The spring-summer period is dangerous by the appearance of ticks - the smallest animals that dig into the skin and feed on blood. Their favorite habitats are deciduous forests, wet marshlands with tall grass. Ticks are increasingly common in urban green spaces. An ingested parasite is not so easy to extract, and even after death, poisonous substances from its body can be transmitted to the bitten one. Diseases transmitted by ticks are dangerous not only for humans, but also for domestic animals - cats and dogs.
Consider the diseases that ticks can transmit to dogs.
… This disease usually occurs in dogs over 8 years of age. The incubation period is 1-2 weeks. It manifests itself as a lack of apatite, fever, lethargy. There may also be coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures.
… Fighting dog breeds are usually susceptible to this disease. The incubation period is 1-3 weeks. Symptoms: refusal to eat, weakness, fever. Even a recovered dog can be a carrier of the disease.
The incubation period is 1 month. There are no obvious symptoms of the disease, but sometimes lameness, loss of apatite, and enlarged lymph nodes are possible.
Hepatozoonosis. This disease, unlike others, is not transmitted by a tick bite, but when it enters the dog's stomach. From the symptoms, you can notice the paleness of the mucous membranes, lethargy, fever, weight loss.
… The incubation period is 8-15 days. In severe cases, fever, nosebleeds, blanching of the mucous membranes, and swollen lymph nodes are possible.
Demodecosis manifests itself in the form of hair loss, baldness, small wounds.
Cats living in an apartment are less likely to catch a tick, but the parasite can also get into the house on the owner's things or through a window.
Some diseases and symptoms are identical in cats and dogs. This is demodicosis and Lyme disease.
In addition, there are diseases peculiar only to cats.
With a bite, baldness, peeling of the skin and wounds are possible.
… Loss of hair, itching, resulting in sores.
Prevention
To prevent the bite of animals by ticks, it is necessary to treat them with special preparations - shampoos, sprays, and you can also give dogs and cats medicines or drops purchased from pet stores or veterinary pharmacies.
Flea and tick repellent collars help.
After each walk, you must examine the pet. The mite does not immediately dig into the skin, but crawls over the body for a while, and it can be found and removed before it starts eating.
