Ready North / New England tick season and your pet
New England tick season and your pet
Quick answerThe CDC says to check pets that go outdoors daily for ticks and use a tick preventive product on dogs. Signs of tickborne disease may not show for 7 to 21 days or longer. Ask your vet about local tickborne diseases and about the Lyme vaccine for dogs.
Log every tick checkDaily notes in PawLine give your vet a dated record of bites and symptoms.Be ready before it is an emergency. Free to download. Try it free, no payment info needed, then decide after the trial.What is PawLine? An AI-powered pet health app whose answers draw on published veterinary research, including sources like PubMed. Ask health questions any hour, get emergency triage and first-aid steps, set medication reminders, keep a profile and daily notes for each pet and email them to your vet, and find nearby vets. Try it free for 30 days with no payment info needed; after the trial, continued access is an in-app purchase (weekly or yearly). Guidance only, not a diagnosis.
What the CDC advises
- Check your pets daily, especially after time outdoors, and remove ticks promptly.
- Ticks are hard to see on long or dark fur. Check ears, between toes, armpits, around the tail and under the collar.
- Watch for changes in behavior or appetite for weeks after a tick bite.
- Except for Lyme disease in dogs, pets cannot be vaccinated against tickborne diseases.
- Dogs should use a tick preventive. Ask your vet before putting anything on a cat. Cats are extremely sensitive to many chemicals.
Keep a tick log
Write down the date, where on the body, and where you were walking. If your pet gets sick, the notes help your vet. PawLine daily notes can hold this, and you can email them to your vet.
Be ready before it is an emergency. Get PawLine on the App Store · Get it on Google Play
Ask your vet
- Which tickborne diseases are found in our area?
- Which preventive and for how many months?
- Should my dog have the Lyme vaccine? (AAHA lists it as noncore, and says practices in endemic regions may treat it as core.)
Frequently asked questions
How long after a tick bite can my dog get sick?
CDC says signs may not appear for 7 to 21 days or longer. Watch behavior and appetite, and call your vet if you see changes.
Sources
- CDC: Preventing ticks on pets https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/prevention/preventing-ticks-on-pets.html
- AAHA: Recommendations for core and noncore canine vaccines https://www.aaha.org/resources/2022-aaha-canine-vaccination-guidelines/recommendations-for-core-and-noncore-canine-vaccines/
- ASPCA: Feline toxins to steer clear of (permethrin) https://www.aspca.org/news/feline-toxins-steer-clear-kitten-season
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