[ad_1]
By Josh Healey
SaltWire Network Special
An animal rescue group in Port aux Basques said it recently found a wild cat carrying a positive Lyme tick, potentially the first confirmed tick this year.
Velda Tapp, one of three people who manage the veterinary emergency care fund In Memory of Shadow, said this discovery was a source of concern for the region.
"It makes me think twice about what we are doing," said Tapp, explaining that the cat had been saved during a trip to the Codroy Valley.
She said that the tick had been removed from the cat's face and sent for testing; the insect was later confirmed positive for Lyme disease.
The tick was sent to the National Health Laboratories for further testing.
Tapp said his group had been contacted about ticks by several people in town and abroad this year.
An animal rescue group in Port aux Basques said it recently found a wild cat carrying a positive Lyme tick, potentially the first confirmed tick this year.
"It's not just in the Codroy Valley, it's (all) on the west coast," she said, adding that she was also informed of a rabbit in the valley carrying dozens of ticks on the body.
When asked if the Southwest Coast SPCA was surprised to learn a positive Lyme tick, board member Jeanie Aucoin noted a slight increase in the number of observations from Insects – although not necessarily in ticks transmitting the disease – over the years.
"I think ticks have always existed and we have seen them sporadically, especially among people who frequent forest areas," she said.
"But we did not have ticks that came back positive for Lyme disease. In recent years, they have been negative in Newfoundland. "
Aucoin added that several ticks had been reported and tested in the Stephenville area.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources said that a total of 30 ticks had been tested this year for Lyme disease, with only one confirmed case.
The average number of ticks tested per year is between 60 and 70.
Media Relations Manager Connie Boland said that although there is no evidence of an increase in Lyme disease in the province, the government is encouraging members of the public to take preventive measures.
According to her, suspicious ticks are accepted by veterinary clinics, doctors' offices and conservationists. They may also be submitted directly to the Fisheries and Land Resources Laboratory in St. John's or the Pynn's Brook and Clarenville Regional Offices for testing.
The samples are then sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
Aucoin echoed Boland's message, noting that inspections of people and animals are essential to prevention.
Verifications can be done by looking carefully at dark, hot places such as the armpits and between the toes.
If a tick is found, says Aucoin, you can remove it with the help of a tweezers or by performing a twisting motion with your fingers.
"It's something we need to keep an eye on," she said. "You should inspect your pet every day."
Lyme disease was reported for the first time in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1996; two human cases were last diagnosed in 2015.
[ad_2]
Source link
