Spring is Here And So Are Ticks: Is Your Practice Ready?

The days are longer, our heaps of snow are melting, it’s nearly the dreaded “mud season”.....and the ticks are awake. 

Ticks are out questing for a blood meal any time the temps hit 4C or higher - which now happens in every month in nearly every part of Canada. We’ve gone from a defined tick season to those little bloodsuckers being a year-round concern - though Spring and Fall are typically still noticeably worse. 

As we head into Spring, it’s a great time to review your parasitology protocols and ensure your patients (and their human families!) are protected. I remember sitting in an evening Continuing Education session, about 20 years ago, put on by a pharmaceutical company who was introducing the idea of quarterly deworming vs the once a year we were typically doing. At the time, that felt like a groundbreaking change! Today, we have a better understanding of the full range of creepy crawly critters who can impact our patients and the people they live with, AND (fortunately) we have an ever-evolving arsenal of products we can reach for. 

Whether it’s Dr. Scott Weese’s excellent Worms and Germs blog, or the Canadian Panel of Expert Guidelines on Parasitology (or one of the many other fabulous sources out there) - it’s easy to get great information about the risks that parasites pose. So what can we do to keep everyone safe?

Once your practice has decided on their parasitology program, you need to get this information out to your owners. It’s important that owners understand the risks with parasites both at home and on their travels where their pet may be exposed to something new. 

Social media can be a great route for education owners if you have an engaged and active following. Emails are still a solid standby for disseminating information (though they lack the back-and-forth that social media can provide). Educating clients before they come into the practice for their annual wellness visit can go a long way to helping them understand why your team is making the recommendations for parasite treatment and prevention.

Need a bit of help launching and executing an educational campaign? Our team at VetGo can help with everything from drafting emails & social media posts to actually doing the client outreach and taking the burden off your team!