In today's issue:

-Meet our dog of the day

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-Get great information in our featured article

-Take our action of the week

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12 Dumbest Things Smart Americans Waste Money On

You’re smart about saving money, like shopping clearance racks, limiting eating out, and choosing affordable streaming services. However, there are still some cost-cutting tips you might not know yet. Once you discover these, you could quickly find extra cash in your pocket.

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2026 To Be a Banner Tick Year

As the weather warms up, the sun is inviting us out to our favorite trails, backyard patios, and local parks. But this year, nature is greeting us with a bit of an unwelcome crowd.

If it feels like you’re already hearing more about these tiny hitchhikers than usual, your instincts are spot on. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), emergency room visits for tick bites have surged to their highest levels in nearly a decade for this time of year.

Entomologists point to a perfect storm of climate and environmental factors that gave ticks a massive head start this year:

• The Winter That Wasn't: A winter marked by mild temperatures and frequent warm spells across much of the U.S. meant higher-than-average survival rates for over-wintering ticks. Instead of a hard freeze keeping them dormant, many stayed relatively cozy.
• An Early Spring Awakening: A record-breaking stretch of warm weather in March and April caused ticks to emerge weeks ahead of their usual schedule.
• The Humidity Factor: Ticks thrive in moisture. Current climate forecasts predict a warm, humid summer across major portions of the country, creating the exact damp environment they need to stay active without drying out.

Because the boundaries of our seasons are shifting, experts are noticing an overlap of different tick life stages. We aren't just seeing the large, easily spotted adult ticks; the tiny, poppy-seed-sized nymphs—which are the primary vectors for Lyme disease—are out in full force right now.

The Regional Breakdown: Where Risk is Highest

While tick populations are robust nationwide, certain areas are feeling the brunt of the surge this spring and summer.

Protecting Your Four-Legged Explorers

If you think a heavy tick season sounds like a headache for humans, it is an even bigger challenge for our dogs. Because our pups explore the world nose-first—happily plowing into tall brush, leaf litter, and trail edges—they act like furry magnets for questing ticks.

According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), the risk of canine tick-borne illnesses is actively expanding this year into areas that historically rarely saw them. Dogs are highly susceptible to the same pathogens we are, and their thick coats make these poppy-seed-sized invaders incredibly difficult to spot until they’ve already attached.

Here is what you need to know to keep your dog safe, comfortable, and tick-free this season.

The Blind Spots: Where Ticks Hide on Your Dog

When you come back from a walk, running your hands down your dog's back isn't quite enough. Ticks seek out warm, hidden, and thin-skinned areas where they can feed undisturbed. When doing your post-walk scan, pay extra attention to these six common hiding spots:

• In and behind the ears: Turn the ears inside out and feel along the inner ridges.
• Under the collar and harness: Ticks love to crawl underneath gear where they won’t be disturbed by a scratching paw.
• Between the toes and paw pads: A classic hiding spot for dogs who love walking through tall grass.
• The "armpits" and groin: Check the warm, bare areas where the front and back legs meet the body.
• Around the tail and eyelids: Ticks will frequently settle right at the base of the tail or along the moist skin of the eyelids.

Smart Defense: Beyond the Monthly Pill

Modern veterinary medicine has made protecting our pets much easier, but a record-breaking tick season requires a multi-layered approach.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                       THE 3-TIERED PUP DEFENSE                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                 |
|  [1. Vet-Approved Preventive] --> Oral chews or topicals        |
|                                    (Kills ticks post-bite)      |
|                                                                 |
|  [2. The Lyme Vaccine]       --> Added protection layer         |
|                                    (Fights the bacteria)        |
|                                                                 |
|  [3. Environment Management] --> Keep backyard grass short     |
|                                    (Reduces initial contact)    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

• Be Strict with Preventives: Whether you prefer a monthly oral chew or a topical "spot-on" treatment, consistency is everything. Most modern preventives don't actually keep a tick from landing on your dog; instead, they kill the tick rapidly after it bites, preventing the transmission of diseases like Lyme or Anaplasmosis, which typically requires 24 to 48 hours of attachment.
• Consider the Lyme Vaccine: Talk to your veterinarian about whether the Lyme vaccine makes sense for your dog's lifestyle. In high-risk regions, vets are increasingly treating this as a core vaccine. It doesn't replace your monthly preventive, but it acts as a critical inner defense system if an infected tick manages to latch on.
• A Note on Vulnerable Pups: If you care for a senior dog or a rescue pup with a compromised immune system, protecting them is even more vital. Chronic tick-borne illnesses can cause severe joint pain, lethargy, and kidney issues—complications that are much harder on older bodies. Always consult your vet to choose the gentlest, most effective preventive formulation for their specific health profile.

If you do find an attached tick, don't panic. Put on a pair of gloves, use a fine-tipped pair of tweezers or a dedicated tick-removal tool to grasp it right at the skin line, and pull straight up with steady pressure. Clean the area with a pet-safe antiseptic, and keep an eye on your pup for any subtle shifts in appetite or energy over the next couple of weeks.

Dog Food and Supplement Recalls

Here are the recent recalls and advisories:

• Albright's Raw Pet Food - Chicken Recipe for Dogs: Potential Salmonella exposure

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