Ticks carrying Lyme disease a problem in Placer County
By Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee
Ticks have tested positive for Lyme disease in Placer County.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and skin rash. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.
Anyone hiking or working in the country should exercise caution, according to the Placer Mosquito and Vector Control District.
Before the latest snow storm I picked a tick off of my clothing in the S. Upper Truckee area while hiking. I couldn’t believe they were out here.
There is a new product out from Merial called Certifect. It is a combination product that controls fleas and ticks.
The benefit of this product over any other on the market is that the ticks become immobilized and detach from the animal in less than 6 hours.
Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme, Anaplasmosis, Tick Paralysis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia, and more, all require the tick to be feeding on the animal for 18-hours or more in order to transmit the disease.
So if you plan on taking your dog to an area with ticks, look into getting Certifect. It is an OTC, but you will likely only find it at veterinary facilities or online.
It was only FDA approved in the U.S. last year, but has been used in Europe for several years.