Just a little heads up to all you pet owners.
We just found a tick on one of our cats. He does spend a lot of time outside in long grass and stuff but it is still very early for ticks. With the mild winter so far and unseasonably warm weather in February I don’t think they were killed off quite as well as they usually are.
I fear it will also be a bad flea season…even here in Siberia, the weeds are growing strong and even a sole bumblebee was spotted.
There was an article recently in the Tages Anzeiger about this. Ticks already found on dogs this year.
Sorry, it’s in German:
Wow, that’s early! Thanks for the head up, time to give Bravecto to the doggies!
Not only are ticks a danger to animals. Humans get nasty diseases from infected tick bites too.
Having known a couple of people who had lasting disability from an infection, I would advise everyone to be conscious of the dangers.
It’s worth looking into getting the Tick Meningitis vaccine if you live in GV or VD. Apparently these two cantons are hotspots for it. I was able to get the vaccine at the Sunstore near me but it required an appointment.
Totally worth getting for the peace of mind since our dog loves exploring fields and forests during spring and summer.
I recommend this vaccination, too. I picked up few ticks over the course of the summer whilst out with the dog, despite my best efforts with tucking trousers in socks and using a repellent.
The dog has a monthly tablet which kills ticks within hours of them latching on.
Should bear in mind that there is no vaccine against Lyme Disease and that should be treated promptly with antibiotics.
Interestingly Geneva is one if the two cantons (along with Ticino) where getting the tick borne encephalitis vaccines is not strongly recommended as the risks are deemed to be lower there.
We were all vaccinated a few years ago as we are in a tick ‘hotspot’ apparently.
As Shirley says it’s also important to keep an eye for symptoms of Lyme disease as it can be pretty nasty and lead to long term health issues if not caught and treated early with antibiotics.
@BelgianMum Odd…our dog trainer was the one that gave me the information about GV and VD. Perhaps their information wasn’t up-to-date? Lyme disease is frightening. I personally know two people who caught it and their energy was zapped for nearly a year.
@ShirleyNot Try Wellington boots. I haven’t found a tick on me in years since I started wearing wellingtons on my walks during tick season.
Does such a thing exist for cats?
Asking for two (furry) friends.
I just checked the packaging and it’s only for dogs. It’s called Simparica and the active ingredient is Sarolaner. Check with your vet if there’s a feline version.
I give Bravecto, which works the same but is also a flea repellent and you need a tab every three months. I think there’s a cat version.
Just saw some procession caterpillars on the road. You can usually find them near pine trees when it warms up in spring. Be careful, as they can seriously injure your dog with their hairs.
We use Frontlne or another brand I forget, both available in French pharmacies so I assume they would be here too. (we don’t get fleas or ticks up in the mountains so only need to treat them when we’re in Alsace in the summer).
It’s easy to apply, in a pipette/tube that you just drop on to the back of the neck, no tablets required. Just checked on Amazon, and it looks like they will deliver to CH.
https://www.amazon.fr/FRONTLINE-Spot-Chat-Anti-puces-anti-tiques/dp/B0071OVZCK?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
Not sure that leaving existing ticks on the animal is a good idea though, they’re easy enough to simply pull off using a finger and thumb.
You can get frontline at Sunstore and other pharmacies. Swiss prices, of course.
I order them online from here at a fraction of Swiss prices.
I have kids, and I don’t like them being in contact with the drying liquid, which is why I prefer tablets. And Bravecto lasts for 3 months, while Frontline and co must be reapplied monthly. Bravecto is somewhat more expensive though.
Is that for a cat or a dog? I used Frontline for the first couple of months for the first summer we had our dog but it seemed to make the coat greasy and a bit bleugh (doggo has a long-ish, thick coat with an undercoat), which is why the vet recommended the tablets.
For cats. No, it’s never left their coats greasy; applied just behind the neck where they can’t reach it there’s no danger of the wetness being rubbed on anything either.
I found a small tick on my leg this morning. Removed it with tick tweezers. I am vaccinated against one of the tick things. Will be checking for a sign of a red ring round the bite. Nothing at the mo,
Was gardening this week…
