Arden Veterinarian and Animal Hospital

Ticks have become an increasing problem to people and animals in Buncombe County and North Carolina. In order to survive and reproduce, a tick must feed on the blood from an animal or human.

Ticks are not only creepy pests, but they can spread diseases to both you and your pet. Each year, as part of your pet's annual exam, we test them for three different tick-borne diseases as part of their heartworm test. These diseases include Lyme, Erlichia and Anaplasmosis. People and pets get the same tick-transmitted diseases. These diseases are not directly contagious between humans and animals (you won't catch Lyme disease from an infected dog), however, we are all exposed to the same ticks outdoors and one recent study showed that people with pets were more likely than those without pets to find ticks on themselves.