'Tick Fever' Found in Abilene Animals
By: Morgan Bond
Updated: February 7, 2012
The recent warm weather has been nice for humans, but it's creating a prefect environment for unwanted pests, like ticks.
"I know there have been certain summers were it seems like no matter what we do, we find ticks on our dogs," said pet owner Linda Mikeworth.
Mikeworth loves to spend time outdoors with her dog, but when the summer approaches, she starts checking her puppy for ticks.
"It's just one of those things where you continually have to be on guard and watch them," she said.
Linda isn't the only one looking for these tiny bugs. Abilene veterinarian Dr. Larry Ellis says they've already seen several cases of "Tick Fever" in animals.
"We're already beginning to see dogs with a number of ticks on them. It seems a little early for that, but that's what we are seeing," Dr. Ellis said.
Dr. Ellis says the warm weather we've had has made it easy for the tick population to grow.
"This last year has been very dry, so the ticks have been sitting there waiting," Dr. Ellis said.
Ticks are more than just a pest to your pet. They can carry a variety of illnesses that can make you and your dog very sick. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease and Colorado Tick Fever are all carried by ticks.
"Like so many things, it's pretty easy to deal with if you don't get far behind it," Dr. Ellis said.
Linda says they plan on paying extra attention to the places her puppy plays and inspecting him regularly for these little pests.
"We are always concerned about the flee and tick problems. He sleeps with us at night, so it's very important to keep him tick free," Mikeworth said.
"I know there have been certain summers were it seems like no matter what we do, we find ticks on our dogs," said pet owner Linda Mikeworth.
Mikeworth loves to spend time outdoors with her dog, but when the summer approaches, she starts checking her puppy for ticks.
"It's just one of those things where you continually have to be on guard and watch them," she said.
Linda isn't the only one looking for these tiny bugs. Abilene veterinarian Dr. Larry Ellis says they've already seen several cases of "Tick Fever" in animals.
"We're already beginning to see dogs with a number of ticks on them. It seems a little early for that, but that's what we are seeing," Dr. Ellis said.
Dr. Ellis says the warm weather we've had has made it easy for the tick population to grow.
"This last year has been very dry, so the ticks have been sitting there waiting," Dr. Ellis said.
Ticks are more than just a pest to your pet. They can carry a variety of illnesses that can make you and your dog very sick. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease and Colorado Tick Fever are all carried by ticks.
"Like so many things, it's pretty easy to deal with if you don't get far behind it," Dr. Ellis said.
Linda says they plan on paying extra attention to the places her puppy plays and inspecting him regularly for these little pests.
"We are always concerned about the flee and tick problems. He sleeps with us at night, so it's very important to keep him tick free," Mikeworth said.
