Tick Control Tubes, Your Frontline Defense Against Ticks

When we think of tick control, we might immediately call to mind yard spray.

But have you ever considered the benefits of tick control tubes? Have you even hard about them? Here in Massachusetts, ticks are undoubtedly a problem. Thing is, ticks are not simply relegated to a three-month season, after which they die or disappear. Historically, our winters might have been cold enough to combat tick populations. However, today is much different. Fall is yet a transitions season into our cold weather season, but the definition of cold winters in Massachusetts has changed. Therefore, ticks remain an issue all year long.

Weymouth tick control with tick control tubes — Tick control tubes are the answer to milder fall and winter temperatures in Massachusetts

Tick control tubes pick up where Mother Nature leaves off.

tick control tubes Weymouth tick control — Tick control tube

Mother Nature might have taken a cold weather hiatus in our area – perhaps for good and all. And while Massachusetts residents might enjoy the reprieve from constant snow shoveling and layering up just to run to the mailbox each day, ticks also benefit from milder winter seasons. They are surviving and thriving. When temperatures cool below 45 degrees consistently, ticks cozy up beneath ground litter, living amongst the rodent population, and sometimes continuing to feed on them. Enter, your frontline tick defense – tick control tubes!

How do tick control tubes work?

If you are thinking that ticks just meander their way into tick control tubes, think again. They might look a bit like a trap or a lure, but the fact is, nothing lures ticks except warm-blooded animals on which they feed. This is where Mother Nature actually begins to help. The natural drive of ground rodents, such as mice, has them scrounging for materials to build their nests when it’s cold outside. Tick tubes are the vehicle for providing those materials, as they are filled with comfy cotton that will be perfect for creating a cozy habitat. This cotton, however, is covered with tick eliminating insecticide. It eliminates ticks that try to feed on the mice or live in their nests. It does not adversely affect the mice whatsoever. Tick tubes are the most effective method of getting to ticks and their offspring where they live in the fall and winter. You will notice fewer ticks on your property in the spring.

Weymouth tick control is set it and forget it!

By employing a Weymouth tick control specialist to place tick tubes around your property this time of year, you are investing in peace of mind all year. This ingenious method of killing ticks is the key to reducing the number of ticks and the number of tick-borne illnesses in Massachusetts.

What does a tick bite look like?

Maybe you have encountered ticks, but have not been bitten.

What does a tick bite look like? Do all tick bites result in disease? Most people, who receive a tick bite will note a small amount of redness after the tick is removed. If that redness spreads, becomes hot to the touch, or begins to take on a bulls-eye appearance, seek immediate medical attention. You could have a skin infection, Lyme disease, or something much worse.

How do ticks bite?

Like mosquitoes, ticks bite by sinking their mouthparts into your skin. While a mosquito bites quickly to get her blood meal, a tick will latch on until it becomes engorged and falls off. Black-legged ticks must maintain attachment for 24 to 48 hours in order to pass Lyme infection. The same tick must only be attached for 15 minutes in order to transmit the potentially deadly Powassan virus. Actually, the tick doesn’t even have to make a full attachment. So, if you find a tick attached to your skin, it does not have to become engorged to make you sick.

Should I receive treatment for my tick bite?

Depending on the medical diagnosis you receive, your tick bite could be treated. If you are experiencing only a minor skin infection from your tick bite, you might be treated with an antibiotic cream or an oral medication. If you have a bulls-eye rash that indicates Lyme infection, your doctor will treat you with doxycycline.

If the redness you are seeing develops into symptoms that indicate Powassan infection, your doctor will not have a direct treatment for your condition. At the time of this writing, Powassan is medically addressed by treating symptoms. These include vomiting, fever, and headache, but can also become sever. Symptoms, such as tremors, seizures, high fever, and paralysis could indicate that you are suffering encephalitis, which is treated in the hospital.

What is better than never finding out, “What does a tick bite look like?”

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Not being bitten in the first place. Be sure that you are protected with tick repellent clothing when hiking or camping. At home, entrust your tick protection to a professional tick control company.

Ticks Are Everywhere in Central Mass and They’re Out for Blood

Tick bites can be harmless, or they can infect you with diseases like Lyme disease or spotted fever.

Even though not all ticks carry infection, it’s best to try to prevent tick bites or to find them early. You would be best advised to take preventive action all year long with the one-two punch for Shrewsbury tick control.

