IT'S
IT'S TICK
IT'S TICK WEEK AT NEWS CENTER MAINE-- AND NO OFFENSE TO 4@ SHARKS, BUT YOU ARE FAR MORE
LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER A TICK4@4@
THAN A SHARK IN MAINE.
IN FACT THE TICK INVASION HAS 4@
MOVED FARTHER INTO NORTHERN
AND WESTERN MAINE, AND IS
PUTTING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE AT
MOVED FARTHER INTO NORTHERN AND WESTERN MAINE, AND IS PUTTING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE AT@
RISK
RISK FOR
RISK FOR LYME DISEASE JUST AS BAD? YOUR DOGS AND CATS ARE AT RISK
TOO.4@4@
EXPERTS TELL US TICK BORNE
DISEASES CAN BE DEADLY FOR DOGS.
NEWS CENTER'S VIVIEN LEIGH IS 4@
HERE TO TELLS US ABOUT THE
SYMPTOMS PET OWNERS NEED TO BE
HERE TO TELLS US ABOUT THE SYMPTOMS PET OWNERS NEED TO BE4@ AWARE OF.
VIV?
VIV?
WHEN
WHEN IT
WHEN IT COMES TO LYME DISEASE -@ DOGS DON'T GET A BULLSEYE RASH LIKE PEOPLE DO -- ONE OF THE
FIRST SIGNS CAN BE LAMENESS AND
DOGS DON'T GET A BULLSEYE RASH LIKE PEOPLE DO -- ONE OF THE FIRST SIGNS CAN BE LAMENESS AND@
4@APPEARING TIRED. SOME OF THE
4@
4@
SYMPTOMS
SYMPTOMS INCLUDE FEVER, JOINT PAINT AND PARALYSIS. AND IF THESE SYMPTOMS ARE UNDETECTED 4@
FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME -- CAN
LEAD TO KIDNEY FAILURE.
4@
4@
SARAH
SARAH BLAKE, BENNY'S OWNER: 4@ HE WAS JUST SITTING ON THE FLOOR -- HE COULDN'T MOVE, IT WAS
TOTALLY HEART WRENCHING.
LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, SARAH BLAKE
AND HER FIANC MILES
GREEN, SAY THEIR DOG BENNY IS 4@
NOT JUST A PET. HE'S FAMILY.
SARAH BLAKE:
I HAD TO CARRY HIM AND AT THE
POINT I AM BAWLING MY EYES
OUT, HE CAN'T WALK, HE CAN'T
MOVE. 4@
LAST SUMMER -- BENNY STARTED
VOMITING ABOUT EVERY TWENTY
MINUTES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT. BLAKE, WHO WORKS AT NEWS
CENTER HAD JUST COME HOME FROM
WORKING AN OVERNIGHT SHIFT. 4@
THE COUPLE RUSHED BENNY TO AN
EMERGENCY VET CLINIC.
EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT OK AND
THE TERRIER MIX WAS GIVEN 4@
MEDICATION TO STOP THE VOMITING.
BUT WHEN SARAH CAME
HOME THE NEXT MORNING -- BENNY
WAS WORSE.4@4@
HE IS KIND OF OUR KID.. IT WAS
VERY SCARY.
BENNY WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN -- HE
COULDN'T WALK. SARAH THOUGHT
HE WAS HAVING A STROKE OR A
REACTION TO THE MEDICATION.
THE VET DID A TEST FOR LYME AND
ANAPLASMOSIS, TICK BORNE
ILLNESSES. IT CAME BACK
POSITIVE. BENNY WAS PUT ON AN
ANTI-BIOTIC. IT 4@
TOOK A WEEK TO GET BENNY BACK TO
NORMAL. BENNY WAS FORTUNATE 4@
4@BECAUSE THE DISEASE WAS CAUGHT
EARLY.
DOG PANTING -- HAVE YOU SEEN
ANY TICKS ON HIM? IT'S BEEN KIND
OF A
BAD YEAR. 4@
DR. JULIA LUCAS IS A
VETERINARIAN AND PATHOLOGIST WHO
PRACTICES AT4@
THE CUMBERLAND ANIMAL CLINIC. 4@
SHE SAYS THERE ARE SEVERAL TICK
PRACTICES AT4@ THE CUMBERLAND ANIMAL CLINIC. 4@ SHE SAYS THERE ARE SEVERAL TICK@
BORNE DISEASES4@ PET OWNERS NEE@
TO
TO BE
TO BE WORRIED ABOUT -- LYME, ERLECHIA AND ANAPLASMOSIS. DR. JULIA LUCAS, VETERINARIAN:
ANAPLASMOSIS ATTACKS THE WHITE
BLOOD CELLS, THEY CAN GO INTO
ACUTE CRISIS AND THEY WILL
COLLAPSE.
