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Biosecurity for new flock owners
Biosecurity is everyone's responsibility and revolves around the idea of preventing the introduction and spread of disease by implementing procedures that reduce the risk of disease transmission. Done effectively, biosecurity and good animal husbandry habits can keep birds healthier.
Spring is a popular time of year to buy baby poultry and get started on this season’s backyard flock. With that in mind, we developed resources for first timers just getting started with poultry. Understanding biosecurity before owning poultry helps create a healthy environment for your birds and prevents potential disease risks to them and neighboring flocks.
Some examples of the simple steps to take include quarantine new birds, maintain cleanliness in the coop, limit visitor access to the poultry area, and educate yourself about biosecurity practices.
Need more details or a plan to follow? Review our biosecurity checklist for new poultry owners.
Prepping your pets for spring to fight fleas and ticks
To begin with, let's explore where fleas and ticks are found. Dogs and cats can become infested with fleas when exposed to environments where fleas thrive, such as shaded yards, debris piles, dense vegetation, or indoor areas like carpets and furniture. Fleas are very resilient, surviving in warm and humid conditions, and can remain active throughout the year if a host is present.
Ticks inhabit some similar locations like tall grass, wooded areas, shrubs, and leaf litter. They latch onto pets, or people, by "questing," which is waiting to grab a passing host. Despite some myths, ticks cannot jump.
Once these pests attach to a host, like your pet, they can cause harm.
Flea-borne concerns:
- Tapeworm infection. Fleas can carry tapeworm larvae that infect pets when swallowed during grooming.
- Flea allergy dermatitis. Allergic reactions cause itching, hair loss, and skin irritation potentially leading to secondary infections.
- Anemia. Severe infestations may result in blood loss, especially in young animals.
- Disease. Bacterial infections such as Bartonella and Mycoplasma and to a lesser extent Tularemia.
Tick-Borne Concerns:
- Tick bites can transmit multiple infectious agents resulting in chronic or life-threatening diseases. These include Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis, Tularemia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
- Early detection and removal are critical since pathogens can take from 12 to 36 hours to transmit after attachment.
Now that you know the risks, let's explore ways you can stop the threat.
Outside:
- Limit pets’ exposure to wildlife and stray animals.
- Maintain clean yards by mowing lawns, clearing debris, and avoiding overwatering to reduce humid habitats favorable to fleas and ticks.
- Treat outdoor pet areas with EPA-approved insecticides when necessary.
On your pet:
- Preventative products are available in various forms including oral tablets, topical applications, and collars. Different options may have pros and cons for your pet so be sure to ask your vet what they recommend.
- Please note: Most products are well-tolerated but you should monitor pets for skin irritation, gastrointestinal upset, or rare neurological effects (e.g., isoxazoline-related seizures in predisposed dogs from products such as Nexgard or Bravecto). Also, ensure products intended for dogs are not used on cats and vice versa due to toxicity differences! Lastly, consult a veterinarian when treating pregnant, nursing, or young pets to ensure product safety.
- Year-round prevention is advised, as fleas can survive indoors and ticks can be active at temperatures as low as 40°F.
- Inspect pets regularly and/or use a fine-toothed flea comb and carefully check ears, armpits, groin, and tail bases.
Although dogs and cats are susceptible to, and can potentially be infected by, many of the same disease spread by fleas and ticks, there are some significant differences between the two in how they react to those infections.
Dogs are more likely to be affected by the tick-borne diseases such as Lyme, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis. Cats can get Lyme disease, but clinical signs are mild and often self-limiting, meaning cats tend to get over the infection on their own. Often the signs are so mild they go unnoticed.
Both dogs and cats can be infected with Tularemia, but cats are very susceptible to the bacteria. Early detection and treatment are critical to ensure recovery. Dogs can get Tularemia, but it appears to occur less often, and clinical signs tend to be less severe than what we see in cats.
Don't forget, humans can also get many of these diseases, but they don’t spread directly from cats or dogs to people. Tularemia would be an example of an exception to the rule. Being bit, scratched, exposed to saliva via petting the fur, or even inhaling aerosolized dust particles contaminated with the bacteria are all possible ways people can be exposed to Tularemia by an infected pet in the household.
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