Deer ticks are all around you! — Deer ticks are all around, looking for blood.

Many of us may have thought they die off in the winter after the first hard frost. Unfortunately, they do not. The adult black-legged deer tick, which spreads Lyme disease begins its prime feeding activity just about the time of the first freeze. The reason being is that their main host animals are deer and deer are actively moving around in the fall. If deer aren’t around, black-legged ticks will attach to people or pets anytime the weather starts getting warmer.

Exactly What Are Ticks?

Ticks are parasites that feed on warm-blooded hosts by biting them. A tick bite can infect humans and animals with bacteria, viruses and protozoans (organisms made up of one cell) that can cause diseases.

Some of these tick-borne illnesses can be very serious and may include:

Lyme disease
Tularemia
Ehrlichiosis
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Anaplasmosis
Babesiosis

Other conditions spread by ticks include:

Colorado tick fever
Powassan virus
Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI)
Tick paralysis
Spotted fever
Relapsing fever
Heartland virus

Why Are Ticks Such A Problem In Shrewsbury?

The biggest reason? They are so small. Ticks are typically small and difficult to see until they have been attached for some time. They feed on your blood and become larger and easier to see.

Tick species most commonly found here include:

American Dog Tick: This varmint will attach to animals including dogs, cattle, deer, raccoons and humans if given the chance.
Brown Dog Tick: These invasive pests usually attach to dogs, occasionally feeding on people and domestic cats.
Black Legged Deer Ticks: These harbingers of dread attach primarily on deer, cattle and other large animals and people. Deer Ticks are carriers of Lyme Disease transmitting it through bites. And if for no other reason than this alone, Shrewsbury tick control is an extremely smart way to protect yourself and your property.

Also read: Can you get Lyme disease in the winter?

What is Lyme Disease and Should I be Concerned?

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne illness in Central Mass and the United States.

However, everyone is not so familiar with what Lyme infection actually is. Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria carried by young deer ticks. If one bites you, you can get Lyme disease. Ticks can bite you anywhere on your body, but they usually bite in hard-to-see parts of your body such as the groin, scalp, and armpits. The ticks that cause Lyme disease are tiny, as small as a speck of dirt. So you may not even know you have been bitten.

If left untreated, Lyme infection can cause serious health problems affecting your joints, heart, and nervous system. But if diagnosed early, most cases of Lyme disease can be cured after a few weeks of treatment with antibiotics.

What Signs Do I Need To Watch For To Determine If I Need A Test For Lyme Disease?

You may need a Lyme disease test if you have symptoms of infection. The first symptoms of Lyme disease usually show up between three and 30 days after the tick bite.

They may include:

A distinctive skin rash that looks like a bull’s-eye (a red ring with a clear center)
Fever
Chills
Headache
Fatigue
Muscle aches

You may also need a Lyme disease test if you don’t have symptoms, but are at risk for infection. You may be at a higher risk if you:

Recently removed a tick from your body
Walked in a heavily wooded area, where ticks live, without covering exposed skin or wearing repellent
Have done either of the above activities and live in or have recently visited the northeast or Midwestern areas of the United States, where most Lyme disease cases occur

Lyme disease in Central Massachusetts is most treatable in its early stages, but you may still benefit from testing later on. Symptoms that can show up weeks or months after the tick bite may include:

Severe headache
Neck stiffness
Severe joint pain and swelling
Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet
Memory and sleep disorders

What Does Getting Tested For Lyme Infection Entail?

A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.

If your health care provider thinks you have Lyme disease, he or she will prescribe antibiotic treatment. Most people who are treated with antibiotics in the early stage of this disease recover.

Reduce Your Chances Of Getting Lyme Disease with These Precautions

Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Avoid walking in wooded areas with high grass.
Walk in the center of trails.
Wear long pants and tuck them into your boots or socks.
Apply an insect repellent containing DEET to your skin and clothing.
At home, enlist professional Acton tick control providers to treat the areas around your exterior perimeter where ticks are most likely to dwell.

Can Alpha-Gal Sufferers Eat Turkey and Chicken?

Those, who suffer from Alpha-gal Syndrome, it is known that pork and beef are off the menu.

But can these tick bite victims eat chicken and turkey? The unfortunate truth? Not all chicken and turkey products are safe for Lone Star tick bite victims with Alpha-gal Syndrome.

