Did you know ticks can transmit organisms that may cause diseases such as Lyme disease? Here are 5 good reasons to treat your dog with a product that REPELS and kills ticks.

1. Your dog’s comfort and happiness

Tick-borne diseases can cause dogs to suffer. Below are some of the signs they can cause; if your dog is experiencing any of these, it’s important to call your veterinarian right away.

• Fever

• Lethargy

• Loss of appetite

• Weight loss

• Enlarged lymph nodes

• Joint pain or difficulty walking

2. Your dog’s ongoing health

Some of these diseases can leave dogs with lasting health problems.

• While antibiotics can help with some infections, medication can’t always get rid of the infection completely. Some dogs can become sick all over again, even years later.

• Effects of some tick-borne disease infections can be lasting; for example, canine ehrlichiosis may cause blindness.

3. Your dog’s life

Tick-borne diseases may sometimes kill dogs.

• Canine Lyme disease, for example, can result in potentially fatal conditions including kidney failure.

• Other tick-borne diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever can also be fatal in dogs.

4. Ticks can come from other dogs

Ticks will move from one dog to another while actively feeding.¹

• That’s why, if you have more than one dog in your home, it’s important to make sure they are all treated with a product that REPELS and kills ticks — even dogs who don’t spend much time outside.

• If your dog doesn’t spend time in the woods or other tick-infested places, you still need to think about other dogs your pet might come into contact with. Do you take your dog to the dog park? What about neighborhood strays or other loose dogs venturing into your yard?
   

5. Cost and difficulty of treating a tick-borne disease

Your dog may need weeks or even months of treatment if infected with a tick-borne disease.

• Compared with treating a serious tick-borne infection, it may be more cost effective to help prevent exposure to tick-borne diseases by treating your dog with a product that repels and kills ticks.

How ticks can make your dog sick — and how to keep most of them from transmitting disease-causing organisms.

Organisms that cause tick-borne diseases are passed to a dog while the tick is feeding on the dog’s blood. When appropriate, annual vaccination for Lyme disease is important in case an infected tick attaches to and feeds on your dog. But vaccination does not prevent ticks from attaching. And for tick-borne diseases like ehrlichiosis, there are no vaccines. That’s why it is recommended to use a pest protection product that can prevent most ticks from attaching to your dog.
 

Killing ticks that are already feeding on your dog is only part of the battle. Repellency is important because it prevents most ticks from attaching and feeding in the first place. If a tick doesn’t attach, it can’t transmit disease-causing organisms.

Click here to learn about pest prevention from Bayer that may reduce the risk of transmission of disease-causing organisms by repelling most ticks before they attach to your dog and feed.
 

¹Little SE, Hostetler J, Kocan KM. Movement of Rhipicephalus sanguineus adults between co-housed dogs during active feeding. Vet Parasitol. 2007;150:139-145.