While many embrace the mild winter New England has experienced this year, one of the downsides to a winter filled with above-average temperatures is an explosion in the tick population in Massachusetts.

With such a mild winter, tick-borne illnesses are no longer just a summer-time concern, and for pets who spend any time outdoors, pet owners should take steps now to better protect both themselves and their pets when venturing outside.

With ticks seemingly everywhere outdoors, consider the following to help protect your pet: 

1. Put your pet on a tick preventative. There are numerous to consider, so speak with your veterinarian to determine what’s best for your pet.
2. Consider vaccination.  Speak with your veterinarian about the Lyme disease vaccine.
3. Avoid outdoor areas where ticks are known to inhabit. After spending time outdoors, whether in the backyard or after a hike, check both yourself and your pet for ticks. For dogs, pay particular attention to their ears, eyelids, between toes, genital area, and around the collar.
4. Maintain your yard. Keep the lawn mowed and shrubbery trimmed around your home.

Tick preventatives can only go so far, the best way to protect your pet is to do a tick check as soon as returning from the outdoors. Start with your pet’s feet, paying special attention to areas between the toes. From there check the legs, then move onto the underbelly and finally check the head, neck, back, and tail.

If your pet has been bitten by a tick, it needs to be removed immediately! Using tweezers, grasp the tick as close to your dog’s skin as possible. Remove the tick in a slow, steady, and straight motion – don’t jerk as anything left behind could cause an infection. Treat the bite wound with antiseptic and monitor the site over the next few days for localized skin infection.

Some signs your dog has been infected by a tick-borne disease include fever, loss of appetite, acute lameness, and swelling in the joints, among others. A blood test can determine if your dog has been exposed to a tick-borne disease and follow up tests or an antibiotic may be recommended.

Given that tick-borne diseases can trigger chronic health issues, it is also vital to follow recommendations for ongoing follow-up care after diagnosis and treatment. 

Recently, the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) took in more than 75 cats from several homes that were overcrowded with pets. While situations like this may be surprising to some, homes overcrowded with pets are more common than you think. In fact, ARL sees numerous overcrowding situations annually—three already in 2023.

Pets are family and give us so much, and for some, having just one pet isn’t enough. But for a variety of reasons, sometimes the love for animals can become overwhelming and lead to having too many animals in the home.

There are a number of concerns regarding pet overcrowding, which has an impact on not only the animals involved but also the caretakers.

A primary concern is cost. According to the national animal welfare organization the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the average cost of owning just one pet ranges from $700-1,000 annually. Multiply that by 10-fold or more, and the cost of providing care for a large number of animals can quickly become out of reach for many pet owners and may lead to scaling back on food and basic necessities.

Potential health issues are also something to consider. A large number of animals in the home can present a multitude of health hazards, both for animals and people. Maintaining a sanitary environment for a large number of animals is a daunting task, and the presence of animal waste reduces air quality and introduces the risk of illness, some of which can be passed from animals to humans.

Additionally, ensuring that every animal in the home is receiving proper nutrition, grooming, veterinary care, and socialization is also difficult. In overcrowding situations, oftentimes we see animals, primarily cats, that are shy, fearful, and need extensive and sometimes long-term care to become more comfortable in a home setting.

Overcrowding also raises the issue of the importance of spay and neuter. The population of animals in a home can multiply rapidly when the animals are kept intact, which can make a situation more difficult. If you are caring for a large number of animals in the home, spaying and neutering them will eliminate unwanted litters.

Overcrowding is not an uncommon occurrence and it’s important to know that there are resources available. More often than not, caretakers in these situations start out with the best of intentions and simply let the situation evolve over time.

If you or someone you know is dealing with pet overcrowding, reach out to local animal control, or an organization like ARL for assistance. When assisting an overwhelmed caretaker, organizations like ARL care for both the animals and people involved. Whether it’s providing spay and neuter services, or removing some or all pets from the home, the goal is to ensure that the animals receive the care they need, and that the caretaker returns to a manageable number of pets in the home.