Coming from a middle class family, we were taught never to take what we enjoyed for granted. My dad worked as a mail carrier; and he also worked several nights part-time in a neighborhood liquor store to augment our family income. My mom also worked in the payroll department of a major department store – way before the days of direct deposit were even a pipe dream. Store employees received their wages in cash, nestled in hard addressed envelopes. True.

Part of our gestalt behavior was to only eat what you said you wanted at mealtime. Wasting food was a sin, a mindset that came from our ancestors who suffered through the Great Depression.

If you’re still with me, this is why I share this. My family cherishes mealtime when our children and grandchildren can all be in the same place at the same time – an an event made even more precious since the days of COVID isolation.

Last Easter, we decided to bite the proverbial bullet and host dinner outside on our backyard patio for the nine of us. My wife decided to make sauce – or better known as Italian Sunday Sauce or Gravy.

The preparation of enjoying such a feast is virtually an all-day affair. The early morning hours found her in our kitchen handcrafting meatballs of ground beef, veal, and lamb, beautifully seasoned with breadcrumbs, eggs, and loads of Pecorino Romano cheese. For an extra layer of flavor, a slab of spareribs was also cut up and fried in virgin olive oil after the meatballs and added to the simmering sauce.

Plan B – Sunday Gravy For An Alpha-Gal Sufferer

With our son-in-law now suffering from AGS due to a Lone Star tick bite he received when visiting a local farm, my wife put on her thinking cap and decided to create an alternative recipe which we could ALL safely enjoy.

The solution for the meat substitutes? Chicken sausage and turkey sausage – a creative stroke of genius – or so I thought.

As we sat down in the fresh Spring air to enjoy this inventive feast, my son-in-law said, “Mom, this is all wonderful – and I really appreciate it – but I can’t eat it. The sausages are in pig casings.” THUD.

Turkey sausage is not safe for Alpha-Gal Sufferers — Turkey sausage is not safe for Alpha-Gal sufferers.

All that effort, all that time, and all that money virtually wasted. Of course the rest of the family enjoyed it as we did an “exit stage left” and whipped up a box of mac and cheese for him.

Animal Food Products And By-Products That May Contain Alpha-Gal

Not all patients with AGS have reactions to every ingredient containing alpha-gal. The CDC reports that the following foods or food ingredients may contain alpha-gal. This is not a list of all products or ingredients that may contain alpha-gal.

Mammalian meat (such as beef, pork, lamb, venison, rabbit, etc.) can contain high amounts of alpha-gal. Certain cuts of meat may contain more alpha-gal than others. For example, organ meat of mammals, including liver, lung, heart, kidneys, intestines (tripe), sweetbreads, scrapple, and Rocky Mountain or prairie oysters generally contain high amounts of alpha-gal.
Food products that contain milk and milk products typically contain alpha-gal. Cow’s milk is the only alpha-gal containing ingredient classified as a major food allergen.
Some people with AGS may also be sensitive to alpha-gal found in:
Gelatin made from beef or pork
Products made from or cooked with mammalian fat (such as lard, tallow, or suet)
Meat broth, bouillon, stock, and gravy

Avoid The Serious Threat Of Getting Bitten By A Lone Star Tick With Central Massachusetts Tick Control

When at home, protect yourself, your family, and those near and dear to you with regularly scheduled Randolph tick control, where ticks frequently hide out waiting for their next free ride on humans and pets.

How long does it take to get Powassan virus from a tick?

Powassan virus is a rare tick-borne illness. It is primarily spread by deer ticks.

As you might know, it takes 24 to 48 hours of attachment for a deer tick to pass Lyme infection. If an engorged deer tick is found on a person or pet, there is a chance that the tick has been attached long enough to spread Lyme bacteria. But is the same true for the much rarer Powassan virus?

How long does it take to contract Powassan virus?

How long does a tick have to be attached to pass Powassan virus?

Experts believe that Powassan virus can be contracted in only 15 minutes. In a People Magazine article dated July 30, 2022, a family speaks about their experience with this potentially fatal disease. A three-year-old in Pennsylvania fell gravely ill after his mother found a tick on him. His mother explained the tick was, “non-embedded or engorged,” and so they went on about their day without giving much thought to the tick.

Deer ticks can pass Powassan in only 15 minutes.

