Ask a UW Veterinarian

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Tips for Choosing Tick Protection

This expert response comes from Amy Nichelason and Maria Verbrugge, clinical assistant professor and clinical instructor, respectively, of primary care services at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine.

Question: Many types of tick prevention products are available. Is one type better or more effective than another?

Answer: As the weather begins to warm, it’s important to protect your pet against ticks. There are many tick preventatives to choose from, including oral chews, collars, and topicals, so it can be confusing for pet owners to know what to use.

All flea and tick products available from a veterinarian are around 98 to 99 percent effective. These prevention methods kill fleas and ticks by targeting chemical receptors only present on fleas and ticks, making them generally safe for mammals. Which one you choose depends on your dog or cat’s lifestyle.

A topical tick guard, for instance, isn’t as desirable if your pet gets baths or swims often. A collar is simple and easy. Tick prevention chews can be paired with heartworm protection, which you should also give to your pets, making this a convenient option.

Talk to your veterinarian about the safest option for your pet, and use whatever works best for you and your animal. One crucial point is to ensure the preventative you buy is designated for the animal you have, as the dose and type of chemical vary between dogs and cats and could be ineffective or even dangerous if used incorrectly.

No matter what approach you choose, tick prevention methods don’t last forever. Depending on the type and brand, they need to be repeated every month or every few months.

Ticks are present year-round, but it is especially crucial to remember to administer tick preventatives in the spring, summer, and fall months when people and pets spend more time outside.

Likewise, even though tick preventatives are highly effective, it is still essential to routinely check your pet for ticks, especially if your pet is outdoors often. Collectively, these prevention methods protect not only your pet but you and your family from ticks.

So thankful Trevor’s been doing great since his emergency pacemaker surgery in July. He’s gained weight back and is just as fluffy as ever. Huge shout out to @uwveterinarycare for saving his life.

–@aware.wolf

Via UW School of Veterinary Medicine Instagram (@uwvetmed)

Mitch the otter had his routine exam a few weeks ago. Thanks to University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine Special Species for taking such great care of our animals!

–Ochsner Park Zoo

Via UW School of Veterinary Medicine Facebook (@uwvetmed)

Have a question for our veterinary medical experts?

Please send it to the On Call editor at oncall@vetmed.wisc.edu . We cannot guarantee responses to all submissions. For any urgent pet health issue, please contact your veterinarian directly.

Miss Poppy the Wonder Dog completed her final day of chemo today. Twenty long weeks, but the staff at University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine have been outstanding.

–Nancy Johnson-Rauen

Via UW School of Veterinary Medicine Facebook (@uwvetmed)

Study: Flea-Borne Bacteria Can Infect Cats and People

Fleas are a bother. All pet owners, particularly cat owners, know the annoyance they present. But fleas pose more of a risk than just an itchy pet.

“Fleas aren’t just a nuisance; they actually carry disease,” says Erin Lashnits , assistant professor of small animal internal medicine at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s a really understudied type of vectorborne disease in the U.S.”

Lashnits and colleagues at North Carolina State University recently published research in the journal Parasites & Vectors , revealing exactly what disease-causing bacteria cat fleas carry and their implications on cats and people. The study was supported by the UW School of Veterinary Medicine’s Companion Animal Fund grant program.

The Eyes Have It: Leandro Teixeira, left, the Richard R. Dubielzig Professor for Comparative Ocular Pathology in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, describes his research to UW–Madison Science Journalist in Residence Latif Nasser. The pair is looking at a blue whale eye while visiting the Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin in the SVM. The lab provides diagnoses for veterinarians worldwide and studies ocular disease in animals.

Nasser, co-host of the public radio show Radiolab, toured research labs and brought his science journalism expertise to campus in October.

The researchers collected and examined fleas on free-roaming cats brought in for spaying or neutering at community Trap-Neuter-Release programs. The cats were then returned to their original location.

The team found three different bacterial genera, or categories, common in all the fleas: Bartonella, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia. Many species of Bartonella and Rickettsia cause disease in people but also can cause disease in cats.

“Fortunately, there are good and easy ways to prevent fleas,” Lashnits emphasizes. “Flea preventatives are effective and not very expensive, and help prevent flea infestation in the first place.”

Next, the researchers will compare the pathogens found in these fleas to pathogens found in free-roaming cats, then explore ways to break the transmission cycle before cats and people get infected.

“Ultimately, of cour se, we want cats to be healthy. We don’t want them to get these diseases,” Lashnits explains. “But in a lot of ways, it matters for people. Because if people are exposed to diseases from the fleas on free-roaming cats, that is a big impact on human health.”