Talking to your clients about Lyme disease prevention

 Talking to your clients about Lyme disease is an important but sometimes daunting task. Here are some great tips to get your clients on board. 

Make it simple:

Explain to your clients that Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease. In simplest terms, to prevent it, you need to control its vectors, which are ticks. 

Explain the lifecycle:

Talk to your clients about the lifecycle of the disease. The Ixodes scapularis tick species (commonly known as deer ticks or blacklegged ticks) acts as a vector for transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, the cause of Lyme disease. These tiny little monsters transmit the infection to a healthy animal by biting.

Provide your clients with tick-control tips:

• Daily tick checks

Guide them to check regularly for any ticks hiding in the pet’s coat and to remove them immediately. Exposures to woodlands increase the risk. 

Make sure your client knows which areas of the pet’s body to check, like paws (between the toes), around the eyes, under the tail, in the ears, around the anus, etc., Basically, anywhere the ticks can hide.

• Remove quickly

Remind them to remove the ticks as early as possible. The less time the tick spends on the pet, the less likely it is to transmit disease. You should also teach your clients the proper technique to remove ticks.

• Use effective tick control

Encourage your clients to use year-round tick control. Tick repellants can also help.  

Discuss vaccinations

The best prevention is a combination of tick preventative and Lyme vaccines.  Talk to your clients about the risk factors for their pets and start them on the right track with vaccines and tick prevention. 

Remember, prevention is key to controlling Lyme disease.