Lyme disease is the infectious disease spread primarily by a tick called a "deer tick" or "bear tick". The kind of tick is very small. So small in fact that it gets no larger than the head of a straight pin. This kind of disease can cripple humans as well as animals. To avoid getting bitten by these pesky critters is prevention. This will lessen your chances of going back home with an unwelcome guest attached to you. When out in wooded areas its best to wear long sleeved shirts, pants, knee high socks with the pant legs tucked in them and a real good bug repellent. (Wonderful picture of what ya will look like, aint it.

Using a bug repellent on your pet will aid in prevention. Check with your vet to find out which repellent is best for your animal. Daily grooming your pet will lessen the chances of obtaining lyme disease. Be shure to check where they like to hide the most including, in between the toes, in the ears, on the neck, in the folds of the legs, and the genital areas.

Heartworm disease is caused by when an animal bites another animal infected with the heartworm larvae. This commonly happens when misquitos bite an infected animal. Then usually two or three weeks the larvae develop in the misquito. The misquitos then transmit the larvae to the animals skin and the larvae works its way through the tissues and finds its way to the heart and lungs. This is a potentially fatal disease, and thankfully there is a vaccine to help prevent heartworms, but there is no cure.

There are all kinds of parasites. Internally and externally.

Internal parasites like hookworms, roundworms, heartworms, whipworms, and tapeworms invade your pet and cause them to loose nutrients in their body. When this happens the animal will loose energy, have a poor appetite, and if not treated will lead to death. You can sometimes tell that your pet has certain worms by examining the stools, and around the rectum but it is highly recommended to take your pet to a vet and he/she will take a test to find out what kind of parasite it is and give proper treatment.

External parasites such as fleas, ticks, mites, and mange can cause serious skin problems, or diseases.

Fleas tend to be almost everywhere. They are skilled jumpers, and can leap from animal to animal with ease. The blood suckers feed on warm blooded animals and leave their eggs to hatch and eventually infest the host. The eggs look like little black specks of dirt or "pepper". The only known prevention for this pesky varmit is dips, sprays, powders, and collars. Now available at your local vet they can prescribe a pill to be taken internally (like Advantage) to help keep the acrobats off of your pet.

Ticks are usually obtained when the animal is outdoors around a wooded area, but not always. They can live anywhere that a warm blooded host is around. They sneak upon the unsuspecting animal and attach themselves to the skin without usually even being noticed. Feeding on the animals blood and vital nutrients, sometimes the tick will almost fully imbed its self into the skin of the host. If they are allowed to thrive on the pet, it can cause serious skin infections or even paralysis. There are also ticks that carry serious diseases such as Lyme Disease. These ticks are called "deer ticks" or "bear ticks".

Ear Mites are tiny little critters that live in your pets ears. This common disease goes usually undetected until it can be seen by the naked eye. A good hint that your pet has ear mites is when they are seen scratching their ear, or "digging" inside of their ear with their paw. Ear mites can cause a bacterial infection to grow inside the ear canal because of the holes left in the ears from the mites. This is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Have your local vet check your pet to see if he/she has this problem, and if so, the vet will prescribe an antiboitic to eradicate these microscopic pests.

Mange

Mange is caused by mites. They are a different kind of mite, unlike the ear mite. They irritate the skin of the animal causing sores, and hair to fall out. Mange seems to be most common in short haired animals. Signs of mange are small patches of hair missing, and the bald spot is slightly red. These little critters are usually found in grass, especially damp grass. Mites dont like heat, but when it cools off in the evening, they are jumping onto any host that comes within their path. Spraying your yard will help fend off mites. Take your pet to a vet as soon as possible if you suspect Mange.

Cancer can also happen in animals. It is an uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. It can invade only part of the body, or the entire body. Cancer kills more animals than suspected. About half of the older animals die of cancer. Finding out if your pet has this devistating disease requires a vet. He/she will take blood tests and x-rays to see if there is evidence of cancer.

Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system of warm blooded animals. Once the animal is infected, the disease is fatal. Rabies is transmitted by saliva, usually from a bite from an infected animal. Alot of wild animals such as skunks, bats, and raccoons have been known to have rabies. There are 2 types of rabies. Dumb and furious. Immediately prior to death animals with "furious" rabies will go through a period of appearing "mad". Usually frothing at the mouth and sometimes attacking people or things is known to happen. Animals with "dumb" rabies won't go through a mad period, but will suffer with paralysis, mostly of the lower jaw. This is usually the first sign of dumb rabies. The paralysis then quickly spreads through the entire body including limbs and vital organs. Death immediately follows. Rabies is deadly, no doubt, but almost totally preventable by vaccination.

Dental care in pets is as important as vaccinating. Animals can get gum disease like humans. If your pet has bad breath, a yellow brown crust of tartar around the gumline, or pain and bleeding, he/she may already have gum disease. Now, don't go and grab hubby's toothbrush (unless he's been a bad boy) and start scrubbing your pets teeth. There is a particular way to brush the teeth, and your local vet can show you how to properly do that.

The best preventative for diseases in your pets are vaccinations, especially in puppies and kittens. This is the time that they are most vunerable. Vaccines prevent diseases such as canine distemper parvo, rabies, feline leukemia, and many other things. The most common question is when to start vaccinating your pet. Here is a list of vaccinating schedules for dogs and cats:

Dogs

Cats

I hope that this page can help you with any concerns you may have for your pet, however I am not a licensed veternarian and the info on these pages are not meant to diagnose any illnesses.