COUNTRY TAILS NEWS
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ALL THINGS GROW WITH LOVE
The Tick Talk
By Sheila McNiven
Spring is here which means ticks are also in
full bloom. There are over 15 species of ticks
in North America. The most common types
of ticks seen in southwestern Ontario have
been typically limited to the well-known
Black-legged Deer Tick and American Dog
Tick. Recently, there have been reports of
two additional ticks establishing in Ontario,
the Lone Star Tick and Brown Dog Tick. Ticks
carry many diseases that affect dogs, cats,
and humans. Some of the most common
diseases are Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain
Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia, Anaplasmosis, and
Babesia. This month, our goal is to educate
pet owners on identifying ticks and how to
keep your pets safe.
1.) What are Ticks?
Ticks are arachnids, similar to scorpions,
spiders and mites. Ticks have blood meals
from their hosts, which can be your dog, your
cat, your children, or you. Ticks are very
perceptive. They wait on the tips of grasses
and shrubs where they sense odors,
vibrations, changes in temperature or light
patterns that occur as a host walks past.
MAY 2017 ISSUE
Then they extend their forelegs and grab on
to the passing host.
2.) What are the dangers of
Ticks?
Ticks cause primary illness such as paralysis,
hypersensitivity and blood loss. They also
cause secondary illnesses by transmitting
viral and bacterial diseases. Ticks are second
only to mosquitoes in the transmission of
vector-borne diseases. The black legged deer
tick is the only one who carries Lyme or other
vector diseases, making them the most
dangerous. Dog ticks are less of a worry, and
can be easily spotted by their yellow shoulder
shawl. Once the ticks have had a blood meal
they can swell to the size of a dime and
become harder to identify so make sure you
bring them to the clinic to be tested.
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3.) What can I do to prevent
Ticks from biting my pet?
Tick prevention for your pet starts with
medicated tick control. A number of tick
control options are available, including
topical spot-on preparations and oral
products.
Additionally, there is a yearly vaccine
available to help protect your dog against
Lyme disease. Protecting your pet is only
step one of tick prevention. Here are some
helpful tips on protecting you and your
family from ticks:
Perform daily tick checks on your
pets and family through brushing
or petting down their body
Report any tick bites on your pet
to your veterinarian
Consider your backyard: clear tall
grasses and bushes from around
the home, mow the lawn
frequently and keep leaves raked.
Keep playgrounds and patios
away from the yard edges and
place them in sunny locations if
possible
If you are walking in the woods,
wear long pants and tuck the
pant legs into your socks.

A new Leader of the Pack
We are happy to announce Country Tails
has a new Doggie Daycare Manager.
Sheila McNiven was born & raised on the
East Coast. She has been passionate
about animals as long as she can
remember, rescuing everything in sight.
That passion turned into a career in her
adult years and it has been continuously
evolving ever since. She now resides in
the small community of Scotland,
Ontario. She shares her life with her
partner Rich and their 4 children, 3 dogs,
3 cats and 1 guinea pig.
Kennel Cough
There have been an increase in recent
reports of Kennel cough in the Hamilton
area. Bordetella, commonly known as
Kennel Cough is an infectious disease
that is caused by the canine
Parainfluenza virus, the Bordetella
bronchiseptica bacteria, or a
combination of both virus and bacteria.
This disease is called kennel cough due
to the dry, hacking cough usually seen
with infection. Dogs that contract the
infection are generally those that
frequent kennels, dog parks or doggy Mothers Day
daycare- places where dogs interact
with many other dogs, or where dogs
Celebration
are present in high numbers.
The staff at Country Tails Doggie
This is the main reason for the Daycare would like to honor all Moms
recommendation of the kennel cough of our furry friends on Friday, May 12th.
vaccination for those dogs that frequent We have a big day of arts & crafts and
kennels, canine daycare facilities, and special treats in store. To ensure we
even some groomers. have enough supplies etc, we would
appreciate if you could let us know if
The staff at Country Tails Doggie your pooch will be attending daycare
Daycare are keeping a close eye on all that day.
the dogs and if you suspect your pooch
may have Kennel Cough please notify us
and contact your veterinarian.

Fun Fact!
Over the past 1o years, Sheila has been
gaining experience in the animal care
field. She has previously worked in
Cruelty Investigations with the SPCA,
Veterinary Assistant, Grooming and
other Doggy Daycare facilities. Her task- Did you know
orientated, confident leadership and
positive energy with fellow staff
members and the dogs make her a very The largest litter of
strong Manager.
puppies was delivered
The clients and staff at Country Tails have
been incredibly welcoming. I love coming to
by a Neapolitan
work and seeing so many smiling faces and
wagging tails. There truly is no better feeling
Mastiff named Tia.
then providing dogs with the opportunity to
run, play and be active in a social
She delivered a
environment. My goal is to ensure your dog
receives the proper amount of socialization
whopping 24 puppies
and exercise throughout the day with the
supervision of the team here at Country Tails
on November 29th,
Doggie Daycare
2004.
Anyone wishing to contact Sheila
directly may do so by emailing her at
sheila@clappisonvet.com.
COUNTRY TAILS NEWS

Dog of the
Month MISKO!

Pick Up & Drop Off Reminders

This gentle giant is new to
Country Tails daycare this year,
but he fits in perfectly.
Seemingly unaware of his size,
Misko loves playing with all sorts
of pups, big and small. He is a
sweet boy who enjoys playing
fetch, wrestling and doing just
about anything his many friends
want to do. Thank you Misko for
sharing your sweetness with us!
-Country Tails Daycare Staff
With the warm weather now here we will be spending most of our
time outside with our furry friends. We ask that you check the chalkboard
sign, located on the Main Daycare Entrance door at time of drop off &
pick up to see if were inside or outside.
When were outside: To decrease the amount of excitement in
the yard when friends are going home, we are now asking that you ring
the doorbell (which has a built in camera and microphone) and we will
bring your dog to you.
When were inside: If we are inside at the time of pick up, the
sign will say please pick up your dog at the reception desk.
This system seems to be the best way to control the level of
excitement at the end of the day. The staff at Country Tails appreciates

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everyones effort in helping keep our friends happy & safe!

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680 Ont-6
Waterdown, Ontario
countrytails@clappisonvet.com