Ticks happen. And they can make animals incredibly sick. Take this sweet pup, which was recently rescued here in Appanoose County and taken to Heartland Humane Society for care. (Won’t it be great when Furever Friends Rescue is open??)
When Tammy Cassady, Furever Friends Rescue’s board president, picked up this little guy (we’ll call him Buddy), he weighed only 15 pounds and had over 50 ticks attached to his flesh … in his ears, back, tummy, pretty much everywhere. We could show you pictures, but they are pretty disturbing.
“He wouldn’t have lasted much longer like that,” Tammy says.
Ticks not only feed on your pets’ blood, they can transmit a variety of diseases to your pet. That’s why it’s extremely important to use a tick control product that’s right for your dog or cat (check with your vet), and examine your pet daily for ticks.
If you spot ticks, the best way to remove them is with tweezers: Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible (but without grabbing any of your pet’s skin), and pull directly and smoothly out. Any part of the tick remaining in your pet’s skin could cause an infection.
And here’s the end of the story: Thanks to the care he received at Heartland, Buddy is doing just fine.
