You love your pets and want them to be healthy. Two military veterinarians explain what you need to know to protect your pets from diseases caused by pests, such as ticks, fleas and mosquitoes, which carry infection.
“We may see a variety of vector-borne diseases in our practices, depending on where you are in the United States or the world,” said U.S. Army Maj. (Dr.) Sarah Watkins, instructor of public health in the first year of veterinary education. during a public health event at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Watkins is responsible for teaching preventive veterinary medicine topics to junior officers of the US Army Veterinary Corps, 107 years.
The most common vector-borne diseases seen by veterinarians on the East Coast of the United States are “those carried by ticks, such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosisAnd Rocky Mountain spotted feverand those carried by mosquitoes, such as heartworm, which primarily affects dogs, cats and ferrets,” Watkins said. “In some areas of the United States, such as the Southwest, veterinary practices may also see plaguewhich can be carried by fleas.
Animal-to-human transmission
Not only can Fluffy, Fidot or Speedy the ferret get sick, but so can you, and that’s one of Watkins’ big concerns.
“You cannot be directly infected with a vector-borne disease from your pet. But vectors, such as ticks, could bite you and your pet since you share the same environment, ultimately transmitting diseases to both of you,” Watkins said.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Melissa Hehr, chief of veterinary public health, Veterinary Services Division, at the Defense Centers for Public Health-Falls Church, Va., said some diseases can move or be transmitted between people and pets.
“The different species of ticks responsible for transmitting Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease can move between pets, humans and the environment, allowing a person to become infected with a tick that could have hitched a ride on her dog’s fur. » said Hehr.
However, “because of the highly mobile nature of ticks, it would be difficult to determine how many human cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Lyme disease can be attributed to pets that serve as tick taxis,” added Hehr.
She recommends the Companion Animal Parasite Council website as an excellent source of information.
“Your veterinarian is also a fantastic resource to consult regarding your pet’s parasitic risks,” Hehr said. “They can recommend preventive measures and products tailored to your pet’s needs, taking into account their health, activities and geographic location.”
Protect spots and whiskers, and you too
Year-round prevention is the key to keeping ticks, fleas and other pests away, Watkins and Hehr advise.
“Pets that are not protected against fleas and ticks can carry these infected vectors into the home, creating a risk of infection for other family members,” Watkins warned.
Dogs and cats can serve as hosts for internal or external parasites, which can cause discomfort, illness and related problems, Hehr said.
Several of the most common parasites of dogs and cats that can transmit disease-causing organisms to humans are fleas, ticks, hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, Giardia and Toxoplasma, according to Hehr.
“We would ideally like to prevent them from having the chance to upset your pet or cause illness in the first place,” she said. “Not only can external and internal parasites cause physical discomfort to your pet; they can also cause serious skin problems, as is often the case with flea allergies, or even cardiovascular complications that can lead to death, as is the case with advanced heartworm disease.
“This is why parasite prevention is so essential to keeping your pet happy and healthy,” Hehr said. “It is also important to prevent parasitism in pets to minimize any potential exposure to humans with whom they share a home or, in many cases, a couch, bed, or even pillow.”
There are many preventative medications that protect animals from these nasties – both by application to the skin or orally. Most flea prevention products kill adult fleas once the insects come into contact with your pet. Some tick prevention products kill biting ticks, while others prevent ticks from biting in the first place, which is the preferred method, Watkins said.
“It’s important to have a conversation with your veterinarian to choose the preventative measures that are best for you and your pet,” she said. “It is also important to use prevention throughout the year. Ticks can be active at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the interior of your home can create an ideal haven for fleas and ticks to survive.
“Avoid using over-the-counter products, as they are often less effective than the prescription preventative products you can get from your veterinarian,” Watkins added, saying, “It is more important to select a product that is safe, effective and tailored to your lifestyle to ensure it is administered correctly and regularly.
Emerging threats from animal and human diseases
There are several emerging threats to pets, military working dogs and humans that come from vector-borne diseases, many of which come from ticks that are expanding their geographic territories as the climate changes, Hehr said.
“Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease that is increasing in prevalence in dogs and humans in the United States and Europe,” Hehr said. “But neither dogs nor humans should be implicated in causing babesiosis in each other, if one or both contracts it from ticks. Indeed, the vector tick species and Babesia organisms that cause disease are different for humans and dogs,” she explained.
There is not yet an effective vaccine to protect dogs against babesiosis. The only vaccine authorized in the United States for the prevention of diseases transmitted by fleas or ticks is that against Lyme disease in dogs.
There have also been outbreaks of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Arizona and other areas of the southwest United States, linked to the brown dog tick, which prefers dogs, Watkins said.
Most cases involved children who were bitten by ticks in and around the home, Hehr said.
“Interestingly, detecting an increased number of dogs with Rocky Mountain spotted fever in a community may indicate that the prevalence of human disease might be increasing there as well,” Hehr said. “This is because the same tick species transmit the same pathogenic organism to dogs and humans, with dogs usually being on the front line during a tick infestation.”
The essential
The most effective way to protect yourself and your pet from vector-borne diseases is to avoid getting bitten, Watkins said. “This involves a combination of protective clothing, repellents and environmental management, depending on the vector you want to avoid.”
This means avoiding grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, as well as animal burrows. Prevent Fido and Fluffy from coming into close contact with creatures that may have fleas.
At home, clean up your garden, clean up dead leaves, cut the grass and trim the hedges.
When outdoors, wear long sleeves and long pants treated with 0.5% Permethrin to repel ticks. When you return home, check your clothes and body for ticks. Putting your clothes in the dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes will kill any ticks that may be hiding in your clothes, Watkins said.
Don’t forget your pet companion, Watkins said.
“When examining your pet, it is important to look in and around the ears, around the eyelids, under the collar, under the front legs, on the back and between the hind legs, on the stomach, between the toes and around the hind legs. tail,” she advised.
Other prevention tips
- Avoid mosquito bites by wearing long, loose clothing.
- Use an insect repellent, such as DEET.
- Keep mosquitoes away from you and your pets by treating your yard and using screens to prevent these pests from entering your home.
- Do not use mosquito repellent intended for humans on your pets.
- Talk to your veterinarian about repellent options that are safe for your pet.
- Use heartworm preventative products that you can get from your veterinarian. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes.
- If fleas and ticks enter the home, control them by frequent vacuuming, sweeping, and washing sheets and rugs.
- Wash pet bedding in hot, soapy water.
- Place items in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks.
However, generally, these environmental control measures alone are not as effective as an integrated approach, which includes the application or administration of veterinarian-approved flea and/or tick preventative products, Watkins and Hehr said.
“If you’ve been in a tick-infested area or found ticks on yourself, there’s a very good chance that ticks have found your dog as well,” Hehr said. “If this is the case, it’s a good idea to check your pet for ticks before bringing them into the home. Before removing the tick, wear disposable gloves to avoid exposure to tick saliva or body fluids.
“If ticks have not yet attached themselves to your pet, they can often be removed with a fine-tooth comb,” Hehr said. “If they are attached, you can use tweezers to remove them by gently grabbing its head and pulling it back, trying to keep the tick intact while you extract the embedded mouthparts. Do not crush displaced ticks, but flush them down the toilet to eliminate them.
And that’s how everyone stays safe.
