or black-legged tick. The number of both tick bites and Lyme disease cases is on the rise, though the actual number in the Ottawa/Gatineau area is still being assessed.

What do I do if my pet gets a tick? Remain calm! If you are comfortable removing the tick by yourself, do so with fine tweezers or a tick-twister (sold in pet stores and some clinics). It’s important to grasp the tick by the head where it enters the skin, not by the body (the big grey-blue part) and remove it with slow, gentle pressure. Do not use alcohol, flame or other topical products to try and “make the tick let go”. If you aren’t comfortable removing the tick yourself, you can bring your dog into the clinic and have trained staff show you how. Removed ticks can be killed by drowning it in water or rubbing alcohol in a closed container (they will crawl out of anything without a lid). While there are blood tests that can determine if a dog has been exposed to Lyme disease within a few weeks of the bite, we do not recommend testing every dog bitten by a tick unless they are showing symptoms or there are other concerns about the dog’s health. Once you have removed the tick, speak with your veterinarian about getting your dog on tick-prevention medication and discuss any concerns you may have.

So what is Lyme disease? The bacteria that causes Lyme disease   is transmitted to the pet by the tick after a minimum of 24-48 hours of feeding. The tick is often still quite small by that point and is easily missed unless you perform stringent tick-checks after walking in tick endemic areas. While the majority of dogs who get exposed to Lyme disease will clear the infection on their own, a small number of those exposed (around 5%) will actually develop infection. It may take up to 6 months after tick exposure for dogs to develop clinical Lyme disease infection and symptoms.

Symptoms of Lyme disease are variable and sometimes hard to notice, but the most common signs are lethargy, fever, joint pain/stiffness, swollen lymph nodes, and kidney disease (which often shows up as vomiting and changes to your dog’s drinking and urinating habits). If detected on time, Lyme disease can usually be treated with a course of antibiotics, but if not detected quickly or treated thoroughly, some dogs can suffer long-term kidney damage. If you notice any such symptoms in your dog, especially in the months after known or possible tick exposure, bring your dog in to your veterinarian where we can do an examination and run tests to check for infection and give treatment.

How can I prevent Lyme disease? We can protect against Lyme in two ways: vaccination, and tick control. The currently available Lyme vaccines are safe, and while no vaccine is 100% effective, it can significantly reduce the chances of an exposed dog getting infected by the Lyme bacteria. We consider the Lyme vaccine a “lifestyle” vaccine, which means it is not a core requirement, but may be recommended after evaluating the dog’s individual risk level (such as where they go for walks, where you live, and if they travel anywhere). Tick medication is still the mainstay of Lyme disease prevention and tick control, and various products are available that can be chosen to suit the owner’s budget and preference, and the dog’s lifestyle. Tick prevention medications should be given as directed throughout the entire tick season: when the weather is above 4°C, which is usually April to December, about 9 months of the year in this area. As with any disease prevention methods, these options should be discussed with your veterinarian to choose what’s right for you.

What about cats? At this point, we have little data about the risk level of Lyme disease in cats. They seem to be more resistant to getting the infection than dogs, but we must be careful as that could change with more research. Cats can still get ticks, but there are fewer products available in Canada that are safe for cats than there are for dogs. If you have concerns about your outdoor cat getting ticks, speak with your veterinarian about which products are safe and NEVER use any products meant for dogs on a cat, as they may cause life-threatening toxicity.

Can I get a tick or Lyme disease from my pet? No. Lyme disease is only transmitted by ticks, so you cannot get it from your pet, only if you are bitten by an infected tick yourself. The chances of a tick dropping off your pet to then bite you are exceedingly small, as usually the time from dropping onto a host to latching on is very short. Once a tick is fully fed and drops off (if it isn’t removed or killed before that), it is looking to moult or mate, and will not be looking for another host. If you get bitten by a tick, contact your doctor for instructions. If you want to have a removed tick tested for Lyme disease, it must be stored in a dry, empty, closed container (do not add water or alcohol).

If you have any questions about ticks and Lyme disease in relation to your pet, see your veterinarian to discuss it. Below are some links that provide further information on this topic.

Have a happy spring!