Why you should protect your pooch from ticks all year
Posted February 21, 2020 1:27 pm.
We are starting to see a shift in conventional thinking when it comes to ticks and tick season. That shift is to the fact that there is no longer a defined tick season.
Ticks, which can transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia Burgdorferi) to human and pets, can be active as soon as temperatures are warmer than 4 C.
Some ticks are believed to be active as soon as the temperatures reach above freezing, which happens nearly 100 times from November to the start of April here in Toronto.
That is 100 days of potential exposure to disease carrying ticks, so some veterinarians are starting to recommend tick prevention measures for the entire year.
Dr. Iz Jakubowski from the Royal York Animal Hospital gives you a demonstration on how to check your pet for ticks below and recommends doing so after every time the dog goes out in above freezing temperatures and discusses the potential symptoms if your dog was to contract Lyme disease.
Experts are also urging you to report a tick that has been found on you or your pet via www.etick.ca, to help them track and catalogue tick activity in our area.
