Keep Your Dog And Yo urself Safe Fro m Lyme Disease (NAPSA)—With the arrival of warm weather, it’s important to not only protect yourself, but also your dog from ticks and the harmful diseases they carry. Lymedisease is one of the most serious diseases carried by ticks and can pose a health risk not only to people, but also to dogs. In fact, ticks are second only to mosquitoes in disease transmission. “Every part of the country has its own ticks and each tick will carry different diseases,” said Dr. Steve Levy, veterinarian and expert in Lyme disease. “So whether it’s Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis or spotted fever, you want to protect your dog pretty much throughout the entire tick season, which can last several months and uptoallyear-round depending on where you live.” Protection is key to prevention People who plan to spend time outdoors with their dogs should take precaution to prevent tick bites. Stay away from tick habitats including wooded areas and tall grass, and if you have to get out into these elements, wear proper clothing, such aslight colors, long sleeves and long pants tucked into yoursocks. But for dogs, who can’t wear protective clothing, Virbac Animal Health offers another type of protective barrier—a tick collar containing Amitraz called Preventic. = don’t realize that it only takes one tiny tick less than 72 hoursto transmit Lymedisease to their dog, and that most treatments provide min- imalefficacy against these parasites. “The microorganisms responsible for Lymedisease movefrom tick’s stomach to its host’s bloodstream in as little as 24 hours following tick attachment and feeding,” said Dr. Levy. “That’s what is so unique about the Amitraz collar—it kills and detaches 99 percent of ticks in just 48 hours andlasts for three months.” Watch for the symptoms A new kind of collar can help protect dogs against tick bites that could cause Lyme disease. Astudy published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that a dog collar containing Amitraz prevented the transmission of Lyme disease. This is the first study that has demonstrated that a tick control aide can prevent the transmission of Lymedisease to dogs. “The Amitraz collar prevents ticks from biting by paralyzing their mouth parts, and it also has the ability to make attached ticks release and fall off,” said Dr. Levy. “By stopping the tick from biting and by preventing biting, the Preventic collar prevented the transmission of the disease.” Timeis of the essence Unfortunately, most dog owners A common symptom of Lyme disease in people is a red bull’seye rash that slowly expands, along with flu-like symptoms such as muscle aches, joint pain, fever, headache, stiff neck and tiredness. Dogs often experience lethargic demeanor, acute lameness, loss of appetite or a fever. Since 1980, 177,153 cases of Lymedisease in people have been reported from 49 states. According to the Lyme Disease Foundation, the number of actual Lyme disease cases is likely to be 13 to 15 times higher. If you suspect a tick has infected you or your dog, contact your doctor or your veterinarian immediately. In humans and dogs, early diagnosis is extremely important. For more information, visit www.preventic.com or www.lyme.org.
