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Paws & Claws

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas. She lives in Blacksburg now, and answers local pet owners' questions every week in The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com.

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Q Please warn your readers to be on the lookout for ticks. Our son-in-law and dog have both been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

A There has been a surge in the number of cases of Lyme disease reported in people and dogs in Northern Virginia and it is spreading south.

This has alarmed officials so much they have pushed the House Appropriations Committee to increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program for Lyme disease to nearly $9 million.

In Fairfax County alone, they see about 200 cases of Lyme disease in people annually, while the number of cases in dogs goes largely underreported. According to the CDC there were 23,300 cases of Lyme disease reported in people in 2005 (the last year for which figures are available), with the worst infected states being Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York.

Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of infected ticks, in most cases by the very small deer tick, although the bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) causing Lyme disease has been found occasionally in other tick species.

It is thought that the big increase in the deer population is probably responsible for the increase in the incidence of the disease, as deer act as a reservoir for both the causal bacteria and the ticks.

There may be other factors involved in the increase in the tick population, such as high humidity and moisture levels. In some areas, deer numbers have risen to as many as 400 per square mile and the culling of deer herds through managed hunts and night sharpshooting is part of many localities' policy to deal with the problem, not only because of the risk of Lyme disease, but also for the number of deer-related road accidents.

The deer tick causes a characteristic bite that appears as a bullseye-shaped rash. This can be invisible in dogs and cats.

After the rash there is a fever, fatigue and aching joints. Infection can be confirmed by a blood test. Treatment consists of a prolonged course of antibiotics.

It is vitally important to check dogs and cats, as well as people, for the presence of ticks when returning from walks in the woods and fields.

Deer ticks are very small and hard to see in a pet's fur. They crawl to the highest point on the pet, so look for them around the head and neck as well as in the groin and armpit and along the back. The ticks are relatively easy to remove with a pair of tweezers, even after they have become embedded.

Save the tick for identification by your veterinarian. In most cases where a deer tick that has already latched on has been found, antibiotic therapy will be started. A full-blown case of Lyme disease is much more difficult to cure than a new infection.

There is a vaccine available for dogs; however, it is not 100 percent effective.

Q I have a cat that pees on my son's bed every chance he gets. Otherwise he uses the litterbox and is very clean.

A Provided your cat has a clean bill of health from the veterinarian, this is just a habit caused by a lingering urine odor. Make sure that all the bedding is thoroughly washed, using vinegar in the rinse water, so that no trace of the urine smell remains.

Spray the mattress and the bedding with a special enzymatic cleaner such as Zero Odor or Urine B Gon.

Try to keep the bedroom door shut to prevent the cat from entering. If all else has failed, try feeding your cat every meal on the bed, as cats do not like to eliminate near their food. Use heavy ceramic bowls that won't tip. Five are needed: one for each corner and one for the middle of the bed. Put one-fifth of the food in each bowl.