October is here. The cooler weather is upon us. Don’t let this fool you, though. The clock is still ticking for ticks in our environment. Don’t let up your vigilance in your fight to keep them off your pets. Ticks can remain alive and well throughout the year. It’s important to check your pets daily for ticks, especially if your pets roam outside in tall grasses or shrubs.

Most people feel that once fall is upon us, there is no longer a fear that ticks will be a problem. Personally, I think ticks should be one of the creepy crawlies that we associate with Halloween. People put spiders out as a Halloween icon. Ticks are also arachnids, so why didn’t ticks become associated with Halloween? They make me feel creepy! Plus they are blood suckers far more than bats that have the bloodsucking reputation at Halloween. We are far more likely to have our blood sucked by a tick than a bat since most bats around here are fruit bats.

But I digress. Ticks are not any laughing matter. They can transmit diseases like Lyme and Ehrlichiosis that can cause fatigue, lameness, fevers, and much more. It take a while for a tick to transmit diseases to a host, so checking yourself and your animals every few hours when outside in tick infested areas and removing ticks immediately is important.
Remove any tick promptly. Do not fall victim to wives tales that burning the tick with a match or covering it with petroleum jelly will help. This may only cause the tick to regurgitate infected saliva and blood into its host. The best way to remove a tick is to grasp it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and gently but firmly pull it straight out—no twisting or jerking. Do not use bare hands when removing a tick. If tweezers are not available, grasp the tick with a piece of tissue or cloth between your fingers and the tick or wear gloves. If the mouthparts break off (ticks actually don’t have heads), consult your veterinarian about removing them. If you want to have the tick identified, put it in a small vial of rubbing alcohol and contact your local health department for assistance. Wash the bite area and your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and apply an antiseptic to the bite site.
Keeping ticks off your animal all together is the best way to avoid problems. Use a tick preventative or keep your animals on well-mowed grass instead of unkempt yards. Ticks lay waiting in tall grasses and shrubs for you or your animal to brush by so they can attach themselves. Staying out of these areas or in the middle of paths will help decrease your chances of getting a tick bite. Dragging a white, rough-textured cloth through areas that might be prone to ticks in your yard will give you an idea if you have an infestation or not. If the cloth collects lots of ticks, it’s time to clean up dense shrubbery, tall grasses, weeds, leaf litter, and wood piles to decrease areas that ticks like to hide. Keep kennels and cages clean and make sure to check all crevices where ticks may lay eggs.

Although cats don’t get Lyme disease as much as dogs, it’s still possible. Keeping them inside and checking yourself for ticks before coming into the house will keep your cats safe from tick infestations and other dangers of the outside world. However, mice can bring ticks inside, so it’s wise to groom your animals daily and check for parasites. With Halloween approaching this month, let’s all make sure that ticks aren’t part of our scary arachnid décor.