Population soaring

By Shelby Stewart
Special Writer to The Leader
Like many dogs, Kobea, a 5-year-old Cardigan corgi, loves to take a walk which may include covering some weedy terrain. However, lurking in the fields of the Brandon Township countryside is an unwanted tiny pest waiting to jump on board.
Experts say that ticks will be worse this year because of a mild winter, and local vet Nancy Flannigan agrees.
“Ticks are active way down into the low 40s. They’re active at colder temperatures,” said Flannigan of Ortonville Animal Hospital. “Most people are getting bitten in November.”
One of the dangerous things about ticks versus fleas is that ticks can carry diseases transmittable to humans, she said. They can carry Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis and more.
“All of these can be gotten by humans, and they are all in Michigan,” she said. “Ticks are very good at what they do, and they have been around for years and years. Ticks used to only be a problem in the southern states, but they are migrating north. They’re hardy, they can live up to two years. A lot of parasites die in the winter, but ticks don’t and they can lay lots of eggs.”
Flannigan stresses that prevention is important all year round as the first defense against ticks on pets.

“There’s a lot of preventative out there, every veterinarian has good flea and tick protection,” she said. “Fleas are pesky, but ticks are dangerous, and the dogs and cats are the ones that go in and out of the house.”
Many prevention medications are oral, like treats for the pet, rather than topical. There are also flea and tick collars that are effective.
“Topicals work okay, but topicals can be washed off,” she said. “Anything oral you should get from the vet because the companies that make them offer guarantees, but only when sold through a vet.”
The way tick preventative works is by redistributing the medication into the fat layer of the animal’s body, under the skin, and the medication stays there. Over time it gets weaker, which is why most prevention medications are taken monthly.
“There is no product that kills ticks on contact, so it is important for people to realize that you’re going to find them on the dog’s body,” she said.
She also said the easiest way to remove them is with tweezers, and to pull them straight out.
“The body sticks out, and the head is tiny and buried under the skin,” she said. “And make sure there is a head and mouth. They have little pincers for teeth, so if you see those, you got the whole thing. If you don’t, clean the area with a good antibacterial soap or scrub, and watch for any type of abscess.”