Lyme Disease Awareness Month
Posted on May 01 2019
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month; and it's time to have the tick talk.
May is prime time for tick movement and the month when tick bites and infection occur most in individuals and pets as they venture outside to garden, hike, camp, and play outside with children. Any warm-blooded mammal can get a tick bite; and with over 900 tick species in the United States carrying ticks, we cannot afford to lose sight of the danger of ticks.
While not all ticks carry Lyme Disease, or tick illnesses at all, these are the most common tick illnesses to affect people and pets: Anaplasmosis; Powassan Virus; Babesiosis; Bourbon Virus; and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever - just to name a few.
The number one carrier of ticks in the United States is the white-tailed deer who is thought to have started the tick disease movement. However, the white-footed mouse carries the bacterium to make Lyme Disease and is actually believed to have passed it on to deer and birds which migrated to other places with ticks.
Ticks like to hang around grassy and wooded areas underneath leaves, logs and the fur of animals for insulation. The "bite" is how they feed and stay alive.
Symptoms of Lyme Disease in people are similar to the common cold and flu and is often misdiagnosed because of this reason. Here are Lyme Disease symptoms to watch for after a tick bite:
- Muscle Aches
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Swollen Glands
- Nausea
- Fever
Dogs with Lyme Disease may feel lethargic and experience weak muscle movements. They may have excessive drooling and high blood pressure, as well. As with humans, pets diagnosed with Lyme Disease can receive treatment from a doctor; but there is no cure for the disease.
This Lyme Disease Awareness Month, spread the word about the importance of Lyme Disease research and know how to effective remove a tick from the skin.
