I saw a segment on a morning talk show about the Companion Animal Parasite Council. They were discussing the early onset of tick season. Here’s a link to the organization’s website: http://www.capcvet.org/.
The Council is organized as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It is sponsored by a lot of drug companies that make tick/flea preventatives such as Frontline, so you will not find mention of natural remedies on the site.
You will find information about diseases caused by parasites, such as tick paralysis. I had an encounter with that several years ago when I rescued a stray. The poor pup was literally covered from head to toe in ticks. He could not stand on his hind legs.
After a long bath (that still makes my skin crawl to think about), I managed to remove all of the ticks. The next morning, he dashed out of the crate and ran around the yard. Until that moment, I had no idea ticks could cause such a serious condition.
Another feature of the site is a parasite prevalence map. You can see how high incidents of various infections are in your area. It is useful to view the map if you are visiting another area of the country as well. You would hate for your little buddy to come back with an unwelcome souvenir.
The site offers a lot of technical information about parasites. While it is not the most fascinating reading, it is helpful to know about these little critters that can cause such damage to both your buddy’s health and your own. Just be prepared to take a long shower afterward. Anytime I read about ticks, I feel as if they are crawling all over me!
Rescue Mommy
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