Does your Shih Tzu spend a lot of time on the yard? Beware of Ticks and Fleas.
Who would have thought pest control to be a topic covered in the grooming section? All I can tell you is that, during some seasons I spend 95% of the time getting (or attempting to get) ticks off my dogs.
Here in the Republic of Panama, ticks are more of a concern than fleas, but I hear fleas are just as fierce as ticks and can pass on as severe a condition as any tick can so please beware. Some dogs are extremely sensitive to the bite of even one of these little pests. Ticks can cause several illnesses on dogs (called tick borne diseases), which can also be transmitted to humans (like Lyme Disease).
The worst part is, you might not even notice the symptoms, and most times the symptoms vary. Just don't allow that to let you assume these illnesses are OK. These are severe problems that can be fatal to your pet.
The first, being with ticks, acute blood loss, causing severe anemia, which can bring several other problems to the pet. A few tick borne diseases are ehrlichiosis, babesiosis & tularemia.
Make sure that as soon as you detect what could be an incoming tick/flea problem, you contact your vet for instructions on a pest control program to follow. These are killers and keep in mind you could be target too!
Links on Ticks
Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc - http://www.lyme.org/ticks/tick.html
Integrated Control of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases - http://www.ruu.nl/tropical.ticks/
