I spent last weekend on my friend’s farm. We had beautiful weather and there was practically nothing to wreck our revelling in the outdoors –except for all the bug life. I’m not a hypochondriac, but as I cavorted with the two dogs, pet her goats and in the main enjoyed the livestock, I could hardly help but think about all of the tiny animal life droning around my head. I saw everything from wasps, to bees, to mosquitoes, to ticks. These latter two are the ones that worried me most. They carry an untold sum of diseases in their spittle, picking them up along with the blood they suck from other animals. As I slapped the mosquitoes off my legs and checked my arms for ticks, I kept thinking about what diseases might be making their way into my system.
In reality, these were just passing thoughts as I relished the beautiful day. But once home, they preoccupy me. When I asked my friend what she did to keep her animals parasite free, she replied, “Nothing!” This just seems irresponsible to me. Her animals are at her mercy for their health, and she endangers everyone else’s animals’ lives, not to mention the lives of the people with whom those same insects will come in contact. It seems especially reckless since there are so many preventative medications readily available on the market today. She could pick up some pet flea medications from her vet or online, and prevent heartworm disease by simply administering some Heartgard Plus for dogs. It would both keep her animals healthy and protect her farm investment. In fact, she could pick up some Sentinel for dogs and prevent both fleas and heartworm at the same time.
I know that in most states there are laws that say you must have your dog vaccinated against rabies. Is it incorrect in me to think that this might be a good law to instate for some other preventable diseases as well?
