Protect Your Pet: The Importance of Tick Prevention
While the warm weather has been incredibly nice, if you’ve spent any time outdoors lately– or even scrolled on the local community pages– you’ve likely seen the warnings: Boulder County has seen a large upTICK in tick activity this year. At Coal Creek Animal Hospital, we’re here to keep your furry family members safe and protected against the risks that ticks pose, because in many cases it only takes one tick to cause serious illness.
Tick Season is All-Year in Colorado 
Most people associate ticks with warmer weather, however, ticks can survive freezing temperatures and may become active even at 40℉. This means that ticks are a threat to our pets all year round, especially in Colorado’s ever-changing and unpredictable weather.
🕷️Tick-Borne Diseases 🦠
Ticks are more than just annoying and gross. They can carry dangerous diseases which can affect both dogs and cats (and even you)! Ticks are not only found in the woods, but are in fact very common in neighborhoods and on walking trails. Some of the most common diseases include:
● Lyme Disease. Lyme is transmitted by infected deer ticks. If left untreated, Lyme in dogs can cause swelling of joints, kidney failure, neurological issues, and potentially life threatening complications.
● Anaplasmosis. Anaplasmosis is transmitted by an infected deer tick or brown dog tick. The bacteria causes fever, joint pain, and lethargy in pets.
● Ehrlichiosis. This tick-borne bacterial disease is transmitted through infected lone star ticks and black-legged ticks. This disease affects the body’s white blood cells, leading to fever, weight loss, and organ failure.
Tick-Off, Ticks! Prevention is Easy and Effective 
While the thought of tick-borne disease may make you feel uneasy as a pet owner, the good news is that tick prevention is highly effective. Veterinary-recommended flea and tick preventatives are FDA approved and 98-99% effective.
We get it, hearing “insecticide”, it’s natural to feel hesitant, especially when it comes to our loved ones. But here is the reassuring truth: the active ingredients in veterinary prescribed fl ea and tick products are designed to target the specific receptors found in only fl eas and ticks. This means they are highly selective ingredients- targeting only the parasites, not your pet. When used as directed and at the correct dosage depending on your pet’s weight, these products are safe for dogs and cats. Regulation and testing of these products by the FDA and EPA ensure safety for long term use in your pets.
There are options for prevention, depending on your pet’s lifestyle:
● Topicals: These types of prevention are applied to the skin of your pet, typically along their neck or between the shoulder blades. While a great option for some pets, this type is not ideal for pets who swim or are bathed often.
● Chewables: Oral products are easy to give your pet, and are very palatable. Oftentimes, these products are combined with heartworm prevention for added convenience.
Each type of prevention will have different dosage and instructions. Depending on the type or brand, they may need to be repeated every month or every few months.
If you have questions about prevention options, contact your veterinarian. If your pet has recently had a tick- it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment for tick-borne disease testing. Your veterinarian can also help ensure all of the tick was removed.
For Colorado tick surveillance data, please visit: https://capcvet.org/maps/#/2025/all-year/lyme-disease/dog/united-states/col…