Keeping Your Dog Free From Ticks
What Are Ticks?
Ticks are common parasites, which can be most often found in woods, bog land and grassland. They are spider like with 8 legs but with a large egg like body. Ticks climb on to your pet’s body and attach themselves to their skin. The tick’s body becomes swollen and darker as they suck blood.
Removal
It is important to remove ticks sooner rather than later. They need to be removed in such a way so that blood is not expelled back into your pet and that the biting head parts are not left in your pet’s skin. To do this we advise twisting the tick off and you can get a handy device for easy tick removal. If you are unsure contact Emma, our nurse, who would be happy to remove the tick for you.
Why Are Ticks Important?
Other than nasty blood sucking creepy crawlies, ticks are also a concern as they can carry diseases which can be harmful to your pet. By feasting on your dog’s blood they can transfer diseases into your dog’s blood stream.
Lyme disease, which is a bacterial infection, is the most recognised tick borne disease in dogs in the UK. Unfortunately, widespread testing of animals in our area of Fermanagh has not taken place therefore we just don’t know how common it is here. Animals can become ill, lethargic, off food, they can have high temperatures, swollen joints, swollen lymph nodes or any vague
variation of these symptoms.
If your pet regularly walks in wood, bog or grasslands then you should be providing them with treatments to prevent tick infestations. Please contact us on (028) 66 347 613 to find out which tick product would suit you best.
Need some help?
Is your pet in need of some professional care? Speed up the process by filling out our new client form online, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
What You Need to Know About Microchipping Your Pet
What is Microchipping for?
From April 2016, it has been a legal requirement for all dogs over the age of 8 weeks to be microchipped. If a dog is found not to be microchipped, then owners can face a fine up to £500. The microchip is a small electronic chip which is implanted underneath the animal’s skin between the two shoulder blades. It is a quick procedure which can be carried out at Cara Veterinary Clinic. We have a sample microchip on display for owners to see, if you would like to see what a microchip looks like call into the clinic.
Household Hazards to Your Pet
Household Hazards to your Pet:
When keeping a pet within a household it is important to ensure their safety always. This is important as there are many hazards to pets within a household. Care needs to be taken as there is no guarantee that the pet will not try to gain access to the medicine cabinet at some stage.
We are so pleased we have found Helen and her team. As others have posted she is really a great vet. Her bedside manner is as good with owners as it is with our pets..It is clear that Helen really cares about what is best for animals but very much includes the owners in the decision making process. We can’t recommend her enough