Unquestionable are ticks and here the two large groups of these arachnids, those called Schildzecken and Lederzecken, the outstanding disease-communicators at person and animal. They transfer beside the FSME also other diseases, first the "Lyme-Borreliose".

Just our dogs will be attacked over and by ticks and be infected with diseases much more often than human beings.

The bloodsucking ticks, in Germany also known as "Holzböcke", develop - after having slipped from the eggs - over larvae and nymphs to mature ticks. Each stage requires to further development a "Bloodmeal" of mammals, which they get preferently as larvae and nymphs from little rodents (mice) and hedgehogs as well as birds.
Just the mice, whether pointed -, field - and vole-mice, are the intermediate - carrier of the Borrelia - bacteria and Tick-encephaliitis-viruses (FSME). Out of this it is to be derived, that the ticks take in the germs already in a very early developmental stage and communicate the"Lyme-Borreliosis" and essentially more rarely the virus of the Tick-encephaliitis (FSME) onto person and animal.

After the last "Bloodmeal" of the adults the female tick puts out mostly thousands of eggs. The male already dies after the copulation.

Ticks live (up to approx. 1,00 meter) at the floor (litter of leaves) and in near the floor on ferns, grasses as well as on bushes and brushwood at margins of forests, trails and fields and on parks, meadows and gardens and lurk there partially several weeks long on their victims. The ticks become active in the spring on continuous day-temperatur of approx. 8°C .

The victims person, dog, game etc. slip the ticks off from their lurking-position. The ticks, approximately 1mm large, then look at the body of their host for a suitable warm and soft place and sting with their proboscis (Hypostom) - attached with barbs - and begin sucking blood. Before reall stinging they anesthetize with a bite the puncture mark. This is also the explanation , that the victim does not or not hardly
perceive the puncture. The act of sucking blood can last several days, if not violently interrupted. The longer the tick sucks, the greater is the danger of transfer.

If the tick has bitten a person or an animal, it must be removed as quickly as possible. Herewith one shouldconsider the following procedure:

For removing the ticks so-called household remedies like, oils, adhesives, washing-gasoline, alcoholare to be avoided !

The tick is to be removed at the head, as closely at the skin as possible, with a tweezers or even better with a special tick-removing-instrument! Compressing the tick must be avoided, because the virus-infected spittle can reach the bite-wound.

The tick is now pulled-out slowly - under a proportionate pulling - from the skin with an easy rotation. It is essential that all parts of the tick, also their mouth, Gnathosoma, is removed. Please do not throw the tick away; it can analized on the presence "Borelia" .

Now, after the removal of the tick, the biting-area and the surroundings may be desinfected with e.g. with alcohol.

Attention!!!
The puncture mark should be observed three up to 3 weeks after the puncture. If in this time a ring-shaped reddening should be seen around the puncture mark, then please visit immediately the next doctor, since there exists a suspicion exists on the presence of Borrelia-infection. The doctor should have
experiences with tick-bites and their consequences .

Preventive precautions to avoid tick-bites at the dog:

For quite some time there is a vaccination procedure against tick - borreliosis at the dog. To be vaccinated are all dog; whelps from the beginning of the 12. week. For providing sufficient protection, the dog must be vaccinated twice in a period of 3 until 5 weeks. To keep the protection effective, the dog must be re-vaccinated every 12 weeks after the first vaccination.

With a tick-protection-collar I have made good experiences. I use an appropriate collar from Bayer.......

I regularly feed garlic pieces wich I have cooked together with the meal.

Every day I examine the dog on ticks wich shall be removed with special forceps imediately .

The consequences of an infection at dogs

BORRELIOSE

The Lyme - Borreliosis" is a bacterial disease, which is caused by the pathogene "Borrelia burgdorferi". With the complex devellopment of the disease the symptoms are not always clear in their appearance; they pass over fluently into each other. It is a very complicated illness, because practically all organs can be affected. First of all is expands the skin, the nervous system, the muscles, the joints and the heart.

Several days until few weeks after the infection a cicular reddening develops around the puncture mark on the skin, which itself expands as red, in the center violet-colored ring and wanders deeper under the skin. This reddening mostly does not cause pain and does not itch. Simultaneously fever appears at our dog (<40°C. ) together with striking apathy, loss of appetite, strong thirst and great need for sleep on.