St. Lawrence County health officials are urging residents to follow tick and Lyme disease precautions offered by Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

To help protect animals, interim director of parasitology John Schaefer and director of molecular diagnostics Amy Glaser, provide answers to frequently asked tick questions.

What should one do if they find a tick attached to a pet?

Don’t panic. Remove the tick with a good sharp set of tweezers and protective gloves. There are also various products for tick removal on the market of variable efficacy. Do not attempt to burn or suffocate the tick as this causes the tick to release additional, potentially infectious, saliva into the wound. Observe the feeding site for signs of infection. Keep the tick in an escape-proof container pending further testing.

What symptoms should one look for after removing an attached tick from a dog?

Typical clinical signs in dogs are sporadic fever, loss of appetite, lethargy and lameness. Clinical signs of lameness often develop 2 to 5 months after infection. Consult with a veterinarian on any clinical signs that may be due to previous tick feeding. Further testing may be required.

What are dangers do ticks present to dogs?

Ticks are vectors of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease. They attach to any part of the human or animal body and begin transmitting disease within 24 to 48 hours.

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted disease that affects humans and many animals caused by infection with bacteria in the genus Borrelia.

How common is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is the most common vector borne disease in the U.S., see www.cdc.gov for specific statistics.

Is Lyme disease more prevalent in certain seasons or geographic locations?

The disease can be transmitted anytime ticks are active, which in New York State can occur almost any time of the year, including brief thaws during the dead of winter. The disease is especially common in northeastern and upper midwestern states.

How does one know if a tick is infected with Lyme disease?

Cornell’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center offers tick identification to determine whether it is Ixodes scapularis (deer tick), and if so, provide additional testing for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, another tick-borne disease agent.

How does one submit a tick to Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center?

Submission information for both veterinarians and non-veterinarians: https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/sects/paras/tickID.cfm