Attention: dog and outdoor cat owners...

[Earth_First]

Keep an eye on your critters for deer ticks already this season.

I had to take our Golden in last night for an early season deer tick removal.

Talking to the vet she said that she is seeing a lot of early season tick issues this year.

We usually don't start her on her Advatix until May 1 however the vet is now suggesting year-round treatment with the evidence she's seeing in an early tick season.

FWIW we live in the Northeast, western New York...

Just a heads up!

[femmocrat]

1. Good advice!

Our vet just told us the same thing. I found a tick on one of the dogs last spring and it scared me into year-round protection. After paying for the Lime disease test, I could have had her on anti-tick/flea/heartworm meds. The medicine is expensive for three dogs, but we ordered from petmeds.com and saved about $120 over the vet's price. (Sorry, I can't remember which brand the vet recommended.)

Ticks have been really bad the past couple of years... we are in PA.

[In_The_Wind]

2. My Chocolate Lab will need help.

I live with more dogs & cats now than ever before. PIA barks a deer every night. We have skunks, squirrels all kinds of carriers. Who knew New Paltz would be buggier than Woodstock/Saugerties.

[Bertha Venation]

3. I took six ticks off the neck of my Smudgy (cat) last night.

Then tried to put Revolution on her and got some impressive scratches for my trouble. Was unsuccessful.

Thanks for the heads up, EF.

[Earth_First]

7. Wow. That's impressive.

Good luck with a corrective course of action wirh Smudgy.

Sounds like an adventurous feline!

[Fix The Stupid]

4. Southern Ontario here...tookl 3 ticks of my cat last week. They're terrible now. n/t

[Earth_First]

8. Yikes!

I guess there's the anecdotal evidence to back up the vets' evidence.

Hopefully that's not a sign of the summer ahead for us in WNY.

[Fix The Stupid]

11. Something's changed. I don't know what...

but something is different now.

Grew up my whole life on a farm not too far from where I live now. We always had pets, dogs, cats whatever.

Never, not once, did we ever have a tick problem.

Fast forward 20 years, I move to my new place. I always have 3 cats around...I'm that crazy cat guy, lol.

Moved there in 2002 - had cats the whole time. About 2-3 years ago I took my first tick, first tick I've ever seen, off my big orange tabby. Now I'm averaging at least 5 per cat per year. Nothing works either. Tried them all.

I'm now down to sprinkling Garlic powder on them once in a while - I read somewhere this might work - let's hope.

Somethings changed and I don't think it's a good thing.

[zanana1]

5. Thank you.

I usually don't treat my cats for ticks until May, but because of your post I'll do it today. I love my pets and I always welcome a heads up.

[RebelOne]

6. All my dogs have been inside dogs,

and I have never had a problem with ticks. They would only go outside when on a leash even my Rottweiler. I did have a problem with fleas, but nothing that Advantage couldn't solve. I only have a Chihuahua now and she only goes outside on a leash and so far, no flea problem yet, but who knows what pests summertime will bring.

[MiddleFingerMom]

9. NoName was a total indoor cat... but used to slip past me once or twice a year.

.
.
.
She got craftier and craftier about not letting me catch her (she was like the Borg learning from
each "mistake&quot and started staying out and away all day sometimes (I'd have to go to work).
.
I was always frantic worried as MiddleFingerMomMom had taught me that there's a French word
for outdoor cats in Arizona.
.
.
.
.
Hors d'oeuvres.
.
She always made it back though.
.
.
.

[Raffi Ella]

10. I'm expecting it to be pretty bad this year.

I gave my dog, Sophie, her tick and flea medicine last month because of how warm it's been in Ga all winter. I take her off leash in the woods every day too so she really needs it. I wear light colored clothing so I'll see them on me and check both of us when we get back. I worry a lot about lime disease though- almost to the point that I'm too scared to go in the woods but it's one of my favorite things to do in life. I take the risk but worry a lot.

I wish there was a tick medicine for humans.

[hedgehog]

12. I think on my place, the tick problem really kicked in when

the coyotes took up residence.