An adult blacklegged or deer tick. Photo: Wikipedia.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey are considered high risk areas for Lyme disease, and that can only mean one thing: ticks.
For dogs and their owners who rarely leave Philadelphia city limits and for whom a visit to a park means a stroll through Rittenhouse Square, ticks might only be an infrequent concern. However, for dogs and puppies who live in or venture further out into the suburbs and rural areas—or even down the shore—the chances of getting bit by a tick get higher. For many people, removing ticks from their dogs and themselves is a daily summer chore.
Out of hundreds of tick species worldwide, over twenty-five types have been identified in Pennsylvania. Of these, four main species of ticks are very common across the greater Philadelphia area: the dog tick, the blacklegged tick, the lone star tick, and the ground hog tick. Dog ticks and blacklegged ticks (formerly known as deer ticks and a primary Lyme disease carrier) are the most common ticks in southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.
Although ticks are active all year round as long as temperatures are above 45F, they are most active during the warm summer months, especially in July.
Part 2 Dogs and Lyme disease 2, 3, 4
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Comments
Leah, Great articles on Lyme disease in dogs. My eldest dog has chronic Lyme disease like I do. He is 11 and had numerous tick bites as a puppy which I had no idea about and my (then) vet never bothered to inform me about the hazards of tick bites and Lyme disease... knowledge is power and people need to be informed about the dangers of ticks on pets. Thank you!
Thanks Megan!
Sorry to hear both of you have Lyme. Good luck with that. I know someone who has had it since the late 80s and it took something like 10 years to get a positive diagnosis and so much suffering meanwhile.
Yes, knowledge is power!
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