This family has prior experience with tick bites, as the boy’s older sister contracted Lyme disease a few years ago. The vigilant mother noted that a small red bump had formed on his skin a few days after finding the tick, but again, this was not particular cause for concern.

After two weeks passed, the boy’s daycare provider began to notice lethargy and said that he had also complained of a headache. Within a few days, a temperature of 104 spurred his parents to take him to the hospital. Due to an elevated white blood cell count, he was tested for viral and bacterial meningitis – both being ruled out. On day five of the boy’s hospital stay, an MRI confirmed a meningoencephalitis diagnosis. Within 15 hours of an IV of immunoglobulin, he woke up and began talking to his family. After spending nearly two weeks in the hospital, he was released. A few days later, doctors confirmed the Powassan virus diagnosis. Though this disease is most unfortunate, his case is one of fortune. That is because approximately 10% of sufferers with sever infection do not survive Powassan. Though his parents are hopeful about the future, there are aspects of the boy’s recovery that are yet unknown. A Facebook group about the family’s experience has been created but to raise awareness about the disease.

Hingham tick control will help you avoid ticks.

Encountering ticks can be likened to a game of Russian roulette. Why take the chance when you don’t have to? I recommend that families enlist the help of professional tick control providers to help keep ticks away from their homes. Even still, there is no tick treatment that is 100% effective. Therefore, I also recommend vigilance in performing tick checks after spending time outdoors. This is especially important for campers, hikers, gardeners, and children, who have been playing outdoors. Pets are family too – they must be checked for ticks frequently!

One Tick Bite, a Lifetime of Lyme Disease

Like long-haul COVID, Lyme disease can become a lifelong challenge.

One tick bite from one tiny tick can be the end of a healthy life as you knew it. Often found in plants and brush, ticks can attach to and bite people and animals. Their bites are usually not harmful; however, these insects can carry serious diseases including Lyme disease.

One tick bite, a lifetime of Lyme disease — One tick bite can result in a lifetime of Lyme disease.

What does Lyme disease rash look like?

A Lyme disease-causing bacterium is carried in the bug bite of the deer tick here in the Chelmsford region. In most cases, a tick – usually 3 to 5 mm long – must be attached to you 36-48 hours to spread Lyme disease.

A circular, red, expanding rash (a bulls-eye rash, if you will) may be one of the first symptoms of Lyme disease. Other symptoms include fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Treatment in the early stages with antibiotics is generally effective and critical to prevent lifelong complications.

What are the long-term health effects of Lyme disease?

Lyme disease can cause muscle aches, mental fog, and fatigue for years or even decades. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how and why Lyme disease affects people in different ways and how best to treat them. But evidence that the bacteria-borne disease sometimes sticks around in a person’s body long after they’ve gone through initial antibiotic treatments appears to be mounting.

Some pretty famous people have gone on the record with their own Lyme infection experiences.

As of two years ago, several celebrities have come forward to talk about their experience battling Lyme disease. Here are eight that you most likely are familiar with.

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Amy Schumer: For this comedic actor, Lyme disease has been no laughing matter. She admitted that it’s possible she could’ve experienced Lyme symptoms for quite some time without realizing it. In an Instagram post, she said she’s taken doxycycline, an oral antibiotic, to treat the condition and she also asked others for advice.

Justin Bieber: The singer wrote on Instagram that it has been a “rough couple of years” battling the disease. He explained that, for a long time, people speculated that he was “on meth,” but failed to realize that he’d actually recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Avril Lavigne: The singer went public with her Lyme battle in 2015 and is now an advocate for those with the illness. She called that the “worst time” in her life after seeing specialists and doctors who misdiagnosed her with chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

Ben Stiller: Nine years ago, Stiller told The Hollywood Reporter about his Lyme disease saying, “I got it in Nantucket, Massachusetts, a couple of years ago. My knee became inflamed and they couldn’t figure out what it was, then they found out it was Lyme.”

Shania Twain: The renowned singer has said her battle with Lyme has impacted her career. She told Canadian news outlet CBC that she was bitten by a tick when on tour in Norfolk, Virginia. She said she saw a tick fall off her and she immediately began to see troubling Lyme disease symptoms pop up.

Kelly Osbourne: Undiagnosed for nearly a decade, her contact with the tick spread disease most likely came from a reindeer sanctuary back in England.

Alec Baldwin: The 30 Rock actor opened up about his years-long battle with Lyme in 2017. During an interview with The New York Times, he mentioned that he had chronic Lyme disease.