THE TRANSMISSION OF THE BACTERIA
THAT CAUSES 4@4@
4@
4@ EHRLICHIOSIS AND ANAPLASMOSIS HAPPENS WITHIN A FEW HOURS OF
THE
TICK ATTACHING. SIGNS OF
ANAPLASMOSIS INCLUDES JOINT
PAIN AND STIFFNESS SIMILAR TO
THE SYMPTOMS OF ARTHRITIS, HIGH
FEVER, LOSS OF APPETITE,4@
VOMITING AND DIARRHEA.4@
EHRLICHIOSIS -- BEING TIRED,
POOR APPETITE,4@ ENLARGED LYMPH
NODES, ABNORMAL BRUISING,
BLEEDING AND CHRONIC EYE
INFLAMMATION.
LETHARGY.
INFLAMMATION. LETHARGY. DR. LUCAS:
DR. LUCAS:
YO4@U
YO4@U WON'T SEE A SKIN BULLSEYE, BUT THEY WILL GET LAMENESS, SO ANY
DOG THAT IS LAME WITHOUT A
TRAUMATIC EVENT, WE THINK LYME.
ANY DOG THAT IS LAME WITHOUT A TRAUMATIC EVENT, WE THINK LYME.@
PETS
PETS WITH
PETS WITH THESE SYMPTOMS NEED IMMEDIATE MEDICAL 4@ TREATMENT -- INCLUDING AN
ANTIBIOTIC AND IV TREATMENT. IN
SOME CASES THE DISEASE CAN LEAD
TO ORGAN FAILURE.
TICKS NEED TO BE ATTACHED FOR 24
HOURS TO SPREAD THE BACTERIA
THAT4@
CAUSES LYME. DOGS CAN BE
INFECTED FOR MONTHS BEFORE
THEY COME DOWN WITH SYMPTOMS AND
USUALLY IT TOO LATE TO SAVE 4@
THEM.
LYME DISEASE IS REALLY THE ONE
WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT4@. THEY WI
THEM. LYME DISEASE IS REALLY THE ONE WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT4@. THEY WI@
HAVE AN INFECTION WE CAN'T
DETECT THEY WILL HAVE NO OUTWARD
SIGNS 4@
UNTIL THEY GET KIDNEY FAILURE.4@
DR. LUCAS RECOMMENDS GETTING
YOUR DOG TESTED FOR
TICK BORNE DISEASES EVERY YEAR.
PET OWNERS CAN ALSO
CONSIDER GETTING A VACCINE
AGAINST LYME. THE SHOT PROTECTS
PET OWNERS CAN ALSO CONSIDER GETTING A VACCINE AGAINST LYME. THE SHOT PROTECTS@
BETWEEN 60 TO 80 PERCENT OF
DOGS, BOOSTERS ARE NEEDED
FOLLOWING THE INITIAL SERIES.
DR. LUCAS RECOMMENDS4@
ORAL MEDICATION TO PREVENT TICK
BORNE DISEASES. THEY MUST BE4@
GIVEN EVERY 30 DAYS OR EVERY 12
WEEKS CONSISTENTLY AND
4@ARE CONSIDERED THE MOST
EFFECTIVE.
A LOT OF THE OLDER PRODUCTS, THE
TOPICAL LIQUIDS, THE
COLLARS THEY ARE NOT KILLING THE
TICKS QUICKLY ENOUGH TO 4@4@
PREVENT THAT TRANSMISSION.
BENNY
BENNY IS
BENNY IS N4@OW ON AN ORAL PREVENTATIVE. SARAH VIGILANTLY CHECKS BENNIE NOW AND HAS FOUND
MORE TICKS ON HIM BUT THE
THEYWERE NOT ATTACHED YET.4@
EVERY SINGLE TIME WE ARE PICKING
TICKS OFF OF HIM EVERY TIME WE
ARE OUTSIDE.4@
AND WHEN THEY RETURN INDOORS. 4@
ON HIS BELLY, ON HIS LEGS,
EVERYWHERE WE CHECK FOR TICKS
ON HIS EARS.4@
THAT'S THE NEW REALITY FOR
MAINERS AND THEIR PETS.
4@
EXPERTS SAY CATS ARE GENERALLY
NOT CONSIDERED AT RISK FOR LYME
BECAUSE THEY ARE HIGHLY
RESISTANT TO INFECTIONS. BUT
THEY ARE AT 4@
RISK FOR ANAPLASMOSIS AND
EXHIBIT SIMILAR
SYMPTOMS, FEVER AND LACK OF
APPETITE. THEY CAN BE TREATED
WITH A COURSE OF ANTIBIOTICS
LIKE DOGS. THE BEST WAY TO
PREVENT
EXPOSURE TO TICKS IS KEEPING
YOUR CAT INDOORS.
TOMORROW WE WILL SHOW HOW 4@
SEVERAL STATE AGENCIES ARE4@
PROTECTING EMPLOYEES WHO ARE AT
RISK FOR LYME DISEASE.
4@
WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU
OUR NEW AND IMPROVED NEWS 4@