By Tim McDermott
I remember one day back when I was in private practice when a client brought in their dog for their examination and vaccinations and when he set his pup up on the examination table I noticed that the dog’s entire top half of his fur was slicked back. When I asked about this the client stated that he noticed ticks on the dog, so he covered him with motor oil to drown them out. I have also had clients tell me they put cigarettes out on ticks to burn them off or use kerosene to drown them off. Hopefully, they never use both of those “treatments” at the same time!
Veterinarians have a long history of dealing with the various pests that affect both companion animals and livestock. Mosquitos, flies, fleas, lice, mites, and ticks have caused severe illness as well as major economic loss for over one hundred years of animal care history. Over that time we have heard of some odd treatment protocols, homemade recipes, and unusual methods that are based more on myth than reality. The reality is that ticks and tick-borne diseases are expanding rapidly in Ohio and we do not have matching public health outreach to educate on the risks that these new ticks bring with them as well as to dispel the myths that are out there regarding prevention of tick-vectored disease. Here are some common myths regarding ticks and tick-vectored disease.
Myth #1 – “Ticks are only present in the woods.” This is a very common myth that I hear frequently. While it is true that some species of ticks such as Blacklegged tick or Lone Star tick prefer a wooded habitat, some tick species such as the American Dog tick and Gulf Coast tick can tolerate a more open habitat such as a pasture, meadow, or backyard lawn. I recently read an article where they had discovered that there were ticks in the grasses that are right up next to the beach! Make sure you realize you can encounter a tick in about any habitat.