Kris Kristofferson: A Star Is Born singer/actor, Kristofferson experienced several misdiagnoses before being treated for Lyme. His wife, Lisa, told Rolling Stone magazine she believed he’d been bitten by a tick while filming the 2006 movie “Disappearances” in Vermont.

You can help stop the spread of Lyme disease with professional Grafton Tick Control.

With expert guidance and the latest tick bite prevention methodology, professional tick control is your best assurance against contacting the dreadful tick-spread Lyme disease.

Also read: When are ticks most active in Massachusetts?

Tick Control Expert Recommendations for Avoiding Tick Bites

Ever pondered the best methods of avoiding tick bites and potential Lyme infection?

Recommendations for Avoiding Tick Bites and Lyme Infection Lyme disease is an infection transmitted by ticks. The risk of Lyme disease is year round; but the highest risk window is late spring into early summer.

Over 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease are estimated to occur every year in the United States. That makes Lyme disease the most frequent tick-borne infection in North America. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease, deer ticks, are very small and difficult to see. They’re about the size of a pinhead when they come out in late spring and early summer.

Here are five tips for avoiding tick bites and getting Lyme disease.

Create a tick-free zone around your house: Keep your lawn well-manicured; the shorter, the better. Create a tick barrier between your lawn and taller grasses or brush by using materials unfriendly to ticks, like gravel. Eliminate mouse habitats throughout your property. And add a deer fence to protect your garden.
Enjoy the outdoors safely: Avoid exposure to ticks in wooded, overgrown areas. Stay on marked trails when hiking and don’t veer off course into unknown vegetation. Stay clear of tall grass and un-cleared areas of the forest floor. When going for a hike, stay in the middle of the paths, away from the high grass and brush that may be on the edges of the trail.
Protect yourself, your children, and your pets by wearing protective clothing treated with tick pesticides and treating your skin with insect repellent: Wearing protective clothing is often your best defense. Dress with long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks, and shoes. Do not wear sandals or open-toed footwear. And use insect repellent such as DEET on the body or Permethrin on clothes.
Perform tick checks after coming in from the outdoors and showering: The risk of getting Lyme disease is greater the longer a tick is attached. Therefore, doing tick checks as soon as possible is important so they can be removed before they transmit Lyme disease. Be sure to shower daily. Common sites of tick attachment are behind your knees, underarms, scalp, navel, groin, buttocks and back. The most important thing to remember is to get ticks off of you before they attach and have the chance to transmit Lyme disease.
Remove ticks immediately by grasping them with a tweezer and pulling them off of the skin: The quickest way to remove a tick is with tweezers. Grasp the tick between the head of the tick and the skin and pull firmly but gently away. Sometimes, this will leave behind small black mouthparts of the tick in the skin – but don’t be concerned, these small mouthparts do not transmit Lyme disease and should be left alone. Never try to dig out the mouthparts of the tick with any type of needle or blade, just leave them in place and they will work their way out on their own.

Practicing these five tips can help you enjoy our vast and great outdoors safely, help you to avoid tick bites, and consequently help you to avoid getting Lyme disease.

Leave Nothing To Chance By Subscribing To Professional Tick Control To Protect Your Yard And Home

Central Mass tick control As the age old axiom goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” By employing the protective tick control services of your local expert, a little precaution before a tick-infested crisis occurs is preferable to dealing with a tick bite aftermath.

Found a tick on your body? Don’t panic.

It’s important to remove a tick from your body quickly – but do not panic.

Living in Central Massachusetts, you have likely found a tick on your body at one time or another. A typical scenario when someone finds a tick on their body is to freak out. Don’t freak – but DO act fast.

Have you ever found a tick on your body?

Tick Bite Treatment Protocol

Remove The Tick: If the tick is attached to your skin, remove it immediately. Wearing gloves, grasp the tick with clean tweezers as close to the skin as possible to remove the head and mouthparts. If some mouthparts remain, do not try to remove them, as your body will expel them naturally. Pull the tick straight out gently and steadily. Do not twist it. Do not try to remove a tick with a hot match or petroleum jelly or peppermint oil. This could cause the tick to regurgitate infected fluids into the wound. Save the tick in a container of alcohol to show the doctor.

Also read: Are fleas or ticks more dangerous?

