As summer is now most definitely here Dr Dolittle thought it was just the right time to keep our readers informed of ticks and the illnesses and harm that they can cause to our pets.

Ticks that can be found just about anywhere in the world, are known technically as ekto – parasites that completely thrive and survive on the blood of a mammal or bird. Pathologically ticks cause many side effects:- 

Carrying Diseases

Poisoning

Stokes

Anaemia

In extreme cases, death.

Ticks are capable of carrying and spreading over 200 different types of illness and disease.   There are actually 899 proven types of ticks in the world. 

Now I would like to explain how you can recognise a tick as most people think that ticks have six or eight legs like spiders but not all of them do.  There is a process of a life cycle that they pass through.  Thus some people seem to mistake them as spiders instead of ticks on our pets.  When a tick lays eggs and the ticks come out of the lava, they have six legs.  To become an adult tick they must fall to the earth to develop properly.  Within four days or so they can develop up to eight legs.  Like hunters they then wait to find an animal that they can attach themselves to.  In an entire year ticks are always active but between the months of April to October they can be found more than ever. 

Illnesses that can be spread to humans and animals alike:-

Babesiosis

Both humans and animals can be affected by this blood parasite related illness.   This can cause death in extreme cases but with caution and preventative treatment this can be avoided. 

Symptoms are high fever, loss of appetite, anaemia, and yellow fever.  Skin shows to be yellow in skin tone.

Theileriosis

It is actually cows that are prone to this specific illness related to ticks. 

Lyme Disease

This is prone to humans, dogs, horses, sheep and cows.  Ticks or mosquitoes are specifically carriers of this disease.  Vaccinations for this are a good preventative and also can be found readily for treatment too. 

Symptoms of Lyme disease can affect the heart, joints and nervous system in different levels of severity.

Ehrilichiosis

Dogs are the most prone to this type of illness and this proves to be fatal.   At the vet nary clinic there is treatment but it is not simple.

KKKA

This is a viral disease and it is very common in Turkey.  This can affect pets and animals but the affect on humans can prove to be fatal. 

Symptoms are high fever, headache, legs, arms and back extreme aching.  Beneath skin surface bleeding in face and chest regions.  This can cause humans to vomit blood.

Let’s face it the above does not make pleasant reading so to make us a feel a little better and at ease, on a more positive note, how do we protect ourselves and our pets from all sorts of ticks?

Dogs and Cats can have ‘spot on’ medicines which can be applied to the back of the neck in between the shoulder region. 

You can purchase specific sprays and treatments for your gardens.

For humans you can easily purchase body sprays that are good deterrents for ticks and mosquitoes.  If you are out on a picnic in long grasses or in wilder regions, you should tuck trousers into socks and pull sleeves down and wear hats or baseball caps which all help as preventatives.

THIS IS NOT TO MAKE YOU GRIMICE OR TO SCARE YOU OFF FROM EVER HAVING A PICNIC IN TURKEY OR EVER LETTING YOU PET OUT IN THE GARDEN AGAIN.  IT’S ADVICE OF HOW TO REGONIZE A SYMTOM THAT HAS BEEN CARRIED TO YOU VIA A TICK. 

IT’S NOT WHAT AFFECTS US SOEMTIMES ITS LEARNING HOW WE DEAL WITH SOMETHING QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY OR BETTER STILL PREVENTING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Arif Sapmaz

Vetinarian Surgeon

Dr Dolittle Clinic

Kusadasi