Lyme Disease: Preventable In Your Pet Dogs and Cats
For more please visit: www.DogExplorer.com – comments are moderated! Follow us on Twitter http – Everyone knows that ticks, those creepy spider cousins, have the potential for carrying some pretty serious diseases to our pets. But, what’s less well known is that these blood thirsty parasites may be arriving in your backyard after traveling by air! By: Dr. Jim Humphries, Veterinary News Network Robins and many other songbirds are often the heralds of springtime and warmer weather just around the corner. Unfortunately, a new report is stating these welcome spring visitors are quite possibly spreading a serious disease of humans and pets… Lyme Disease! When most people think about Lyme Disease, they automatically think about the eastern seaboard of the United States. While it is true that states near Connecticut account for almost 90% of all cases reported, Lyme Disease can be found in all 50 states and is truly a global disease. Ticks are the primary vector for spreading Lyme Disease to people and also to dogs, cats and even horses. Usually, ticks will acquire the disease causing bacteria by feeding on infected rodents, the primary reservoir. Deer also play an important role as expanding populations import large numbers of ticks into new areas of the country. But now, researchers at Yale have found that robins, blue jays and other common birds are also reservoirs of this illness. Furthermore, the nymph and larval stages of the tick life cycle can be carried by the birds …