Why Ticks Are The Worst And How To Get Rid Of Them

Lyme disease is just one illness that you and your pets can get from ticks. We talked to a tick expert about how to avoid ticks and remove one if you do get bit.

I was thrilled when I was able to work remotely from Montauk, a beach community at the tip of Long Island, for most of June. I knew my dog, Dolly, would love the chance to experience walks in nature as opposed to the New York City streets.

Little did we know that this picturesque environment would introduce a new stressor that we were both unprepared for: ticks. By the end of my first week in Montauk, we had found close to a dozen ticks nestled in Dolly’s thick, dark fur, and my mom returned from a hike with three small ticks burrowed into the skin around her ankles.

If you feel like you’re hearing more about ticks and Lyme disease now than ever before, that’s because they’ve both become increasingly common in the United States. Changes in habitat, land use, and climate, among other factors, are thought to contribute to the ongoing rise of ticks and tick-borne diseases. In 2017, a record number of 42,743 Lyme disease cases were reported to the CDC, making it the sixth most common of all the reported infectious diseases and conditions.

I quickly had to come up with a game plan to protect my dog and myself from ticks this summer, which included finding the right products to avoid ticks as well as remove them.

Continue to read the full article written by Loren Cecil here.