PESTERED PETS

Although „outdoor“ cats can be affected, other outdoor pets such as dogs are even more susceptible to problems with ticks. And fleas, if not dealt with systematically, may turn out to be a real infestation. Fleas don’t just annoy your pets. If they have the right conditions – warm, well-heated living areas – they can reproduce at such as rate as to get out of control. Contrary to popular belief, fleas need only occasional contact with the host animal in order to reproduce. It should be remembered that not only the infested animals should be treated, but also carpets, blankets and furniture with which the animals come into contact.

Pharmacy customer: Hello.
PTA: Hello.

I guess that my dog, Bran, has got fleas. He’s an Irish setter.
Is he scratching himself all the time?

The poor thing is demented from it!
He might have a tick, which can also cause animals to itch.

My neighbour told me her Labrador had a tick. She let some glue drop on the tick and after that it fell off!
Oh, I’m not surprised! We have heard lots of „sure-fire“ remedies here! None of them are as good as using a tick forceps, which is what the vet uses, or specialized tweezers. We have some inexpensive and really effective tick removers here.

Couldn’t I simply use an ordinary tweezers?
As the normal tweezers doesn’t leave enough space to remove the tick safely, there’s a risk of squeezing the tick and releasing lots of undesirable substances into the wound. And that’s something that you don’t want to do!

I see. Could you please explain why ticks are so dangerous?
Certainly! Lots of ticks carry the tick-borne encephalitis virus and once manifested it is basically incurable. Prevention is better than cure. We have this effective product here. It contains fipronil, which not only protects pets from ticks but also from fleas and biting lice. I can also recommend flea and tick collars. They are very convenient.

Oh! I’ll take both products!
The dosage of the fluid is based on the size of the animal. Please be sure not to wash Bran – either before applying the drops and for at least 48 hours after application – so as to provide maximum protection. Checking regularly for ticks and fleas is also part of the preventive measures that you can take. Don’t forget to check yourself for ticks after walking through the undergrowth in forests or long grass in meadows, which is where ticks love to „hang“ around!

What should I do if I find a tick?
You should remove it as soon as possible. Removal within 24 hours is one of the best guarantees against infection, especially with Lyme disease.

Lyme disease, I have never heard of that.
Lyme borreliosis is another name and it is carried by deer ticks. The problem is that it has symptoms similar to flu or colds and can sometimes even induce depression.

Can it be treated?
Yes, with antibiotics. The type and duration of the dosage depends on the age and health of the patient and at which stage the disease is diagnosed.

Prevention is better.Thank you, you have been a great help.
Don’t mention it.

Bye, bye.
Goodbye.

VOCABULARY
pestered pets geplagte Haustiere
assortment Auswahl
susceptible to anfällig sein
ticks Zecken
fleas Flöhe
infestation (hier) Befall
contrary to popular belief entgegen der verbreiteten Ansicht
occasional gelegentlich
reproduce (sich) vermehren
demented verrückt
glue Kleber, Klebstoff
sure-fire (ugs.) todsicher
remedies Heilmittel
tick forceps (professionelle) Zeckenzange
tweezers Pinzette
undesirable unerwünscht
tick-borne Frühsommer
encephalitis Meningoenzephalitis (FSME)
flea and tick collar Floh- und Zeckenhalsband
undergrowth Gestrüpp, Unterholz
Lyme disease Lyme-Borreliose
induce hervorrufen

Den vollständigen Artikel finden Sie auch in Die PTA IN DER APOTHEKE 05/11 auf Seite 58.

Catherine Croghan, Lecturer in English and native speaker