Cleanse and Protect the Area: Wash your hands and clean the bite area with warm water and gentle soap. Next, apply alcohol to the bite wound to prevent infection.

See a Health Care Provider: See your medical internist or health care provider immediately if the tick has burrowed into your skin or if the head, mouthparts, or other tick remains cannot be removed.

Also see a doctor if you have found a tick on you body and…

black-legged tick — Black-legged ticks are vectors of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness

You think it might be a deer tick, which is especially prevalent in the Northeast United States. According to The Centers for Disease Control, these disease-carrying parasites can be found in both inland and coastal areas, including off-shore islands, such as Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts; Block Island in Rhode Island; and Shelter Island, Fire Island, and eastern Long Island in neighboring New York state. Your doctor may prescribe a single dose of an antibiotic to help prevent Lyme disease.

You develop flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and muscle aches, or a rash within one month after the bite. Take the tick to the health care provider’s office or the hospital if possible.

The bite area develops a lesion within 30 days. A sign of Lyme disease infection is a “bullseye” rash in which the center becomes clearer as the redness moves outward in a circular pattern.

There are signs of infection such as redness, warmth, or inflammation.

Follow Up To Ensure Your Well Being: Your health care provider may prescribe antibiotics if you have symptoms of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or another tick-borne disease.

Year-Round Tick Control Is Your Best Bet For Total Protection From Tick Bites

tick control tubes Enlist help from a reputable tick control company, you’ll have access to year-round protection for ticks. And, if you’re not aware, ticks are definitely a year-round problem in our area. The brown dog tick is able to complete its entire life cycle indoors. f this tick gets into your home during the summer or fall, you could have a full-blown infestation in the winter. It’s good to know that expert help is just a call away. Ticks can also enter your home during the colder months of the year by hitching a ride on rodents. Mice and rats carry ticks and spread them to unexpected locations. Tick treatments will reduce ticks around your perimeter and reduce the exposure of mice and rats to ticks on your property and, through the winter, the addition of rodent control can keep rodents out.

How do ticks get in your house?

Ticks Can Invade Your Life and Your House By Latching Onto Your Pet Dog

Your dog can transport ticks inside your home

It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized how simply sinister and awful ticks are. Growing up in the city, our prey du jour were mice. I have since learned that ticks frequently attach themselves to furry animals, including pets, when outdoors, especially in backyards when they frequent damp, tall grassy areas of your property. Then the ticks hitch a ride on your pets and are transported into your home – something none of us want!

How Ticks Catch Free Rides On Your Pets

One way ticks get in your house by attaching to your dog by inserting their mouthparts into their skin. After attaching to your dog, ticks begin feeding on your dog’s blood. The places where ticks attach can become red and irritated.

How do ticks end up in your home? — How can you keep ticks off your dog?

On occasion, ticks can consume enough of your dog’s blood to cause a deficiency called anemia. Certain female ticks can also cause a rare paralysis in dogs as a result of a toxin they produce while feeding. More importantly, ticks are capable of causing many diseases in your pet. The disease with which most people are familiar is called Lyme disease. Another is Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Why Is Lyme Disease A Danger To My Pets?

Tick transmitted Lyme disease can cause arthritis and swelling of your dog’s joints, resulting in painful lameness. Rocky Mountain spotted fever can cause fever, lameness, and other symptoms. There are also other diseases that ticks can transmit to your dog. Your veterinarian can answer questions about the diseases that are important where you live.

How Can I Prevent My Dog From Getting Ticks?

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to prevent your dog’s exposure to ticks. Ticks can attach to your dog when he or she goes with you on walks, hikes, or during any outdoor activities. The longer your dog is left unattended in your backyard, the greater the risk.

The best way to prevent ticks from attaching to your dog is by the regular use of tick control products. Your veterinarian can advise you about the best product for your dog and your situation. Your veterinarian is also aware of diseases that are common in your area and can pose a risk to your dog.

If you have a tick problem in your yard consider:

Having your backyard and surrounding property professionally treated with professional Wilmington tick control. This is the best alternative to second-guessing what over the counter solutions may be best for tick control and eliminating concern for how you may be negatively impacting the environment.
Make a landscape or seasonal decor change to make the environment less tick friendly. This can be done by providing a 3-foot buffer between your lawn and any wooded areas in your yard. Mulch, wood chips, or gravel work well, and help to decrease the migration of ticks into yards.