Don't be left in the dark about vector borne disease.
While Lyme disease is well known, it certainly isn't the only disease that dogs or people can contract from ticks.
In addition to Lyme disease, ticks also carry ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and others. There's simply no way for pet owners to tell if a tick is carrying disease or not and it only takes one tick bite to infect your dog. Also, some ticks are known to carry more than one of these diseases, which can lead to multiple infections, or co infection. What's common among all vector borne disease, however, is that symptoms can be vague and difficult to recognize. Often many pet owners don't know their dog is suffering from a debilitating tick disease until it's too late.
Humans and other non canine family members can also become infected with the same tick borne diseases as dogs. These cross species diseases are known as zoonotic. So, if you live in an area with tics or if you've ever found a tick on your dog, you should also be sure to check yourself and your family.
