Preventing Lyme Disease By Eliminating The Ticks

The growing tick population in this country has created a serious problem for both humans and pets. Tick bites can cause Lyme disease in humans, and your dogs and cats. If you have any pets that spend time outdoors, there's several thing that you need to be doing to ensure those little ticks don't cause your family or your pets to fall seriously ill with Lyme disease. Here, you'll find a few tips to help maximize the level of protection for your family and pets.

Talk with a Veterinarian

Your pets should be under the care of a veterinarian. This is the person to go to for help coming up with the best prevention treatment for your pets. There are constantly new tick repellant products coming onto the market that have been growing in effectiveness and safety.

Typically, you will be able to buy a flea and tick treatment in two forms – drops to be put directly onto the skin and a collar that is to be worn for a set amount of time – usually 3 to 6 months. Before you use any flea and tick treatment on your pets for the first time, contact the veterinarian to be sure that it is a product known for safety and effectiveness.

Treat with DEET

When you family is spending time out in the yard, spray yourselves with bug repellent that contains DEET. DEET is the active ingredient in bug spray that actually keeps the ticks and mosquitoes at bay.

If you're spending the day outside, you'll need to reapply the spray at least every few hours to ensure that you are as protected as possible.  

Clear Unwanted Vegetation

High weeds, shrubs growing out of control – all of that vegetation that isn't wanted on your property, but that you haven't gotten around to eliminating yet – it all has to go. This is the perfect setting for ticks to thrive. You see, ticks don't jump or fly to find their food – they hang on the long branches or tall grass and wait for something to pass by. They then grab hold of what's passing and catch a ride.

Spray the Lawn

Have the lawn treated to eliminate the ticks living underground waiting for the warm weather. You will do well to talk with your local lawn treatment professional to find out how often your lawn would need to be treated to eliminate the ticks for good.

Keep your family and pets safe this spring, summer and fall. A little work and careful preventative measures will help you avoid the awful symptoms of Lyme disease. Contact a clinic, like Kenmore Veterinary Hospital, for more help.